Hey there, I'm from Palatine, and I would highly suggest taking the IACAO football officials course. It is 8 weeks in the summer and by the end you will be licensed with the IHSA, you will have all the assignor information for HS football, and most importantly, you will have a great foundation to build on. The class fee is your license fee for the state (actually, is is $15 cheaper I think, but that includes the license). The information can be found on
IACAO Home
Also, there are plenty of youth games out there on Saturday and Sunday around Chicago, great way to get your feet wet.