Celebrate the Season at the 2026 AOA Awards Banquet
The Athletic Officials Association is proud to invite all members to the 2026 AOA Awards Banquet an end-of-season celebration honoring the officials and referees who make high school sports possible across every division.
📅 Event Details
Date: Sunday, May 17th, 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Courtyard Banquets, 3S200 State Route 59, Warrenville, IL 60555
Brunch Buffet: All you can eat – $15.00 per member
Drinks included!
A Celebration for All Divisions
This year’s banquet brings together officials from across every AOA division Baseball, Basketball, Football, Softball, and Water Polo to close out another outstanding season of high school athletics. Whether you worked the diamond, the hardwood, the gridiron, the field, or the pool, this event is your moment to be recognized alongside fellow officials who share your dedication and passion for the game.
Special Award Presentations
The 2026 banquet will feature some of the most meaningful moments in the AOA calendar:
🏆 Hall of Fame Induction – All Divisions
We will honor outstanding officials from across all five divisions who have demonstrated a lifetime of excellence, integrity, and service to high school athletics.
🏅 Moscardini Award
Presented to an official who exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism and sportsmanship in their division.
🏅 Abe Glick Award
A tribute to one of the AOA’s most beloved traditions, honoring an official whose contributions have left a lasting mark on the association and the sport.
RSVP by May 11th, 2026
Spots are limited don’t miss your chance to be part of this annual tradition. Registration is open now through the link below.
Click here to RSVP for the 2026 AOA Awards Banquet
We look forward to celebrating with you on May 17th. Here’s to another great season!
2026 Softball Division and Feb 8 Clinic
Resurrection College Prep HS – 12:00-4:00
7500 W. Talcott, Chicago, IL 60631
Please join us for an afternoon of “Softball Talk” on Super Bowl Sunday before the big game. This will be a Level 2 clinic, but Level 1 attendees are welcome.
Members of AOA Softball Division receive the clinic for free. Walk-ins cost is $20, but you will not be a member of AOA. First-year umpires are free to join and eligible for the Frank Moscardini Award for Softball.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend the clinic by sending an email to Diane Bryniarski at burnegerte [at] aol [dot] com.
2026 Baseball Division
Meetings will be conducted via Zoom on Wednesdays, starting February 4th through March 11th, from 6:45 PM to 9:00 PM.
Members are encouraged to attend all six sessions, but BOTH of the mandatory sessions on February 28th and February 25th are required in order to receive clinic credit.
New IHSA baseball officials are FREE
Officials new to AOA are $15
Returning AOA members are $25
2025 Basketball Division Meetings
This year’s meetings will again be on Thursday evenings starting October 2 and going through November 6. Most of our meetings will again be at York High School, while this year, Willowbrook High School will host us for one meeting, allowing us on-court instruction time.
Below are our schedule, locations, and speakers:
| Date | Location | Topic | Speaker |
| 10/2/25 @ 7:00 PM | York High School | Video Review, a Coach’s Perspective | Joe Spagnolo |
| 10/9/25 @ 7:00 PM | York High School | End of game situations | Don Williams & Dave Ramano |
| 10/16/25 @ 7:00 PM | York High School | Rule Changes & Points of Emphasis (POE) | Mark Siekierski |
| 10/23/25 @ 7:00 PM | Zoom Meeting | State of AOA – Future Leadership Video Review Block Charge | Randy Wilson/Ed Burns TBD |
| 10/30/25 @ 7:00 PM | Willowbrook High School | Split 2-Person/3-Person – Shot Clock & Video Review On-Court Mechanics | Jeff Rutledge Fred Allman |
| 11/6/25 @ 7:00 PM | Gullivers Pizza & Pub 17W517 Roosevelt Rd Oakbrook Terrace | Part 1 Test Review and Season Wrap-up | Randy Wilson |
AOA Awards Banquet
Sunday, May 18th, 2025
10 am – 2 pm
Courtyard Banquets
3S200 State Route 59
Warrenville, IL 60555
All you can eat brunch buffet – $15.00
Hall of Fame Induction for all Divisions
Moscardini Award
Abe Glick Award
Please RSVP by May 12th, 2025
All divisions are included! Drinks are included!
2025 Softball Division
No 2025 Clinic. Please find another clinic on the IHSA website to attend.
Instead of a clinic, we will be having discussion sessions on March 12, April 14, and May 12 at Dino’s Italian Pizza Restaurant at 7004 W. Higgins, Chicago, IL 60656 starting at 7:30pm. Free pizza for AOA Softball members. Once you sign up for membership, you will receive session reminders on your email.
Cost this year is $20. First-year umpires are free to join and eligible for the Frank Moscardini Award for Softball.
Celebration of Life for Steve Halberg
We lost a very good friend and fellow official recently. Steve Halberg was a Football, Basketball and Baseball official. Please keep the Halberg family in your thoughts. He will be missed.
Steven Halberg, 69, dedicated husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend – passed away suddenly on Sunday, October 20, 2024. Steve was born to Max and Dorothy Halberg in Princeton, IL on October 24, 1954. He graduated from Princeton High School in 1972 before attending the University of Illinois and graduating in 1976. In 1991 he went to Benedictine College for his MBA. Steve and Mary were married on October 13, 1979 and welcomed their son, Mark, on January 13, 1988.
2024 Basketball Division Meetings
Meetings this year will once again be on Thursday evenings starting on October 3 and going through November 14. With Halloween being on a Thursday this year, we have decided not to have a meeting that night and due to large events at York HS on a couple of nights this year, we will have two meetings at Willowbrook HS. Our dues structure remains the same as 2023. If you haven’t renewed your membership and paid dues, head here to do that now. Below are our schedule, locations, and speakers:
| Date | Location | Topic | Speaker |
| 10/3/24 @ 7:30PM | York HS | Rule 4/Rule 10 — Warnings and Techs | Dave Romano |
| 10/10/24 @ 7:30PM | York HS | Rule Changes (Joint Meeting with WBOA) | Fred Allman |
| 10/17/24 @ 7:30PM | York HS | Coaches Observations On Officiating | Joe Spagnolo |
| | | | |
| 10/31/24 | No Meeting – Happy Halloween | ||
| 11/7/24 @ 7:30PM | Willowbrook HS | On-Court Positioning & Mechanics | Jeff Rutledge & Don Williams |
| 11/14/24 @ 7:00PM | Gullivers Pizza & Pub 17W517 Roosevelt Rd Oakbrook Terrace | Part 1 Rules Test Review | Randy Wilson |
2024 Football Division
Meetings will be on Thursday evenings. No change in 2024 membership fees from 2023. Membership in one division $50 join more than 1 AOA division AOA Football is only $40. New to AOA Football 2024 fees will be waived unless you want clinic credit, Rates are available for single or multi-sport AOA Division memberships. If you belong to multiple AOA Divisions take advantage of the multi-division membership discount.
| Week | Date | Location | Topic | |||
| 1 | 7/25/2024 | Online | New Rules/officials Manual/Mechanics | |||
| 2 | 8/1/2024 | Online | Redzone/Goalline Mechanics | |||
| 3 | 8/8/2024 | York HS | Rick Karhiliker – Head Clinician | |||
| 4 | 8/15/2024 | York HS | Passing Game/Game Management | |||
| 5 | 8/22/2024 | York HS | Test (First Half Review) | |||
| 6 | 8/29/2024 | Online | Test (Second Half Review) | |||
| 7 | 9/5/2024 | York HS | Week #1 Game Review | |||
State Championship Officials
The AOA Basketball Division would like to congratulate Craig Davelis and Randy Wilson for representing the AOA at the girls state basketball tournament held Feb. 29 through March 2 at Illinois State University. Craig officiated two state semifinals (Class 1A and 3A) and the Class 4A state championship. Randy officiated one Class 3A semifinal, the Class 2A third-place game and the Class 1A state championship. Congratulations to both on a job well done.