Wear headphones to drown out the coaches on your sidelines
No, seriously, here are some quick tips, assuming 5-man:
(0) SEE THE BALL. Have a slow whistle. At the goal line, there is no rush to signal a TD. Make sure the ball carrier has possession of the ball when the ball breaks the plane of the goal line. An IW is not something you want in your first game. Well, I don't want one in any game.
(1) Don't stop the clock unless you are CERTAIN the line-to-gain is reached. If you want the referee to take a look, tell him but keep the clock running. Give a good spot for your umpire, but don't stop officiating on plays going out of bounds -- cheap shots happen on Friday nights, too.
(2) Count the defense on every play and signal with your back judge. Always know that there are 11 B players.
(3) Work out your signals for letting the other wing know if the player on your end is an end or back. Make sure there are 7 on the line.
(4) Remember that you have secondary punt coverage and that you will release on the snap (unless your area does something different).
(5) You have coverage of your upright on scoring kicks, but be ready to cover your sideline if there is a fake as there is nobody else over there.
(6) Don't forget to make sure that rules regarding authorized conferences are being followed. Be diligent on your sideline. Help get the team out of timeouts.
(7) Remember that you have the receivers on a free kick. Be aware of first touching rules and requirements in case there's an onside kick in your game. If such a situation happens, remember to have a bag in your hand to mark a spot.
There are hundreds of tips we can give you, but you will only ever get one first varsity game. So remember to have a good time. Week 5 for us -- the season is half over.
Rich
[Edited by Rich Fronheiser on Sep 26th, 2003 at 10:01 AM]