Football Officiating
Axioms
Don’t be technical, Let them play
Stay on top of UNS and Safety issues,
always lean toward minimizing safety risk
of the players
 See everything you call but don’t call
everything you see
 Don’t reach for your flag unless you
intend to use it….Remember, when you
put your flag on the field, your integrity is
linked to it
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Quality Fouls
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Be a GREAT Dead Ball official, over 80% of
the game will be “dead ball” status….always
stay with players until they are back with
their teammates….especially in the opposite
team box
Observe players, most of the time you can
see “issues” starting to develop
Always consider preventative officiating, fix
issues early with communication skills if
possible
Dead Ball Officiating
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Be deliberate in ruling on a fumble and get a
bean bag down
You have to see the ball and player to rule on a
fumble, we should never have 4 or 5 bean bags
on the ground
Count players EVERY down, DO NOT mirror the
“11 players” signal, if you did not count then do
not signal
Don’t look back if you feel you may have missed
something, We must focus on the next play
Its great to “self evaluate” but don’t be over
critical of yourself, no one is perfect but the key
is to learn from our mistakes
Don’t Ball Watch
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You must have excellent people skills-Being courteous and
learning how to communicate with coaches will help you to
“manage” their behavior and the sideline
Be mentally and physically prepared to work your game-----A great pregame usually leads to a smooth game, a poor
pregame ALWAYS leads to games with some type of issue
Always hustle, never walk when you can jog and never jog
when you can run
Crisp ball movement and keep smooth pace
Display Integrity, Courage and Poise. Let the “tight”
situations reveal your true character….this will build your
reputation as an official with coaches and your peers---They may not always “like” you, but they will respect you
And above all else…..Keep Hustling!!
The “Must” list
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FOCUS
CONCENTRATE
COMMUNICATE (coaches, players, crew)
BE HONEST----WITH YOUR CREW AND COACHES
HUSTLE
COUNT PLAYERS
BE AWARE OF THE CLOCK STATUS
BE COURTEOUS
YOU ARE PART OF A CREW, WE ALL SUCCEED OR FAIL AS
ONE UNIT…..BE SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR CREW
GIVE IT 100%----DON’T CHEAT THE GAME OR ANYONE
INVOLVED BY GOING THRU THE MOTIONS….LEAVE IT ALL
ON THE FIELD EVERY PLAY, WE WILL ALL OFFICIATE OUR
LAST PLAY AT SOME POINT, HOW DO YOU WANT YOURS
TO BE REMEMBERED???????
ALWAYS---FOR 48 MINUTES +