Who We Are

WALOA is the official's association for men's and boy's lacrosse in the state of Washington.  Our members provide officiating services for high school and youth lacrosse games in Washington state.

WALOA has over 200 members and is continually training new adult and youth officials. The experience level ranges from brand-new officials, who are just learning to officiate and are new to the game of lacrosse, to top-level officials, some of whom have worked the MCLA Division 1 College Championship Game.  WALOA has reciprocal agreements with Oregon Officials Association regarding assignments to games.

WALOA provides training for new and returning officials, with courses conducted using US Lacrosse training materials. New youth officials (working eighth-grade and lower games) complete 12 hours of classroom and online training, and new high-school level officials complete 10 hours. Two hours of on-field training is also required for all new officials.

Returning adult officials complete at least 8 hours of training annually, and newer officials are paired with more experienced officials for ongoing training through mentoring. In addition, our field observation program sends experienced observers and clinicians to watch officials work. The observers meet with the officials during breaks and after the game and then send them a written report of what they do well and what areas they need to focus on in order to improve.

Officials are extensively tested on rules and mechanics. New officials must take and pass written tests before being able to officiate WHSBLA high school games, and returning officials are tested annually on both NFHS rules and US Lacrosse Youth Rules..

WALOA is an association of independent contractors (officials), represented by an elected Board.  Members are assigned to games by an Assigner contracted by the leagues, and officials are paid by the individual leagues for their services.  Games are assigned through Arbiter Sports software, and payments from the leagues are made through ArbiterPay software, an affiliate of Arbiter Sports.