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- How do I become a football referee?
- How long is the season?
- Can you make any money at this?
- Is it very expensive or time consuming?
- Who assigns the games?
- Is there more than High School?
Local chapters across the state of Texas, and indeed throughout the nation,
welcome people interested in the game of football. The Southeast Texas Chapter
begins its meetings on the 3rd Monday of July every year. For the year
2010 the chapter meetings will be at 6:30 PM at the Beaumont Municipal Court on
Orleans Street in downtown Beaumont (plans pending
final approval of the City of Beaumont). Attending a
chapter meeting will go a long way toward answering all your questions.
It is very easy to become a football official. The first requirement is
to be over 18 years of age and out of high school. Also, the Texas
Association of Football Officials and all its chapters requires that no one can
be convicted of a felony offense.
After the first couple of meetings, special training sessions are conducted
at 5:45 PM before the larger meetings. New and newer members are
encouraged to attend these training sessions to pick up valuable pointers on how
to handle yourself on the field or other important aspects of officiating.
The chapter meetings are devoted to the study of rules from the NCAA Rules Book (Yes, Texas and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are the only states in the nation that
play
high school football by the same rules as colleges). The chapter meetings
also can be devoted to the study of mechanics, the art of working the various
positions on the field.
New members can begin working on the field very soon after joining.
Scrimmages held the last half of August are excellent opportunities to learn on-field mechanics from more experienced officials. New members are
needed to help with the game schedule of junior high and sub-varsity
games. Also, good learning can take place at varsity games as newer
members are assigned to accompany experienced crews as members of the chain and
down box crew. Attendance at the varsity pre-game conference and
close observation of the game can be very instructional. Finally,
even though the local chapter doesn't formally assign Pop Warner or other Junior
League games, the
persons running those leagues routinely solicit football officials to work their
games.
If you need additional information, kindly send an e-mail to the chapter Business
Secretary or attend a Chapter Meeting on any Monday between July and November.
Starting in 2000, the Southeast Texas Chapter Board of Directors has been holding an
informal spring meeting for members to stay up to speed on developments in the
world of officiating, for recruitment of new members, and for information on 4A
and 5A intra-squad spring games. Look for more
information on this web site's home page or Calendar
page for the next Spring meeting.
Regular chapter meetings start the 3rd Monday of July every year. For
2010, the first chapter meeting will be on July 19, at 6:30 PM.
The on-field officiating season mirrors the high school football season,
beginning with scrimmages in August and ending with the regular season in
November. Playoff assignments can extend the season just as it does
for playoff teams.
Although nearly all officials will tell you that they work football for the
love of the game, and that is certainly true, financial pay is also a
consideration. Scrimmages are worked for free in Texas,
but other assignments are paid by the schools. A chain or down box
assignment at a varsity game pays $35 each, and an assignment running the clock
pays $40. The 2008 Southeast Texas Chapter pay scale for sub-varsity football
contests was $40 for a junior high school game and $50 for a 9th grade,
Sophomore, and Junior Varsity football game.
Varsity pay in Texas is determined by the University Interscholastic
League. The UIL sets a scale for all high schools that determines
officials' pay by the gate receipts. The varsity pay starts at $40 and can go well over $100 for big games.
All local schools pay by check through the mail. Home field schools handle
this detail.
Newer members frequently are recruited by Pop Warner or other junior league
football organizations to work their league games on Saturdays.
These games used to pay $8 per game for a quickie running clock game 30 years
ago, but now many pay up to $50 per game. If you work 6 junior league games on a Saturday, you can pick up some pretty good
spending change. Plus, you will get to see almost any football play
imaginable. And meet the best coaches in the Known Universe.
(In their Humble Opinion, of course.)
There is some expense involved to offset all those big dollars you heard
about in
the previous question. The state organization, TASO,
charges a $25 first year application fee. Thereafter, the state annual dues run
$50. The Southeast Texas Chapter has annual local dues of $40, except the local dues have been
waived starting in 2001 for first time members. So, you are looking at merely $25 in dues
to get started. A basic uniform package will run close to $200 for everything you need to get started working games on the field. You can be assured that you will receive enough
assignments to more than pay off your starting expenses and dues.
The football season can be demanding on time, depending on how much football
you care to work. Meetings are on Monday nights, and run about an hour and
half. Most 5A and 4A schools play junior high games on Tuesdays, but we are
not overrun with Tuesday games. Thursdays are very demanding, as there are
3A, 2A, and 1A junior highs, 9th grade games from larger schools, and all size
schools' junior varsity games to
work. All members are highly encouraged to work Thursdays to support our
local schools. Fridays are the varsity contest, but you already knew
that. Usually the only reason a person wouldn't have at least a
chain assignment on Friday is if they turned one down.
The chapter does not assign football at junior leagues below junior high, but
many newer members work those games for the experience and they pay good
money. Often a member of the chapter will act
as the scheduler of officials for junior leagues. Most junior league games are played on
Saturdays, but occasionally there can be night games for some
leagues. A few varsity games are held on Saturdays in SouthEast
Texas, but their related chain
and timer assignments are easy to fill.
The assignment responsibility belongs to the chapter Assignment
Secretary. The Assignment Secretary is a member of the Board of Directors
of the Beaumont Chapter. He will make all chain and timer assignments for
varsity games, and coordinates any fill-ins that are needed for on-field varsity
officials.
Sub-Varsity assignments are scheduled by a Master Sub-Varsity Scheduler, who
is appointed to that job by the Assignment Secretary. The Master Scheduler
may himself appoint two members to assist in making contacts and handling
changes to the sub-varsity schedule. Members are required to fulfill a
minimum amount of sub-varsity assignment to maintain good standing as a chapter
member and to retain their sharpness for varsity contests.
But what about Varsity
assignments? Varsity game officials are
selected by the head football coaches of the schools involved in the
contest. The Southeast Texas Chapter uses the crew
format, therefore
varsity coaches agree, as per UIL requirement, on the crew of their choice, or a
made-up crew of members not on a permanent crew (the Open
Board), or on officials from somewhere
else in the state of Texas.
If you are looking to get into the Bowl Championship Series or the Super Bowl, this is
how to do it. All officials working at a collegiate or
professional level began with junior high games.
TASO maintains a Ranking System which
classifies officials by seniority, educational work, and field experience.
As you advance in time and on the ranking system, you will become known by other
officials from working with them on Thursdays and Fridays. You likely will
be picked up on a crew sooner than you would expect and begin working varsity
games on Friday night. Please do not expect to be assigned the
Nederland/Port Neches game or Beaumont Bowl your first or second time out in
stripes, but rest
assured that with good work by you and your crew it is well within the realm of
possibilities.
Several members of the Southeast Texas Chapter are college officials in the Southwestern Athletic Conference
(SWAC),
the Southland Football League, and the Big XII Conference. The Southeast
Texas Chapter has had members previously in the
Southwest Conference, Conference USA, and Lone Star
Conference. One of our senior members, Beau
Hicks, is an advisor for the SWAC and
scouts officials for the Big XII Conference and the National Football League.
Getting to the college or NFL ranks is similar to getting on the board of
directors of a major corporation, there is a lot of competition for a few
openings. However, this is the place to start. Plus there is a great
camaraderie in working high school football; it is the king of sports in Texas,
after all! Be sure and drop by for a meeting or two and see if you don't
just get hooked.
Copyright ã 2002 by
Geoffrey W. Kret. All rights reserved.
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