The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) is celebrating "Officials' Appreciation Week" along with all other Division III and Division II conferences throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. This year marks the second year of this initiative adopted by the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) to recognize and thank conference officials across all sports.
 
Officials' Appreciation Week will be celebrated during the fall, winter and spring sport seasons. To kick off the year, the fall celebration will take place from October 2nd – October 9th followed by January 22nd – January 28th for winter and April 1st – April 7th for spring. 
 
The commitment of the HCAC officials and referees to safe, fair and competitive contests is a critical part of the student-athlete experience.
 
"Officials are a vital part of sports," said HCAC Commissioner Jay Jones. "I think society assumes these men and women that give their time, energy and passion to officiate are somehow compensated on extreme levels.  That is not correct at all.  Division III athletes are often notably recognized for playing "for the love of the game".  We must all also recognize that it is the same love of the game that drives our officials to selflessly give of their time and talents to us.  A huge thanks is due to all of these men and women."
 
Officials' Appreciation Week is one of numerous initiatives that are being implemented as part of the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) Strategic Plan for Collegiate Officiating that was created as a result of the DIIICA's Strategic Analysis of the State of Collegiate Officiating. In conjunction with the NCAA and the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), there is an urgent need for sports officials, if interested please visit the NCAA's Say Yes to Officiating platform to learn more.