Officials
The Australian Sailing Officials Hub contains information and resources to assist clubs, class associations and accredited officials to run safe, fair, and quality racing.
Officiating is a fun way to volunteer and contribute to the fair and safe running of sailing competition.
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We provide a number of courses for aspiring officials. Find an eLearning course or use the button below to see upcoming in-person courses. |
Find useful regatta resources designed to assist Australian Sailing accredited officials to conduct racing.
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Frequently asked questions
To start your officiating pathway:
Find an Australian Sailing affiliated club, then:
Enquire about volunteering as an official at your club.
Begin your theory training by finding an Australian Sailing Equipment Auditors or Race Officials Course to complete.
Gain hands-on practice at your club as often as possible.
Specific steps to accreditation and reaccreditation can be found on our Become an accredited official page.
Accreditation lasts for four years, after which you will need to reaccredit.
We have a whole suite of resources for officials—click here to see them.
In general, no. However, there are some circumstances where officials need to be accredited. Examples include:
- If a National or International Jury is appointed, the Jury members and the Race Officer(s) must be appropriately accredited.
- Class Rules usually require measurement and certification be carried out by accredited Measurers.
- Equipment Auditors must be accredited to complete an audit.
- The Organising Authority or another event stakeholder, such as a class association, may require that all officials be accredited.
Feedback and Reporting
To provide feedback on the National Officiating Program and the National Equipment Auditors Scheme, please use one of these forms:
Officials Online Course Feedback
Race Management Event Feedback Form
Complaints about the behaviour or performance of an accredited official should be emailed to officials@sailing.org.au and will be managed according to our Officials Feedback Policy.
That’s great! Sailing depends on passionate volunteers like you, and your contributions are appreciated. You don’t have to be accredited to continue helping out.
If you are looking to develop your officiating skills, there are a few ways to do so:
- Reach out to more experienced officials for mentorship and advice
- Complete some of our free eLearning courses
- Continue building your knowledge through hands-on experience.
Insurance companies do not require Clubs/Classes/Organising Authorities to strictly use accredited officials only. They are mostly interested in checking that you have carefully designed, effectively implemented and executed safety and risk management plans specific to your events.
Working within a good safety and risk management plan is what ensures coverage from the insurance company. It’s fair to say that when reviewing safety plans, using Australian Sailing accredited officials is positively looked upon (but not mandatory for coverage).
Clubs and Organizing Authorities/Class Associations will have their own public liability coverage for their volunteers and staff.
Australian Sailing Affiliated clubs and classes will also have the further support of the Australian Sailing third party insurance for its members if necessary.
Please refer to the Australian Sailing Insurance Programs page for further information on policies available to clubs and individuals.
| Level of accreditation being assessed | Assessor level |
| Regional Judge | Any current Regional Judge who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or a higher accredited Judge). |
| National Judge | Any current National Judge who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or an International Judge). |
| Regional Race Officer | Any current Regional Race Officer who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or a higher accredited Race Officer). |
| National Race Officer | Any current Race Officer who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or an International Race Officer). |
| Measurer: Sails & Spars | Any current Measurer – Sails and Spars who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or a higher accredited Measurer). |
| Measurer: Official class | Any current Measurer – Official Class who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or an International Measurer). |
| State Umpire | State Umpire with less than 4 years experience, but has a TCR IV or a valid coaching or sailing instructor certificate. Any current State Umpire who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or a higher accredited Umpire). |
| National Umpire | National Umpire with less than 4 years experience, but has a TCR IV or a valid coaching or sailing instructor certificate. Any current Measurer – Official Class who has held their accreditation for four or more years’ (or an International Measurer). |
| National Equipment Auditor | Senior NEA |
Find a Race Officials Assessor HERE