High School Football Referee Guide

High School Football Officials are always aware of player safety.  It is one of the most important aspects of the game.

But what about us?  Officials can and do get hurt during games.  In our local organization, several officials have been injured on the field in the last few seasons, including one badly broken arm last Friday night!   In order to minimize your risk, keep these points in mind:

Be Observant

Stay focused!  It’s not enough to be ready to officiate – always be prepared for different situations that could happen on the field or the sidelines in order to protect your own safety as an official.  Here are some of the key areas to be aware of:

Hazardous field conditions, i.e. wet or icy grass surfaces:

• potentially causing  cleats to become stuck when following plays
• potentially causing loose footing
• potentially causing sliding that could cause injury to you, other players, coaches
• potentially causing you to lose focus during plays

Side line interferences

• too many coaches or assistants on the sidelines -  do not be afraid to throw a sideline warning in order to control this
• coaches or assistants moving past the appropriate team box
• Be polite but firm in the following situations
  • statisticians roaming the sidelines
  • photographers getting in the way of players or officials
• Be alert for plays that may carry beyond the sideline and into team benches, etc.

Middle of the field situations

• Pay special attention to the following:
  • Plays developing around you
  • Players or actions that may potentially continue through your area
  • Possibility of getting stepped on in the playing area
  • Getting run into by players

After game situations

• Leave the field as a group as soon as the game is over
• Travel together when leaving the field and when heading into the locker rooms
• No one expects to be accosted – but always be observant for any disgruntled fan

More than once I have had to ask statisticians or photographers to ‘get out of the way’ when running down the sideline.  They want to be there – but the sideline is the area for the wings (linesman, line judge, coaches/assistants in their respective areas and the chain crew) to work.  You must have the ability to follow plays without being concerned about running into someone.    Yes you are looking out for player safety but also be cautious about your own safety during and after the game.

Till next time – here’s a five yard delay-of-game penalty for ya!

Hey, welcome back to the High School Referee Guide Blog!  A while back we talked about crew communication prior to the game. Let’s expand on that a little bit more today.  Some people think we just walk on the field and officiate the game, right?  Wrong!!    Today I will talk about the pregame routine and all the details we address as a high school football crew.

As a rule, we like to be on the field at least 35 minutes prior to kickoff time.  During this time members of the  crew should meet with each team’s head coach and follow these rules of communication: continue reading…

It’s been another busy football week here in Northern Colorado! I have done a Jr. High or Jr. Varsity game pretty much every day this week. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to white-hat for a local youth league. The team I officiated for was 4th graders – they were so excited about playing football! I just loved watching their energy and enthusiasm. Doing these type of things in your community can really keep an official jazzed about the sport.

Four guys from our varsity crew are going on the road this afternoon to the Eastern Plains to officiate an 8 man game. We’ll take sandwiches and other “road food”. It will be a long day (2 1/2 hour drive each way!) but these rural schools have just as much interest in the games as the big name local high schools.

Remember, as an official, it’s not about always working big games or playoff games….it’s about the kids and the athletic programs and the loyal fans at the schools no matter how big or small. Keep a good attitude and enjoy your officiating at EVERY game…

till next time…..

New high school football officials often ask for advice and I always tell them: Never stop learning from every experience. I believe that almost ALL games can be used as potential learning experiences. I try to learn something from key situations in games, from other officials (new or old), and from rule changes. Many officials will tell you that it is a good practice to write down your goals before the season starts regardless of how many years you’ve been officiating. continue reading…

The 2009 High School Football Season is Underway!!

Sorry for the delay in posting – I have been up to my eyeballs serving as white-hat for Jr. High games while waiting for my varsity game season to start on the 5th of September!   Also there are weekly football association meetings to attend and I’m still officiating for a softball league at work.   whew – there are not enough hours in the day!

Anyway as you all know, this time of the year is especially busy so bear with me and I’ll try to update this blog as often as I can with useful information for the High School Football Official. Let me know if there is something you’d like me to cover in a future blog post.

Now, let’s talk about high school football official crew communication continue reading…

Before the season starts take some time to assess your gear.   I use a large duffle bag for my varsity game gear and a smaller one for Jr. High/recreational league games.  I try to have duplicates of most of my gear in each bag to make it easier to pack and keep track of what I have with me.  (If you will only do Jr. High or youth leagues, you may only need one bag for your gear).

Here’s a list of clothing items you need in your bag: continue reading…