Officials are a necessary component to maintain the professionalism of the Pro Circuit. To help meet the officiating requirements imposed by the ITF and the ATP, each tournament hires a Chief of Officials who will be responsible for the hiring and on-site management of all Chair Umpires and Line Umpires.

Chief of Officials It is the tournament’s responsibility to select and hire a Chief of Officials for the event. The Chief of Officials makes a promise to three main components of a tournament: the tournament itself, the players and to the officials hired.

Chief

Promise to the Player

To put out the best officials to work a

match

Promise to the Officials

To make sure their needs are met

Promise to the Tournament To maintain the integrity of the

tournament by providing excellent and professional

officials yet striking a balance by understanding the bottom

line in officiating fees.

Officials

Selection of a Chief of Officials The Tournament Supervisor will not select the Chief Umpire, but must approve your selection. If you have run tournaments in the past and have someone in mind, let the Supervisor and the Pro Circuit Office know who you have in mind to fill the spot as Chief of Officials. Do not worry if you do not have any one in mind. The USTA Officials Department has created a site where you can select from a list of candidates who have indicated interest in working as a Chief at your event.

Chief Candidate Lookup Site:

Link = https://fs23.formsite.com/res/resultsReportTable?EParam=m%2FOmK8apOTDozKUxS3nWYEmmAJ8GqDY12CO%2BcxzjberQ4AMvgCnjRA05MNfVtW6VUAkUlwaBUOYXOlQJnCcOeg%3D%3D

Password=ustapc2016 (case sensitive) Chief of Officials Credentials: Please keep in mind that a Chief of Officials must have the proper certification to fulfill this position. The chief must have an ITF officiating badge; Chief Certification, White, Bronze, Silver or Gold badges. Typically White Badge officials have the least experience and Gold badge officials are the most qualified. Also the Chief might hold

This choice of a Chief of Officials is an important one. This person will be managing what is likely the event’s second largest budget item. He or she must be someone you respect and trust. The Tournament Director will work closely with the Chief of Officials before and during the tournament to make sure that matches are properly staffed and the officials’ needs are met.

an ITF Chair Umpire or Referee certification, but not a Chief badge. While the Chief certification demonstrates a high level of expertise and experience, the Chief at a Pro Circuit event need only have the minimum (White Badge) international officiating credential. Chief of Officials Fee: The Chief of Officials charges a fee for his/her services as Chief which varies with level and surface. If there aren’t any local umpires that have the certification to fill the position as Chief, someone from out-of-town will have to be hired. You will then have to pay for travel, housing and possibly meals in addition to the fee charged. Very few places have a local official who is qualified.

Officiating Costs The average officiating budget for Pro Circuit events is as follows:

Estimated Cost of Officials Event Estimated Range

Hard Court Futures & Women’s $10K - $25K Events $7,500 - $8,500 Clay Court Futures Women’s $10K - $25K Events $4,500 - $5,500 Women’s $50K - $100K $14,000 - $16,000 Challengers $19,000 - $21,000 Please refer to the Officiating Costs document on the Tournament Director Site

Hiring Local Officials: While we always advise our tournament that hiring local officials helps the Officials budget, a local Chief may operate under the “good old boy” network, hiring all their local friends to work the event yet they may not be particularly qualified to officiate. Cheaper is not necessarily better and a Tournament Director always has to remember that bad officiating permeates into all aspects of the tournament. With weak officiating, comes unhappy players who then call on the USTA Supervisor. Good officiating exudes a positive influence on the tournament. Regardless of how much effort you have put into hosting a first-class event, once the crowd starts believing that the officiating is not up to standard, an element of professionalism is lost. The last thing you want is for the players to remember your event as having really bad officiating. While there will always be on-court disagreements about line calls, using the best local and out-of-town officials presents the best product for the players, sponsors, and spectators.

Officials Amenities Below is a list of amenities required at USTA Pro Circuit events:

Officials Lounge The Chief of Officials conducts a meeting every morning to review assignments. Please make sure the officials lounge is large enough to accommodate all the officials in one setting. If you do not have the infrastructure to single out one room as the Officials Lounge, there are other creative ways to meet this requirement. Below Palm Coast has a very small club house so they compensated the lack of infrastructure with donated RV’s. Inside the RV was extremely comfortable.

A secure rest area large enough to protect umpires from weather is required at every Pro Circuit event. There should be easy access to nearby toilets with running water. In extreme heat, the lounge should have air-conditioning. The Chief Umpire will need a work table, internet access, an electrical outlet for computer/printer use and access to a photocopier.

Food for the Officials Lunch must be provided to the officials every day unless start time is after 2 PM. o Keep it healthy - salad and fresh

fruit. o Provide a variety in meals

throughout the week. (Avoid Subway sandwiches everyday)

o Drinking water, coffee and soft drinks (mostly diet) should be also available.

o Bagels and/or muffins in the morning.

Many

Some tournaments will have tents as lounges. If using tents, please make sure that the weather predicted for the tournament week will provide the officials with a comfortable setting.

Some tournaments include the officials food with the food they are serving to players.

Per Diem At the Challenger level, tournaments will need to provide a per diem for meals between $25 - $30/day. The tournament provides the Chief of Officials with a lump sum and the Chief then pays each official a per diem when they turn in receipts.

________________________ Housing Officials If there are not enough qualified local officials to work the tournament, the Chief will need to hire out-of-town officials. It is likely that the Chair Umpires will be from out-of-town due to international certification requirements. Tournaments may provide housing for out-of-town officials through private housing or hotel. Out-of-town officials are asked to double-up if a hotel room is provided but three people to a room is not acceptable.

If housing is provided privately, the Chief of Officials will provide the tournament with a housing list. Make sure to consult with your Chief of officials while making the assignments. Housing considerations:

o Pet allergies o Never assign a player and an official to the same house o Keep in mind that the officials assigned to morning matches will leave

early.

________________________________________

Many tournaments are able to have the daily lunches for officials donated or bartered through local eateries and national chains.

Tournament Volunteers are often tasked to provide lunch or part of lunch on select days. The women’s $50K in Sacramento, CA recognized which volunteers provided the lunch in the displayed menu. If the tournament is held at a private club, verify with the club that you can bring in food from the outside without it being an issue.

If night matches are being held, additional expenses for meals and services may apply. More information on food costs in the Officials Costs document.

Travel Expenses It is decided between the Tournament Director and the Chief of Officials as to what travel fees are covered to bring in out-of-town officials and what costs may be reimbursed. Some examples of travel costs may include gas money, airline travel, taxi to and from the airport, or Mileage (.50 cents/mile). Tournaments should allot $250 of travel money per out-of-town supplemental Chair Umpire. A total of $1,500 should be added to the tournament’s budget in anticipation of Chair Umpire travel costs.

Tip for travel costs: If your tournament falls within a swing of other Pro Circuit events close in proximity, the officials working your event will most likely be working the other event(s) within that swing. Have your Chief contact the other tournament’s Chief to see what transportation costs can be shared.

Transportation (between the site and the hotel or housing) If out-of-town officials are being housed in the tournament hotel, they may use the arranged tournament transportation. If private housing is the source of accommodation, then arrangements for them to be transported to and from the tournament site must be made. Airport pick-ups and drop offs – If possible, try to arrange some transportation to and from airports. Many times this is accomplished with a van and volunteer drivers.

Officials Uniforms USTA Officials wear an official uniform on-court. However, feel free to provide a uniform if your tournament budget allows.

The Binghamton Challenger chooses a different color for their on-court officials every year.

The Rock Hill, NC officials consisted of a collared shirt and sweatshirt with the tournament name and logo embroidered on the front.

The Maui Challenger has made the

traditional Hawaiian shirt the Officials uniform on Finals

Sunday.

Providing a uniform to the officials is another opportunity to recognize a tournament sponsor. On the left, the officials uniform at the Dow Corning Classic in Midland, MI used the back of the uniform to recognize their main sponsor, Dow Corning.