NKOA is a registered 501c3 group of roughly 100 dedicated officials combining for more than 1,000 years of experience in the Northern Kentucky Region. Northern Kentucky has a long and proud history of high school football accomplishments, but often forgotten are the men and women in black and white stripes that make it happen every Friday night. The Northern Kentucky Officials Association (NKOA) is a group of passionate individuals that dedicate countless hours of training, rules study, film review, travel, and performance on the football field each year to the youth and student athletes of Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. The NKOA is dedicated to “Officiating Excellence.” The NKOA also serves the Northern Kentucky community in philanthropic ways as well. Each year NKOA members donate their time to work the Special Olympics Flag Football Tournament held at Thomas More College. In addition, since 2005, the NKOA and its members have voted on an annual sportsmanship award, providing over $10,000 to local schools that display the best sportsmanship during the football season.