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| LEC Athletic Officials Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | LEC Athletic Officials Association |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Type | Non-profit sports officiating organization |
| Headquarters | Little Elm, Texas |
| Region served | Denton County, Collin County, North Texas |
| Membership | High school and recreational officials |
| Leader title | President |
LEC Athletic Officials Association is a regional association for athletic officials serving the Little Elm and surrounding North Texas communities. The association coordinates assignments, training, certification, and governance for officials who work high school sports and recreational leagues in the area. It interacts with local school districts, athletic conferences, and statewide bodies to standardize officiating practices and promote professional development.
The association traces origins to volunteer groups formed in the 1970s in Little Elm, Texas and expanded alongside population growth in Denton County, Texas and Collin County, Texas. Early collaborations involved officials who also participated in University Interscholastic League activities, local Texas High School Coaches Association meetings, and municipal recreation programs. Through the 1980s and 1990s it partnered with district athletic directors from Lewisville Independent School District, Frisco Independent School District, Plano Independent School District, and Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District to coordinate assignments for football, basketball, baseball, and softball. The 2000s brought formalized training tied to the National Federation of State High School Associations model and increased engagement with organizations such as the Texas Association of Sports Officials and the Texas High School Basketball Coaches Association.
Membership includes officials who officiate in conferences, tournaments, and municipal leagues across North Texas, drawing from towns such as McKinney, Texas, Allen, Texas, The Colony, Texas, Sachse, Texas, and Gunter, Texas. The association maintains categories for probationary, full, and veteran officials; liaisons with school district athletic directors; and committees that coordinate with bodies like the Texas University Interscholastic League equivalents and county recreation departments. It engages with officials who also work in leagues connected to organizations such as the Amateur Athletic Union, NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and community colleges like Collin College and North Central Texas College.
Training programs align with standards promoted by National Federation of State High School Associations, Texas Association of Sports Officials, and state-level legal requirements. Clinics and seminars have featured instructors with backgrounds from Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, and former collegiate officials who officiated in Conference USA, Big 12 Conference, Southland Conference, and American Athletic Conference. Certification pathways incorporate rules testing, mechanics clinics, video review sessions tied to footage from events at venues such as Ford Center at The Star, Toyota Stadium, and high school gymnasiums in the Region II-5A footprint. Continuing education often references materials from the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials and umpire mentorship modeled after Professional Umpires Corporation practices.
The association schedules officials for regular season contests, district playoffs, invitational tournaments, and municipal recreation programs. It assigns crews for sports including football, girls' basketball, boys' basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, wrestling, track and field, and cross country. Assignments coordinate with tournament hosts such as Eisemann Center events, district championships for UIL Class 5A and UIL Class 6A, and regional showcases at facilities like Curtis Culwell Center. Partnerships with event organizers include interactions with athletic directors from Lake Dallas Independent School District, Prosper Independent School District, and Keller Independent School District.
A board of directors and elected officers set policies on ethics, conflict of interest, scheduling, and discipline, drawing governance models from organizations such as National Association of Sports Officials, Texas Ethics Commission guidance for non-profits, and best practices used by USA Football and US Soccer Federation referee programs. Policies address background checks, concussion protocol alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, and reporting consistent with state education agency rules. Grievance procedures involve hearing panels and appeal steps that mirror those used by collegiate conferences like the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference for sports administration disputes.
Members have advanced to officiate at collegiate and professional levels, including assignments in NCAA Division I postseason play, NAIA national tournaments, and semi-professional leagues aligned with United Soccer League and Arena Football League alumni programs. Several officials from the association have been recognized by the Texas Association of Sports Officials with awards for service and excellence and have served as clinicians at events hosted by Dallas Independent School District and regional coaching clinics sponsored by Texas High School Coaches Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations.
The association runs youth outreach and referee recruitment initiatives in cooperation with local parks and recreation departments, community centers, and nonprofit youth sports groups such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America chapters in the area. It participates in safety workshops with partners like Children's Health (Dallas) and Texas Health Resources and supports scholarship programs for officials pursuing degrees at institutions such as University of North Texas, Texas Woman's University, and University of Texas at Dallas. Development efforts include mentorship programs modeled after national mentorship frameworks used by USA Basketball and referee development pipelines similar to those promoted by U.S. Soccer Federation coaching and referee education.
Category:Sports officiating organizations in the United States Category:Organizations based in Denton County, Texas