INDIANAPOLIS -- The Big Ten Conference, Horizon League, Indiana Sports Corp and its partners are teaming up to host a free sports officials symposium on Sunday, March 8 inside Pacers Square at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The symposium takes place from 3-5:00 PM ET and will feature programming devoted to addressing the shortage of officials in all sports.
“Indiana Sports Corp is thrilled to partner with the Big Ten Conference and Horizon League to be at the forefront of issues surrounding officiating on the youth, high school, and collegiate level,” said Indiana Sports Corp President, Ryan Vaughn. “ Officials are a crucial component to any athletic event and this officials symposium will help give them the skills and knowledge going forward to help combat existing challenges and concerns in the profession.”
Led by speakers from the National Federation of State High School Associations, Indiana High School Athletic Association and Officially Human; Behind the Stripes, participants will learn about a variety of topics that impact prospective and current officials at all levels of competition. Programming will cover recruitment and treatment of officials, earnings potential and opportunities for career advancement within youth and high school sports as well as the collegiate level.
“At every level of competition, officiating plays a vital role in ensuring the integrity of our game,” said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren. “We are honored to partner with the Horizon League and Indiana Sports Corp to educate participants on the wide array of issues facing officials.”
“We are excited to partner with the Big Ten Conference and Indiana Sports Corp to address this key issue in youth, high school and college sports,” said Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone. “Officials play a key role in the sports experience, and we want to explore how we might keep that talent pipeline robust. Indianapolis is the perfect city to host a symposium on this topic.”
Those interested in signing up for the symposium, please visit https://bit.ly/37HzC5h. In addition to attending, participants will have the opportunity to purchase buy one, get one free (BOGO) game tickets to the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament and Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.
The 2020 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse takes place March 4-8 and marks the 23rd time in the event’s 27-year history it has resided in the Circle City. All 14 teams from the Big Ten Conference will be traveling to Indianapolis to battle it out on the hardwood to claim the conference tournament title. For a complete list Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament ancillary events, volunteer opportunities and ticket information visit www.IndianaSportsCorp.org or the Tournament Central page bigten.org/wbbt.
The Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships take place at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 9 and 10. Eight teams - four men and four women - will look to advance to Indianapolis with early round games taking place on campus. For a complete list Horizon League Basketball Championship ancillary events and ticket information visit www.HorizonLeague.com.
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About Indiana Sports Corp: Founded in 1979 as the nation’s first sports commission, Indiana Sports Corp is a not-for-profit organization focused on bringing premier sporting events to Indiana to drive economic vitality, facilitate a vibrant community with civic pride and garner positive media attention. Because of this, Indiana Sports Corp is able to provide positive, sports-related opportunities for youth in the community. For more information, please visit IndianaSportsCorp.org.
About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit bigten.org.
About the Horizon League: The Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference comprised of 10 member institutions located throughout the Midwest’s major metropolitan cities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the League and its members strive to be highly competitive athletically while committing to the total development of its student-athletes and creating a lasting impact on campus and in the community. For more information, visit HorizonLeague.com.