IRVING, Texas – The American Conference has partnered with seven other Division I conferences to establish a women’s basketball officiating alliance aimed at enhancing the quality, consistency and development of officiating through a collaborative system of assigning, training, evaluation and oversight, the conferences announced on Monday.
The American will join the Atlantic Coast Conference, BIG EAST Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Big South Conference, Coastal Athletic Association, Ivy League, and Metro Conference (formerly Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) in the officiating alliance, led by newly appointed Supervisor of Officials Pualani Spurlock-Welsh.
Spurlock-Welsh will work closely with the supervisors across the alliance conferences to develop officiating assignments that maximize geographic efficiencies.
“Women’s Basketball continues to be an important priority and opportunity for growth in the American, and we are committed to investing in it and surrounding our student-athletes and coaches with the very best talent in officiating, in all sports”, said American Commissioner Tim Pernetti. “We are excited to align with our conference colleagues in our shared commitment to excellence in competition, officiating and delivering on an exceptional student-athlete experience."
The officiating alliance will provide the following services for its members:
- Identify, recruit and retain officials.
- Enhance official training, education, mentorship, evaluation and feedback.
- Develop efficient, collaborative assigning strategies that maximize geographic efficiencies across the alliance.
- Conduct collaborative seasonal game management calls and provide updates related to alliance operations.
Spurlock-Welsh was hired in July, taking over for Debbie Williamson. With over 18 years of experience as a Division I college basketball official, Spurlock-Welsh brings a wealth of knowledge from the hardwood to the supervisor role. Beginning her career on the court in 2008 through the mid-major ranks, Spurlock-Welsh has been a full-time official since 2011 and has worked more than 75 Division I women’s basketball games per year across multiple conferences.