Teams and leagues are rescheduling more and more games due to limited officials.

Media outlets are publishing articles, parents, athletes and coaches are talking, and some have felt the official shortage firsthand, but the issue is real.

The issue is so serious, Tennessee’s Secondary School Athletic Association created a new committee, the Tennessee’s Secondary School Athletic Association Board of Control. Their goal is to help find out ways to increase the numbers of officials, according to Athletic Management.

Here are a few contributing factors to the official shortage.

- Officials who have been officiating for many years are retiring and no one is stepping in to replace them.

- Failure to pay officials in a timely manner.

- The rise of travel leagues, where referee pay is often higher.

- Lack of hospitality by schools.

- Advancement from Youth/High School to the collegiate level is very limited.

And these are just some of the top seasons we are seeing a drastic decline.

Related: Football needs more officials and Why we need officials now more than ever

The National Federation of State High School Associations wants you to take action and help increase and promote officiating.

What are you doing to retain the current officials?

Current officials should help mentor and foster new officials. Help show them the ins and outs of officiating and be a good partner.

Rookie and veteran officials’ should be a proactive member of their association.

High schools and athletic directors, you can help too! Make sure someone from the school is there to greet the officials when they arrive, have a safe place for them to dress, make sure your coaches and fans treat them with respect, and if possible, try to pay the officials within 10 days after the game.  

How to recruit new officials

Current officials should represent their organizations in a professional manner that would make someone want to join officiating.

Athlete directors should talk to current students and recent graduates about the possibility of becoming a youth official.

Everyone can help be the solution to an increase in officials, just make sure you aren't contributing to the cause of decreasing officials.

Interested in becoming an official? USA Football has you covered.  Learn the keys to being a youth football official by checking out USA Football’s Mechanics of Officiating Youth Tackle Football course.

MORE: For players and officials, communication and respect are a two-way street