I'm making a move to the umpire position and was wondering what directions you give to the ball boys.

thanks,

Darren

36 years here-- most at the U--
I always thought that ball boy/person instructions was the
fuction of the wing men !
One thing for certain-- a ball boy that knows what
they are doing makes the game move along !!

I'm with SWF on this one. Leave it to the wings to take care of the ball boy.

That being said, I tell my ball boy to follow me up and down the sideline and be ready to trade balls with me anytime I turn and ask for it. I was even just talking to my 7 year old son last night on the way home from fishing about coming to some games with me this year and acting as the ball boy.

Ball personnel are usually the LJ responsibility. As a LJ, I strongly encourage both teams' ball boys to operate on my sideline. Yes, you have the opposing team's ball boy on the other side of the field but it makes my job much easier when looking to get a new football in.

Here is a list of things I like to discuss with the BBs before the game (this is for high school):
1. Get together both sets at the same time if possible. That way you only say it once and they get to know each other a little. As I said above, one set will be on the opposite side and usually they are kids. They feel uncomfortable at first and if they get to know the other team's BBs, they relax a little.
2. Get their names and introduce yourself. If they have any questions tell them to be sure to ask at anytime.
3. Tell the BB who is on the opposite sideline that if they get any slack from the other team, to tell you immediately. I go straight to the head or get-back coach and tell them the situation needs to stop. I also discuss this with the coaches in pregame. This usually puts an end to any harassment quickly.
4. Each set should have at least 2 game balls and a towel. I prefer two BBs per team and no more. If you have more than two per team, they get distracted, get in the way, and it makes for a long night.
5. They should stay on my back the entire game. The only time they should not be near me is on kickoffs, punts, and extra points.
6. They should never come on the field.
7. No matter how good they throw the ball, they should always throw you the ball underhand. Try to limit the throws to 10 yards or less.
8. On punts, whichever team is receiving the ball, I tell their respective ball boy to stand on the yard line his punt receiver is on. That way he is close to the action.
9. On kickoffs, whichever team is receiving, they stand on their 20 yard line.
10. On extra points, whichever team is attempting the try, their BB places the extra game ball at the base of the uprights, and then shags the kick.
11. Since both sets of BBs work on the same sidelines, I tell them that whenever their team is on defense, they should slide back to the back of the coaches’ box so to not get in the way of the coaches or other ball personnel.
12. I always tell them that they need to be paying attention the entire time. If for some reason they cannot stay focused they will be replaced. Using their name when you need a ball speeds up the process too.
13. On almost every incomplete pass, our crew gets a new ball. I tell them that in the beginning and it really helps speed the game up.

I think that is about it. If I missed something, guys help me out. In my experience, this system works really well. The key is to spend a few minutes before the game with them and explain to them exactly what you are looking for. If you cannot find them early, ask a coach. The last thing you want to be doing is going through this stuff only a few minutes before kickoff.

Hope this helps!

You can look at the mechanics manual for Texas. There is a very detailed section on ballboys starting at Section 9 on page 5-21.

Link to it:
http://www.safootballchapter.us/2005... MECHANICS.pdf

I'd ask your association what their policy is, I know in my association the backjudge briefs the ball boys and the instructions are much different then what grantsrc posted. I do like his better though. :)

Thanks for the input. In SoCal, the Umpire instructs the ball boys in 5-man mechanics.

Wow no idea why as it is the wingmen that get the balls from the ball boys 95% of the time. Maybe the back judge 4% of the time and the U or R (I try real hard to not let the R touch the ball if at all possible. They have a tendacy to muck things up) the other 1%.

I agree with this. :)

I like to get the names of the ball boys during the pre-game with the coaches so I can tell my wings. They're more responsive when you call them by name.

not in San Diego, it's the LJ's job. The U is usually busy escorting the R around so he doesn't get lost and is checking any equipment.
Also around here, for the few teams that actually have ball boys, I think you would run into serious opposition to the idea of the visitors sending their BB's to the other side of the field.

The only time as ump, that I have dealt with a ball boy, is in one extremely wet game. That game he came out to me occasionally with a new ball rather than going to the wings when I was closer and we didn't want my concrete hands dropping the nice dry ball. Otherwise our wings deal directly with the ball boys.