TASO Renewal Fee $100?

[BlindZebra13]

I missed the email I guess. $75 fee + $25 fee for TASO state meeting = $100.

Where is the state meeting this year?

Beginning with the 2026 membership year, a $25 Annual Meeting Fee will be added to member’s annual renewal application process. This fee will help offset the increasing costs associated with our Annual Meeting. It will allow us to continue providing a higher-quality learning experience along with better meeting locations, guest and overall experience. Last years annual meeting was a huge success according to attendees and we want to continue and build on the current format.

All members will pay the Annual Meeting Fee during the renewal application process. As the Annual Meeting approaches, those planning to attend will still need to complete their meeting registration. However, there will be no additional charge if you register by the posted deadline. Members who choose to register at the door will incur an additional late registration fee.

We appreciate your continued dedication and commitment to excellence. These changes ensure that TASO Football can continue to provide the best possible training, resources, and experiences for all our officials. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your District Director or a TASO Football Officer

Thank you for being an important part of TASO Football.

Sincerely,
TASO Football Board of Directors

[dammitbobby]

San Marcos, I am pretty sure

And to clarify - my understanding is that that fee goes to, and stays with, TASO. It is not revenue that the hosting chapter receives for putting on/paying for the state meeting. It's essentially a way to force those who don't/can't attend the state meeting, to be required to help pay for it, above and beyond what they would have to pay for access to the online clinic to receive training credit.

[ElvisLives]

The State Meeting is in San Antonio, last weekend in June.
I strongly suggest everyone speak to their District Directors for an explanation of the Annual Meeting Fee, and how/why it was implemented.

[Whodatboy18]

It’s great that with the five dollar raise we get every few years that I will be able to pay off this fee increase after week 5 this season!

[BlindZebra13]

San Marcos, I am pretty sure

And to clarify - my understanding is that that fee goes to, and stays with, TASO. It is not revenue that the hosting chapter receives for putting on/paying for the state meeting. It's essentially a way to force those who don't/can't attend the state meeting, to be required to help pay for it, above and beyond what they would have to pay for access to the online clinic to receive training credit.

Question being, if that understanding is true then how do the El Paso or Amarillo chapters feel about this fee? It’s great for the larger centralized chapters, not so much for the chapters away from the larger central cities.

[JBall]

Question being, if that understanding is true then how do the El Paso or Amarillo chapters feel about this fee? It’s great for the larger centralized chapters, not so much for the chapters away from the larger central cities.

Yes this mandatory fee is very 1 sided.  This is not fair to many of the border chapters.  I would like a % of officials for that last few years meetings.  It feels like all are paying for the few.

[dammitbobby]

Yes this mandatory fee is very 1 sided.  This is not fair to many of the border chapters.  I would like a % of officials for that last few years meetings.  It feels like all are paying for the few.

Do you mean a percentage of how many officials actually attended? I don't know the exact number but I would guess that 2 years ago in Abilene, there were 5-600 in attendance. No idea what it was for other years/locations. I know of less than 5 members from my chapter attended the meeting last year, which is embarrassing IMO but it is what it is. It wouldn't matter if it was in Deer Park or El Paso or McAllen or Amarillo, people just don't want to drive (or fly) halfway across the state (or more) to attend, whether it's in a central location or on the outer edges.

I understand why they did it - it does encourage attendance, since it's removed a perceived barrier (cost of attending), although in reality that's just moving the goalposts. But, it gives TASO a HUGE injection of money every year that doesn't provide any additional benefit to members except to cover something that has always been optional anyways. TASO football membership is around 6k, so that's a $150,000 'donation' to TASO from its members annually.

For that kind of cheddar, all I know is that the state meeting better be ***LIGHTS OUT*** good since they have 150k more to spend on it ...assuming that they actually do spend it directly on on training and the state meeting, not just shift it back into the general operations budget like a typical money grab.

If you do live in a far-flung area of the state, your only recourse right now is to give your district rep an earful and hope they do what you elected them to do - to represent you and your interests. Get your proverbial pots and pans out and start raising hell.

[ElvisLives]

The biggest problem is that there are so many regional workshops, so there is little incentive to attend the Annual Meeting. Members can get the education credit they need at the workshops, which are far closer to them than the Annual Meeting. And that is true regardless of the annual meeting location these days.
Back in the 70s thru the 80s, there were only four or five workshops, so the Annual Meeting was far more attractive, for a number of reasons. First, it was a Friday evening/all day Saturday/full Sunday morning thing. Golf on Friday morning. They always had a very high profile guest speaker sometime on Saturday. “Stump the Experts” on Friday night. And excellent sessions (still have those 😀). It was a good family vacation opportunity, with concerts (Willie Nelson, etc.), or major sporting events (Rangers/Astros) on Saturday evenings. Wife could go shopping/spa during the day. Kids could go to area amusement parks, etc.
So, even if we had a workshop in our area, it was a true ‘event’ to attend the Annual Meeting. And connecting with friends and colleagues from around the state.
Back then, even workshops were Friday, all day Saturday, and some Sunday mornings.

Today, workshops are maybe 5 hours, and the Annual Meeting is about 6 hours on Saturday.Yeah, still have a golf tournament on Friday. Officer stuff on Friday afternoon/evening. Yeah, who wants to travel 600 miles for 6 hours of program, when they can get most of that at a much closer Regional Workshop?
I’d favor a single workshop per District, and a more substantial Annual Meeting.

[ilyazhito]

That makes more sense. Texas is a big enough state that it would be difficult for thousands of officials to be in the same place at the same time. The Districts could teach the basics and then there could be an annual state -wide meeting for a smaller subsection of officials, such as those working the state semifinals and/or finals.

[ElvisLives]

The Districts could teach the basics and then there could be an annual state -wide meeting for a smaller subsection of officials, such as those working the state semifinals and/or finals.

Nobody knows who those officials will be until the week before each of those games. (Officially and in theory, at least.)

[ElvisLives]

In 2025, there were 20 regional workshops. There are only 22 total football chapters, so only 2 chapters didn’t have a regional workshop. So, there simply isn’t much incentive to go to the Annual Meeting, if members can get the education credit they need at their regional workshop. That shouldn’t be the only, or primary, reason to attend the Annual Meeting, but that seems to be the case with many (most?) members. Another good reason to attend the Annual Meeting - years ago - was that was where and when elections took place. Just because technology makes it easier doesn’t mean better.
Just me rattling.

[Etref]

As I remember, TASO set up the Regional clinics because so few were able/ willing to attend the State Meeting!

[dammitbobby]

In 2025, there were 20 regional workshops. There are only 22 total football chapters, so only 2 chapters didn’t have a regional workshop. So, there simply isn’t much incentive to go to the Annual Meeting, if members can get the education credit they need at their regional workshop. That shouldn’t be the only, or primary, reason to attend the Annual Meeting, but that seems to be the case with many (most?) members. Another good reason to attend the Annual Meeting - years ago - was that was where and when elections took place. Just because technology makes it easier doesn’t mean better.
Just me rattling.

I'd argue that digital voting in today's environment is a thousand times better, because if it were limited to just state meetings, the smaller, more distant chapters would have even less of a say than they do today, due to challenges around travel, cost, etc. At least this way, everyone *can* vote if they choose, and not just be subject to whichever chapter happened to bus in the most members to tip a vote.

[dammitbobby]

On another note... if TASO is getting ALL the money earmarked for training purposes, good luck getting a chapter to agree to do all the legwork for putting on the state meeting... I know there is/was some kind of split with the registration funds for walkups, but I certainly don't want to go through all the time/effort to put on a state meeting for virtually nothing in return (not counting the 3-5k a chapter typically makes hosting a golf tournament).

[TxJim]

San Marcos, I am pretty sure

And to clarify - my understanding is that that fee goes to, and stays with, TASO. It is not revenue that the hosting chapter receives for putting on/paying for the state meeting. It's essentially a way to force those who don't/can't attend the state meeting, to be required to help pay for it, above and beyond what they would have to pay for access to the online clinic to receive training credit.

Seems appropriate that the online rules clinic should now be free and not $100 or whatever it's been.

[Whodatboy18]

I’ll bet you the $100 it won’t be free. Lol