NEW YORK (AP) — Eight NCAA Division I conferences, including the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East, have jointly launched a women's basketball officiating alliance aimed at raising the quality, consistency and development of referees across the sport.
The alliance, announced Monday, will operate a collaborative system covering assigning, training, evaluation and oversight of officials. The participating conferences are the Big East, ACC, American Conference, Atlantic 10, Big South Conference, Coastal Athletic Association, Ivy League and Metro Conference.
Pualani Spurlock-Welsh, recently appointed supervisor of officials for the ACC, Big East and American Conference, will lead the initiative. She will work alongside supervisors from the other member conferences to optimize assignments and improve geographic efficiency for officials.
Big East commissioner Val Ackerman emphasized the collaborative nature of the project. "The Big East is proud to play a key role in strengthening women's college basketball officiating as part of our commitment to providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes," Ackerman said in a statement. "This alliance represents an important opportunity to collaborate in identifying, developing and supporting officials while sharing resources and expertise across the participating conferences."
The new structure replaces a previous informal officiating alliance led by Deb Williamson, who has retired. Spurlock-Welsh has worked as a full-time official for multiple conferences since 2011 and has officiated every women's NCAA Tournament, including four Final Fours, during that span.
The initiative comes at a time of growing investment in women's college basketball, with increased television ratings, expanded tournament fields and heightened scrutiny on officiating consistency. By pooling resources across eight conferences, the alliance aims to create a deeper pipeline of trained officials and ensure uniform standards regardless of which conference is hosting a game.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/big-east-officiating-alliance-a91203ede266d3812f6547029532ae33
