ArbiterSports and NAIA Sign Partnership Agreement

SANDY, Utah, May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ArbiterSports, the established leader in athletic event management, today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to become the official training and education solution for NAIA game officials in select sports. The partnership was approved overwhelmingly by the Conference Commissioners Association and ratified by the Council of Presidents at the 73rd Annual NAIA National Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

This is the first time the NAIA national office has established a national training program for NAIA game officials. Currently, there are approximately 6,600 officials working in the NAIA's 22 conferences, with two-thirds of those officials also working NCAA contests.

"ArbiterSports understands the importance of providing quality registration, eligibility, training and educational solutions for officials because it leads to a better game experience for all participants," said ArbiterSports President and CEO Jeff Triplette. "We are excited to now have the opportunity to help the NAIA improve its officiating program. The large number of NAIA conferences and member institutions will make this a fun and challenging rollout for us."

Starting with the 2014-15 season, every NAIA official in the sports of men's and women's basketball, softball and baseball will be required to participate in the NAIA officiating training and education program via the ArbiterSports platform. The platform will give all officials access to NAIA-specific training on conduct in competition, information on NAIA rules modifications and standardized officials' education on NCAA rules. The NAIA utilizes NCAA playing rules in the listed sports. In 2015-16, the sports of football, volleyball and men's and women's soccer will be added to the program.

"The partnership with ArbiterSports provides the NAIA with an opportunity to connect with officials across all NAIA conferences," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "In addition, we can provide quality NAIA-specific training to complement the educational elements ArbiterSports currently provides all of its current registrants. We share ArbiterSports' goal of improving the quality and consistency of officiating, and this partnership is a big step in that direction for the NAIA."

In addition to these resources, the platform will provide a measurement tool for game officials to assess conduct of student-athletes, coaches and fans.

About ArbiterSports

ArbiterSports, headquartered in Sandy, Utah and the leading provider of athletic event management solutions, helps athletic departments and sports leagues simplify the process of registering, scheduling, assigning, training and paying athletic officials and event workers. The complete product suite, which includes ArbiterOne, ArbiterGame, ArbiterPay, ArbiterWorks and Arbiter360, delivers control and visibility over the entire athletic event management process. ArbiterSports products are built on a cloud-based system that allows secure access from anywhere and provides seamless integration and add-on features. Sports associations, commissioners, assigners and game officials rely on ArbiterSports to do their jobs more effectively. For more information, visit www.arbitersports.com.

About the NAIA

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 60,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $500 million in scholarships and compete in 23 national championships. To learn more, visit www.NAIA.org.

SOURCE ArbiterSports