How to get started?

[slickpitt]

First off just want to say hello... obviously new here, just stumbled across this forum from a google search. So I apologize if this isn't the right spot to post. Name is Clay, 30 yrs old, live in NE Oklahoma. Anyway...

I've been wanting to get into officiating football for a while now, but just never got serious about it. After talking things over with my wife and surprisingly getting full support, I've decided to make a serious effort to get into it. I'm really just not sure where to start. I'd like to get my ducks in a row so I'll be ready for the 2009 season. I'm assuming that there would be some sort of testing/certification to go through. I would think they would want to know you knew what you were doing before they let you on the field. Any suggestions on where to start? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, I eventually would want to officiate HS and maybe even college games at some level, but understand starting small in youth leagues and such is probably smart/required. I like to think I understand rules and such, but am humble and realize I have a lot to learn. So any advise on a path to get to that level would also be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

[JamesBond]

Clay,
Welcome! Try contacting an official in your area and see if he can hook you up with the local association. By me, the association had a school that you had to attend in the spring and they work you up from the Junior high levels through to varsity. You could ask the local high school athletic director how he gets officials and they could probably put you together with the association. Or go to a high school game and ask the officials after the contest. Good luck.
007

[kdf5]

Also, try contacting the Oklahoma school association. Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association

[aschramm]

I'll share with you what I did. I contacted our state (Wisconsin) high school athletic association last fall because I did baseball as well for the first time this year. It costs us $20 for a basic license plus $10 for each sport we officiate. With that $10, we get the rulebook, casebook, and officials manual, plus the tests for each sport. Then look into local officials associations. They usually offer training programs and clinics, or combine with another association to have one. This served two purposes for me: a.) it gave me proper training for each sport (although the football one was more brief than baseball), and b.) it gets you contact information for assignors and other officials. Especially in football, if you get to know a few crew chiefs they can provide you with a bunch of games. Youth games are a great places to start, anywhere between 2-6 games on Saturdays.

Being a former football player in high school, this is something I really wanted to do to stay involved with football, and also give back to the game itself.

Look through your rulebook constantly (people on this board will constantly tell you to READ RULE 2!), and try and find the differences between pro/college and high school rules, as these are the rules that coaches will get most upset about, thinking you are applying the rules or enforcements incorrectly.

[JugglingReferee]

People wishing to take up tackle football officiating in Canada should visit www.bearef.ca

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

People wishing to take up tackle football officiating in Canada should visit www.bearef.ca

Bit of a long ride for someone from Oklahoma.

Welcome, Clay. I hope you'll stick around.

[bcl1127]

First thing I would do is contact your state's High School Athletic Association to see how certification in your state works, and if there is a class or something that one of the local associations put on.

I think that youth football is a great way to get started, as many times you are scheduled many games in a day and you really see just about everything in those games. I know around me there are some leagues that require you to have a high school license, but there are others where you can go to a clinic or meeting and work games.

You need to get a copy of the Federation Rules as they are different than what you are used to seeing on TV on Saturdays and Sundays.

My wife was the one to push me to do this as well and I thank he all the time. It is a lot of fun to do and you meet some really good people along the way. It is also a great way to get my lazy behind outside and moving around. The kids always seem to stay the same age, and I just keep getting older and slower!