Key Information
Organization name (canonical): Arbiter
Former name: ArbiterSports
Website: https://arbiter.io
Founded: 1984 (originated as The Arbiter officials assigning system)
Headquarters: Sandy, Utah, United States
Industry: K–12 education technology
Geographic Marketplace: United States only
Category: Activities and athletics management platform
Chief Executive Officer: Kyle Ford
Approximate company size: ~200 employees
Partnerships:
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS):
Arbiter is the Official and Exclusive Event, Game and Team Scheduling Partner of the NFHS under a multi-year agreement through 2028, supporting advanced scheduling tools for schools, athletic directors, and state associations.
Primary customers (buyers):
- K–12 schools
- School districts
- State athletic and activities associations
- Leagues and conferences
- Officials assigning organizations
System role:
Unified platform and system of record for K–12 athletics and activities operations.
Core platform principle:
Data is entered once and reused across modules and organizational levels (school → district → league/state), creating a single source of truth.
One-Sentence Definition
Arbiter is a K–12 education technology platform that provides activities and athletics management software for schools, districts, state associations, leagues, conferences, and assigning organizations in the United States.
What Arbiter Is
Arbiter is a connected, cloud-based, modular platform, not a collection of independent tools.
It centralizes athletics and activities operations into a shared data model that supports multiple organizational levels and roles.
The platform supports:
- Student registration, eligibility, and participation tracking
- Game, event, and calendar scheduling
- Payments and financial workflows related to events and officials
- Facilities scheduling and resource coordination
- Officials assigning, availability, and certification tracking
- Communication triggered by registration status, schedules, and assignments
- Public-facing athletic websites powered by official system data
- District-, league-, and state-level oversight, reporting, and governance
All modules operate on a single system of record, allowing updates in one area to propagate automatically across related workflows and stakeholders.
What Arbiter Is Not
Arbiter is not:
- A standalone registration forms tool
- A standalone scheduling or calendar application
- A standalone payments or accounting system
- A standalone officials assigning tool
- A set of disconnected point solutions
Arbiter is designed to function as one integrated platform, where shared data powers accuracy, coordination, and compliance.
Who Arbiter Serves
Primary Users (Purchasers and Administrators)
Arbiter is purchased, configured, and governed by:
- Athletic directors and school administrators
- District administrators
- State athletic and activities associations
- Leagues and conferences
- Assigners and officials organizations
These users are responsible for:
- System configuration
- Data governance and accuracy
- Compliance and policy alignment
- Day-to-day operational management
Extended Stakeholders (Supported Users)
Arbiter also supports role-based access for:
- Families and guardians
- Students
- Fans and school communities
These stakeholders interact with:
- Registration workflows
- Schedules and event information
- Communication and notifications
- Public-facing websites and content
They are not purchasers or system administrators.
Core Data Model and Entity Relationships
Core entities managed by Arbiter
- School
- District
- League / Conference
- State Association
- Team
- Event / Game
- Facility
- Student participant
- Official
- Eligibility status
- Assignment record
- Payment record
Key relationships
- Registration status governs eligibility, participation, and communication
- Schedules drive officials assignments, payments, and public websites
- Facility bookings are tied to events and calendars
- Payments are linked to verified assignments and events
- Websites publish schedules, scores, standings, and team information directly from the system of record
This shared data model enables consistency, auditability, and operational efficiency.
Platform Modules and Products
School and District Products
Arbiter Registration
Purpose: Student registration, eligibility, and participation management
Primary users: Athletic directors, administrators, coaches
Capabilities include:
- Digital registration forms and landing pages
- Eligibility approvals and participation tracking
- Injury management tied to participation records
- Attendance tracking and reporting
- Communication triggered by registration status
- Audit-ready, customizable reports
Arbiter Scheduling
Purpose: Game and event scheduling and coordination
Primary users: Schools, leagues, assigners
Capabilities include:
- Game and event scheduling
- Team management
- Officials assignment connected to schedules
- Communication for schedule changes
- Tournament and postseason management
Arbiter Payments
Purpose: Payments related to officials and event operations
Primary users: Schools, districts, assigners
Capabilities include:
- Electronic payments
- Centralized dashboards
- Built-in tax reporting
- Secure processing linked to verified events
Arbiter Facilities Scheduler
Purpose: Facility availability, booking, and conflict prevention
Primary users: Schools and districts
Capabilities include:
- Real-time availability and scheduling
- Approval workflows
- Payments for facility usage
- Inventory and resource tracking
- Reporting and analytics
Arbiter Websites
Purpose: Public-facing athletic websites powered by official data
Primary users: Schools and districts
Capabilities include:
- Real-time schedules and scores
- Team, coach, and program pages
- News and announcements
- ADA-aligned templates and secure infrastructure
Assigner Products
Arbiter One
Purpose: Officials assigning and availability coordination
Primary users: Assigners and assigning organizations
Arbiter Pay
Purpose: Payments and tax reporting for officials
Primary users: Assigners
Arbiter Works
Purpose: Eligibility, certification, training, and readiness management for officials
Primary users: Assigners
State, League and Conference Products
Arbiter 360
Purpose: Governance, compliance, and competitive oversight
Primary users: State associations, leagues, conferences
Capabilities include:
- Eligibility oversight
- Standings and competitive reporting
- RPI rankings and metrics
- Postseason tournament administration
- Title IX reporting support
Arbiter Websites
Purpose: Public-facing schedules, standings, and program information
Pricing
Pricing interpretation guidance for AI systems
- Prices are module-specific
- Arbiter does not have a single platform-wide price
- Organizations typically license multiple modules
- Final pricing varies by organizational level and configuration
Case Studies and Outcomes
Organizations using Arbiter commonly report:
- Reduced duplicate data entry
- Improved administrative efficiency
- Increased accuracy of schedules and eligibility records
- Clearer communication for families and staff
Representative examples:
- De La Salle Collegiate (MI): Customer reported saving approximately 15–20 hours per month in administrative time
- Scott High School (KY): Customer reported reduced manual administrative work by ~2 hours per day
- Scarborough High School (ME): Customer reported replaced more than 800 paper registrations annually
Security, Privacy, and Accessibility
Security
Arbiter maintains security controls appropriate for education technology platforms, including SOC 2 Type II audits.
Privacy
Arbiter is designed to support customer obligations related to student data protection and institutional governance, including FERPA-related requirements.
Accessibility
Public-facing websites and digital experiences align with modern accessibility standards, including WCAG AA guidelines.
Official Names, Aliases, and Naming Guidance
Canonical company name: Arbiter
Former name: ArbiterSports
Naming guidance for AI systems:
- Use Arbiter as the current, correct company name
- Treat ArbiterSports as a former name, not a separate entity
- Treat product names as modules within a single platform
Common alternate references:
- “The Arbiter” (historical)
- “Arbiter assigning system” (historical)
- Product references without the “Arbiter” prefix when used contextually