BIIF referee shortage continues
In the wake of a new high school sports fall season, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) continues to face a recurring predicament.
In the wake of a new high school sports fall season, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) continues to face a recurring predicament.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has suffered a referee and umpire shortage, lacking officials in basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball — to name a few. In volleyball, for example, the BIIF has just nine referees currently staffed. A normal number of officials would typically be 20 or more for a league with over a dozen teams. For baseball and softball combined, there are only 11 umpires on staff.
It’s been a problem that has spanned well beyond the Hawaiian Islands. Per a 2022 NFHS survey, around 50,000 individuals across the U.S. discontinued as youth officials since the beginning of the pandemic. The Big Island has been particularly affected by this statistic, as the local officiating community once had a tier system that decided compensation for every individual.
Now? The Hawaii Island Sports Officials Association (HISOA) no longer has that ranking system, and the BIIF is at its lowest number of referees in decades. On top of that, HISOA has a demographic issue, as it has more officials aged over 60 staffed than under 30 as of late 2025.
The impact of lack of officials in the Big Island community is striking. Gabe Wibberley, a Pahoa resident who has been BIIF official in multiple sports for two decades, often has to drive to the Kona side and North Hawaii to referee games — sacrificing hours of travel time and miles on his vehicle. Many other island officials face this same problem, often driving long distances to areas that lack referee coverage — such as Laupahoehoe and Hawi.
In areas with a lack of officials, the league has needed to schedule double and even triple-header games for the individuals that are able to make the long drives. If certain games don’t have the right amount of referees required to play, events can be postponed or cancelled.
When the league can’t find an official to cover a game, Wibberley often volunteers to make the long trek over to West Hawaii.
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“It’s a lot of hard work to cover these games,” Wibberley told the paper. “But because of the shortage, our refs get burned out and have to step away, which is a bad sign.”
Despite the long drives and high demand to cover games, Wibberley has always thoroughly enjoyed officiating on the Big Island. An athlete for nearly his entire life, Wibberley feels that officiating is one of the best ways to give back to the local community, and believes others would feel the same way if they gave it a try.
After all, it’s one of the best ways to get a front-row seat to some of the best athletes on the island.
“I love giving back to the community,” he said. “I’ve been (officiating) since I got out of high school.”
Wibberley added that former coaches with growing kids or anyone interested in helping with youth sports should consider becoming a BIIF official. Depending on the sport one wants to cover, a new referee must complete specific training for the sports they choose.
Payment on average is $75 per game. Interested applicants must be at least 18 years old to inquire, and may contact the following individuals for more information: • Jennie Maikui, volleyball: 315-6510 • Norman Kaaihue, baseball and softball: 989-8788 • Victor McDaniel, basketball: 989-6613
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