Need Info on becoming youth football coach / new member info
 

Hello,
My name is jamie. I am 32 years old father of 3 and married to my childrens mother the last 14 years. The last 8 years my oldest son has played football in mid Maryland youth football and carroll county youth football league. I coached a few different teams of his in various roles and various amounts of succes. Football has been a huge part of my son and i's lives since he was 5. He is a very talented athlete and football player. He was given the body type from god to really excell as a traditional passing quarterback but has really shined as a reciever, jump ball specialist.(14 with 10.3 inch hands already!) He is in the process of being contacted by multiple prwp schools that are interested in bringing him for football and basketball (2 yrs exp but avg 34 pts a game, 12 assist, 12 rebounds and shoots around 75% with 85% free throws) I have always been intrigued by the referees in football tho which has brought me here. My son will no longer need me or will it be feesible for me to be at every practice etc... through high school and would like to help fill the void by becoming a ref. I live in carroll county maryyland. Hampstead to be exact. If anyone can fill me in on the process and where i should start to make this happen i would be so grateful.

Could you not fill the void by continuing to coach? Children's football loses a lot of coaches in the form of parents who quit coaching when their children graduate from the youth clubs, although experienced coaches are very valuable to the game. If the problem is scheduling, so you wouldn't be available for practices, you may still be useful as a club or league administrator or a "team mom", whose services would not be required as frequently.

As to officiating, you should contact the organizations you intend to officiate with and see what their requirements are. Some of them are as short of officials as they are of coaches. They may or may not require officials who are certified by an outside local or state organiz'n, and who therefore would be eligible to officiate HS games.

BTW, my cousin Terry Beck played football in Carroll County decades ago -- with the Optimists' youth team in Towson and as an adult with the Carroll Co. Chargers.

I would suggest the quickest way to find out who you need to talk to, regarding an appropriate local area Football Officiating contact would be either your local High School Football Coach or Athletic Director, either of whom should be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck.

Look up the state athletic association website, mpssaa.org (I think) and you'll find a section called, "Become a sports official."