Referee & Umpire Scheduling — Deep Dive — GoClubPro

Training Module 99 | Managing an Officials Pool, Week-to-Week Scheduling, and Payment Reconciliation

What This Guide Covers

Module 56 introduced the basics of referee and umpire management. This module goes deeper — covering clubs and associations that manage their own officials pool week-to-week, how to communicate with officials through GoClubPro, and how to build sustainable officiating programs. This is particularly relevant for associations that coordinate umpires centrally, and for clubs that supply their own linespeople, timekeepers, or scorers.

Primary audience: Association Admins, Club Admins who self-supply officials, Junior Coordinators (junior umpire programs) See also: 56 Referee & Umpire Management for the basic workflow

SECTION 1: MODELS OF OFFICIATING IN COMMUNITY SPORT

The Three Officiating Models

Model	Who Coordinates?	Who Pays?	Platform Role
Association-appointed	Association appoints umpires to games	Association invoices clubs per game	Record levy as expense; Module 56
Club self-supply	Each club provides their own linespeople/timekeepers	Club pays their own officials	Record as expense; manage via Noticeboard
Club-sourced pool	Club recruits and manages a pool of umpires for all their home games	Club pays	Full workflow below

This module focuses on the club-sourced pool model, which is common in smaller associations or where the central body doesn't supply enough officials.

SECTION 2: BUILDING AN OFFICIALS POOL

Recruiting Officials

Noticeboard recruitment post:

"Umpire / Referee Opportunity — Season [Year]

[Club Name] is looking for [X] people to umpire home games this season. No experience necessary — we'll provide training.

What's involved: [X] home games; approximately [X hours] per game; payment of $[X] per game.

Suitable for: Retired players, older junior players (16+), parents, community members.

Contact [name] at [email/phone] to express interest."

Sources of officials:

Retired players (know the game; want to stay involved)
Older junior players (15–17) learning the rules and earning money
Parents who want to contribute practically
Physical education teachers from local schools
People returning from injury who can't play but want to stay connected

Registering Officials in GoClubPro

If your officials are also club members (common for player-umpires or retired players):

They have existing accounts → Admin Panel → their member record → Notes field: "Umpire pool — Season [Year] — $[X] per game"

If they're external officials (not club members):

Create a GoClubPro account for them with a "Player" role (no admin access)
Notes field: "External umpire — [Contact details] — $[X] per game"
This lets you communicate with them via Broadcasts if needed

WWCC for officials: If officials have any contact with children (refereeing junior matches), they must hold a current WWCC appropriate for their state. Check before assigning them to junior games. Module 71.

SECTION 3: WEEK-TO-WEEK SCHEDULING

The Weekly Officials Availability Check

For each home game, confirm which officials are available:

Method A — Noticeboard/Broadcast: Post a weekly availability check on Thursday:

"Officials — Round [X] — [Date]

We need [X] umpires/linespeople/timekeepers for our home game this Saturday at [Time].

Who's available? Reply in the comments by [Friday noon] so we can confirm the panel."

Method B — External scheduling tool: For larger pools: use a Google Form or When2Meet for availability. More efficient for 10+ officials across multiple games.

Method C — Season roster: If officials commit to specific rounds at the start of the season (the cleanest approach):

Noticeboard post at pre-season: "Round availability — please indicate which rounds you're available to officiate"
Build a season roster; publish to the Noticeboard at season start
Adjust as availability changes mid-season

Confirming and Communicating the Assignment

Once officials are confirmed:

Broadcast to assigned officials (or direct message):

"Hi [Name] — you're confirmed for Round [X] on [Date] at [Venue].

Arrival time: [X] (15 minutes before the scheduled start). Report to: [Team Manager / Umpire Coordinator] on arrival. Questions: contact [name] on [phone].

See you Saturday!"

In GoClubPro: No native official assignment module — the Schedule doesn't have an "official assigned" field. Record the assignment in a Google Sheet or note field. The communication above is via Broadcast or direct message.

SECTION 4: OFFICIALS PAYMENT TRACKING

Recording Per-Game Payments in Accounting

After each home game, record official payments:

Treasurer → Accounting → Add Manual Entry

Type: Expense
Description: "Umpire — [Name] — Round [X] — [Date] — $[X]"
Amount: per-game payment
Date: date of game (or date paid if different)

At AGM: Filter Accounting by "Umpire" to see total officiating spend for the year.

Cash vs. Bank Transfer for Officials

Cash on the day (most common for community sport):

Team Manager holds a float and pays officials immediately after the game
Officials sign a simple receipt (date, name, round, amount) — kept by Team Manager
At week's end: Team Manager submits total to Treasurer → Treasurer records in Accounting + reimburses

Bank transfer:

Officials provide BSB and account number at the start of the season
Treasurer pays after each game (or weekly in a batch)
Bank statement serves as the payment record
Accounting entry: "Umpire — [Name] — Round [X]" → amount

Superannuation consideration: If officials are regularly paid significant amounts (not a one-time or volunteer arrangement), there may be superannuation and tax obligations. Consult your accountant if any official earns more than ~$450/month from the club.

SECTION 5: JUNIOR UMPIRE PROGRAMS

Developing Junior Officials

Many associations run junior umpire programs — teenagers who learn to officiate under the supervision of an experienced umpire. This is excellent for:

Building a sustainable officials pool for the future
Keeping older junior players involved when they age out of playing
Providing structured development and earning opportunity for teenagers

Platform role: Junior officials (under 18) follow the same workflow as adult officials. If they're existing club members, add "Junior Umpire" to their Notes field.

Mentoring Structure

For a junior umpire program:

Paired with an experienced official: Junior shadows or officiates alongside a senior umpire for their first 3–5 games
Feedback after each game: Senior umpire provides verbal feedback; notes any rule interpretations to work on
Graduated independence: Junior officiates independently once the senior umpire is satisfied with their competence
Record progression in Notes: Admin Panel → member notes: "Junior umpire — started Round [X] — independent from Round [X]"

Pay rates for junior umpires: Often lower than adult rates while learning ($[X] per game); increases when officiating independently.

SECTION 6: HANDLING OFFICIAL SHORTFALLS

When You Can't Fill the Officials Panel

The most common crisis in community sport officiating: an official cancels the day of the game.

Pre-game contingency plan: At the start of each season, nominate 2–3 "emergency contacts" — people in the umpiring pool who can be called at short notice if an assigned official cancels. Brief them at the start of the season.

On the day:

Contact emergency officials immediately (phone; don't rely on messaging apps)
If unable to fill: contact the opponent Team Manager to agree on a solution (player officiating, reduced officiating panel, etc.)
Note in the match record if the game was officiated by a reduced panel
Contact association if the shortage is systematic (they may be able to help)

Noticeboard post-season debrief:

"As we look ahead to Season [Year+1], we need to grow our officiating pool. We had [X] occasions where we couldn't fill the panel this season. If you can help — even occasionally — please put your hand up."

VISUAL: Officials Scheduling Weekly Cycle

MONDAY
 Review next home game date/time/venue
 │
 ▼
THURSDAY
 Availability check: Broadcast / Noticeboard / Google Form
 │
 ▼
FRIDAY NOON
 Responses received
 Confirm officials panel
 Send confirmation message to assigned officials
 │
 ▼
GAME DAY
 Officials arrive 15 min early
 Report to Team Manager
 Game officiated
 Cash payment (if cash on day) + signed receipt
 │
 ▼
POST-GAME (WITHIN 48 HOURS)
 Treasurer: Accounting → Expense → "Umpire — [Name] — Round [X]"
 Bank transfer (if not cash on day)
 │
 ▼
END OF SEASON
 Filter Accounting by "Umpire" → total spend
 Thank officials on Noticeboard
 Recruit for next season

TOOLTIPS & HINTS

Season roster is cleaner than weekly asks — if officials can commit to specific rounds at pre-season, do it; saves weekly coordination overhead
Emergency contact list — maintained and briefed at season start; called first when a day-of cancellation happens
WWCC for junior officiating — anyone refereeing children must hold a current WWCC; check before assigning to junior grades
Cash + receipt — simple, fast, works in the field; receipts allow Treasurer to reconcile later
Junior umpires are the future — starting a junior program now reduces the officiating shortage crisis in 3–5 years

FAQ

Q: An umpire made a bad call that affected the match result. A coach wants them removed. What do we do? A: Human error is part of sport. The coach's frustration is understandable but officiating errors are not grounds for removal unless there is a pattern of incompetence or conduct issues. If there's a genuine competence concern: senior umpire coordinator reviews; offers additional mentoring. If there's a conduct concern: club/association process. Never remove an official publicly in the heat of the moment.

Q: We have 8 home games and only 3 reliable officials. What do we do? A: Three strategies: (1) Recruit — Noticeboard + personal asks at the start of the season; (2) Cross-club arrangement — agree with a neighbouring club to share officials (your officials go to their games; theirs come to yours); (3) Contact your association — they may have a list of available officials or can subsidise a development program.

Q: Officials are asking for ABN invoices. Do we need to treat them as contractors? A: If they're providing invoices and have ABNs, they're likely treating themselves as contractors. This changes the payment relationship — you may not need to withhold tax (they manage their own), but the payment is still an expense in Accounting. If the amounts are significant, consult your accountant on the correct treatment.

COMMON MISTAKES

Mistake	Consequence	Prevention
No emergency contact list	Day-of cancellation causes chaos	2–3 emergency officials briefed at season start
Paying cash with no receipt	No audit trail; Treasurer can't reconcile	Simple receipt: name, date, round, amount, signature
WWCC not checked for junior officiating	Compliance breach; potential insurance issue	Check before assigning any official to under-18 games
No thank-you at season end	Officials feel unappreciated; don't return	Noticeboard thank-you post naming all officials
Only recruiting officials when desperate	Perennial shortage	Annual pre-season recruitment post; junior program

SHORT ONBOARDING SCRIPT

"Managing an officials pool has three weekly tasks: availability check (Thursday, Noticeboard or Google Form), confirmation message to assigned officials (Friday), and payment + Accounting entry after the game ('Umpire — [Name] — Round [X]'). A season roster agreed at pre-season is cleaner than weekly coordination. Always have an emergency contact list of 2–3 officials willing to take a day-of call. Check WWCC for anyone officiating junior grades before assigning them. Record all payments in Accounting so at AGM you can show total officiating spend. And don't forget the season-end thank-you — officials who feel appreciated come back next year."

MICRO-TRAINING QUICK TIPS

Season roster: get availability commitments at pre-season; cleaner than weekly asks
Weekly cycle: Thursday check → Friday confirm → game day pay → 48h Accounting entry
Cash payment: always get a signed receipt (name, round, date, amount)
Accounting: "Umpire — [Name] — Round [X]" → filter at AGM for total officiating cost
Emergency list: 2–3 officials briefed at season start; phone first for day-of cancellations
WWCC: mandatory check before assigning anyone to junior grade officiating
Junior program: pair with experienced official for first 3–5 games; graduated independence

Training Module 99 | See also: 56 Referee & Umpire Management · 07 Treasurer & Accounting · 71 Coach Accreditation & WWCC · 10 Noticeboard & Feed · 85 Volunteer Recognition