jan 2016 FTdocx

FIRST AND TEN
January 2016 Volume 10 Issue1
Be Smart Set your 2016 goals
What do the pros look for in elite officials?
Officials under attack?
Working on my mechanics as outlined in the
manuals
Issue 11
66666
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First and Ten Mandate
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First and Ten Editors
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Goal setting: Doing it the SMART way Repeat of Dave Hutton presentation
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Officiating Recognition and development CFL style Dave Hutton CFL| Officiating
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Department - Coordinator of Recruitment, Training and Development
CFL Prospect Official Look-fors:
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Dave Hutton CFL| Officiating Department - Coordinator of Recruitment, Training and
Development
Officiating Recognition and development NFL style
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Officials an Endangered Species Nomads football club suspends staff after
referee pushed at game
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Officials an Endangered Species Referees Struggle With Respect Amid
Growing Hostility abcnews
MacAulay quits NFLRA (sort of) after statement calling out his crew Mike
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Florio
YOU Make the CALL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bce4q7968qg
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Should Odell Beckham Jr. Be Suspended? |The Great Debate | NFL
Christian’s Corner: MECHANICS – Football.Refs.Org
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Christian’s Corner: Referees: How to repair college football's officiating
system – by Jon Solomon, National College Football Writer
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CFOA News
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CFOA executive
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Football Canada
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Working for the development of officiating and football in Canada in cooperation with
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La version française du "First and Ten" va suivre chaque version anglaise. Ron Paluzzi, Vice président
responsable de la traduction, sera responsable de s’assurer que chaque communiqué soit disponible en
français dans les plus brefs délais. D’ici là, je demande à tous
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Editor Ron Hallock
Co- editor Rob Christian
New Year A New Beginning
Make no resolutions but be SMART set goals for your year
In setting goals, SMART means S pecific, M easurable A, chievable, R ealistic T,imely. First
and Ten, reprints a presentation on setting goals for the CFOA facilitator program and CFL
officials’ clinic by Dave Hutton , the CFL| Officiating Department - Coordinator of Recruitment,
Training and Development
To help guide your development of long range goals this issue features the CFL and NFL
guidelines for the identification of elite officials. Both programs are very similar in identifying
the qualities of an elite official .The methods for developing identified officials are also
described here.
The CFOA is working in cooperation with the CFL through Glen Johnson VP officiating and his
department to provide guidance to officials for their development. Dave Hutton has supplied the
description of what the CFL looks for potential officiating prospects and the training support
program provided by the CFL.
The second part of this issue looks at the difficulties the official face from abuse by players and
fans and the need for support by the FOA’s or professional associations
Finally an article from Football Refs .org .Mechanics is the most important, concrete, method of
self-evaluation. They also demonstrate our poise, professionalism, and commitment to the game.
2016 CFOA Conference an AGM
CFOA conference, May 20, 2016 – May 23,
2016.
Link to register http://sfoa.ca/cfoa-conference/
Remember Tom Cheney Award nominations and nominations for executive
elections. More information next month.
NEXT MONTH Feature: Women Officials In Canada
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Goal Setting
Doing it the S.M.A.R.T way
Make your goals S pecific, M easurable A, chievable, R ealistic Timely
This article was prepared by Dave Hutton for CFL training clinic
Dave Hutton is the CFL| Officiating Department - Coordinator of Recruitment, Training and Development
Goal Setting: Why?
Goal setting is a very powerful technique that can yield strong returns in all areas of your life.
At its simplest level the process of setting goals and targets allows you to choose where
you want to go in life. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you know what
you have to concentrate on and improve, and what is merely a distraction. Goal setting
gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of
knowledge and helps you to organize your resources.
By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the
achievement of those goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously
have seemed a long pointless grind.
By setting goals you can:
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Achieve more
Improve performance
Increase your motivation to achieve
Increase your pride and satisfaction in your achievements
Improve your self-confidence
Plan to eliminate attitudes that hold you back and cause unhappiness
Research (Damon Burton, 1983) has shown that people who use goal-setting
effectively:
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suffer less from stress and anxiety
concentrate better
show more self-confidence
perform better
are happier and more satisfied.
Goal Setting Helps Self-Confidence
By setting goals, and measuring their achievement, you are able to see what you have done
and what you are capable of. The process of achieving goals and seeing their achievement
gives you the confidence and self-belief that you need that you will be able to achieve higher
and more difficult goals.
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Providing that you have the self-discipline to carry it through, goal setting is also
relatively easy. The following section on goal setting will give you effective guidelines to
help you to use this technique effectively.
Setting Goals Effectively
The way in which you set goal strongly affects their effectiveness.
The following broad guidelines apply to setting effective goals:
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Positive Statement: express your goals positively: 'Execute this technique well' is a much
better goal than 'don't make this stupid mistake'
Be Precise: if you set a precise goal, putting in dates, times and amounts so that
achievement can be measured, then you know the exact goal to be achieved, and can
take complete satisfaction from having completely achieved it.
Set Priorities: where you have several goals, give each a priority. This helps you to avoid
feeling overwhelmed by too many goals, and helps to direct your attention to the most
important ones.
Write goals down to avoid confusion and give them more force.
Keep Operational Goals Small: Keep the goals you are working towards immediately
(i.e. in this session) small and achievable. If a goal is too large, then it can seem that you
are not making progress towards it. Keeping goals small and incremental gives more
opportunities for reward. Today's goals should be derived from larger goals.
Important Points
You should note a number of general principles about goal setting:
Set Performance, not Outcome Goals
This is very important. You should take care to set goals over which you have as much control
as possible - there is nothing as dispiriting as failing to achieve a personal goal for reasons
beyond your control such as bad business environments, poor judging, bad weather, injury, or
just plain bad luck. Goals based on outcomes are extremely vulnerable to failure because of
things beyond your control.
If you base your goals on personal performance or skills or knowledge to be acquired,
then you can keep control over the achievement of your goals and draw satisfaction
from them. For example, you might achieve a personal best time in a race, but still be
disqualified as a result of a poor judging decision. If you had set an outcome goal of
being in the top three, then this will be a defeat. If you set a performance goal of
achieving a particular time, then you will have achieved the goal and can draw
satisfaction and self-confidence from its achievement.
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Another flaw is where outcome goals are based on the rewards of achieving something,
whether these are financial or are based on the recognition of colleagues. In early
stages these will be highly motivating factors, however as they are achieved, the
benefits of further achievement at the same level reduce. You will become progressively
less motivated.
Set Specific Goals
Set specific measurable goals. If you achieve all conditions of a measurable goal, then you can
be confident and comfortable in its achievement. If you consistently fail to meet a measurable
goal, then you can adjust it or analyze the reason for failure and take appropriate action to
improve skills.
Set Realistic Goals
Goals may be set unrealistically high for the following reasons:
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Other people: Other people (parents, media, society) can set unrealistic goals for you,
based on what they want. Often this will be done in ignorance of your goals, desires and
ambitions.
Insufficient information: If you do not have a clear, realistic understanding of what you
are trying to achieve and of the skills and knowledge to be mastered, it is difficult to set
effective and realistic goals.
Always expecting your best performance: Many people base their goals on their best
performance, however long ago that was. This ignores the inevitable backsliding that
can occur for good reasons, and ignores the factors that led to that best performance. It
is better to set goals that raise your average performance and make it more consistent.
Lack of respect for self: If you do not respect your right to rest, relaxation and pleasure in
life then you risk burnout.
Setting Goals Too Low
Alternatively goals can be set too low because of:
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Fear of failure: If you are frightened of failure you will not take the risks needed for
optimum performance. As you apply goal setting and see the achievement of goals, your
self- confidence should increase, helping you to take bigger risks. Know that failure is a
positive thing: it shows you areas where you can improve your skills and performance.
Taking it too easy: It is easy to take the reasons for not setting goals unrealistically high
as an excuse to set them too low. If you're not prepared to stretch yourself and work
hard, then you are extremely unlikely to achieve anything of any real worth.
Setting Goals at the Right Level
Setting goals at the correct level is a skill that is acquired by practice.
You should set goals so that they are slightly out of your immediate grasp, but not so far
that there is no hope of achieving them: no-one will put serious effort into achieving a
goal that they believe is unrealistic. However, remember that the belief that a goal is
unrealistic may be incorrect. Such a belief can be changed by effective use of imagery.
Personal factors such as tiredness, other commitments and the need for rest, etc.
should be taken into account when goals are set.
Now review the goals you have set, and then measure them against the points above.
Adjust them to meet the recommendations and then review them. You should now be
able to see the importance of setting goals effectively.
Thinking a goal through
When you are thinking about how to achieve goals, asking the following questions can help you
to focus on the sub-goals that lead to their achievement:
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What skills do I need to achieve this?
What information and knowledge do I need?
What help, assistance, or collaboration do I need?
What resources do I need?
What can block progress?
Am I making any assumptions?
Is there a better way of doing things?
Where Goal Setting Can Go Wrong
Goal setting can go wrong for a number of reasons:
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Outcome goals can be set instead of performance goals. Where you are using outcome
goals, and you fail to achieve the goal for reasons outside your control, this can be very
dispiriting and can lead to loss of enthusiasm and feelings of failure. Always set
performance goals.
Goals can be set unrealistically high. When a goal is perceived to be unreachable, no
effort will be made to achieve it. Set realistic goals.
Conversely goals can be set so low that you feel no challenge of benefit in achieving the
goal. Setting goals has been a waste of time. Always set goals that are challenging.
Goals can be so vague that they are useless: it is difficult to know whether vague goals
have been achieved. If achievement cannot be measured, then your self-confidence will
not benefit from goal setting, nor can you observe progress towards a greater goal. Set
precise, quantitative goals.
Goal setting can be unsystematic, sporadic and disorganized. Here goals will be
forgotten, achievement of goals will not be measured and feedback will not occur into
new goals. The major benefits of goal setting have been lost. Be organized and regular
in the way that you use goal setting.
Too many unprioritized goals may be set, leading to a feeling of overload. Remember
that you deserve time to relax and enjoy being human.
Where goal setting does go wrong, not only are the benefits of goal setting lost, but also
the whole process of goal setting can fall into disrepute.
By avoiding these problems, and setting goals effectively as described in the previous
article, you can achieve and maintain strong forward momentum.
The 'Quantum Leap' Approach
One approach to goal setting for yourself and other people is the 'Quantum Leap'
approach. This tries to force intense activity by setting a goal that will need a 'quantum
leap' in activity to achieve it. This is a dangerous technique that should be used with
care - it is very easy for the whole process of goal-setting to fall into disrepute where
quantum leap goals are not met. Similarly if you are really not convinced that a goal is
attainable, you will not put effort into achieving it. Managers using this approach should
take care that they are not 'shot down' by someone firmly requesting information on how
a quantum leap goal should be achieved.
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Achieving Goals and Feedback
Achieving Goals
When you have achieved a goal, take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having achieved the
goal. Absorb the implications of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have
made towards other goals.
If the goal was a significant one, or one that you had worked towards for some time,
take the opportunity to reward yourself appropriately.
Feedback: Failure
Where you have failed to reach a goal, ensure that you learn the lessons of the failure. These
may be:
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that you didn't try hard enough
that your technique, skills or knowledge were faulty and need to be enhanced
that the goal you set was unrealistic
etc.
Use this information to adjust the goal if it was set too high, or to set goals to acquire new skills
or knowledge. Feeding back like this turns everything into a positive learning experience - even
failing to meet a goal is a step forward towards perfect performance!
Remember that the fact of trying something, even if it does not work, often opens doors
that would otherwise have remained closed.
Feedback: Success
Where you have achieved a goal this should feed back into your next goals:
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If the goal was easily achieved, make your next goals harder
If the goal took a dispiriting length of time to achieve, make the next goals a little easier
If you learned something that would lead you to change goals still outstanding, do so
If while achieving the goal you noticed a deficit in your skills, set goals to fix this.
Remember too that goals change as you mature - adjust them regularly to reflect this
growth in your personality. If goals do not hold any attraction any longer, then let them
go - goal setting is your servant, not your master - it should bring you real pleasure,
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Officiating Development CFL Style
CFL Officiating
Recruitment Model
Dave Hutton CFL| Officiating Department
- Coordinator of Recruitment, Training and
Development
The Canadian Football
League’s officiating
department has developed a
process to assist with the
evaluation, training and
recruitment of young
officials who may be candidates for position on our staff.
Three levels of prospect officials have been articulated to assist us with sorting
through the process of recruitment and development.
Long-term Prospects
 These are likely experienced officials who are not yet on the panel of CIS or
CJFL football programs.
• Their referral is based on observations by CFL scouts or other friends of
officiating.
• There are some self-referrals or others that we have engaged based on other
routes. (i.e. former players/coaches)
• CFL scouts (former CFL or CIS officials) observe and evaluate at cursory
level to get a read on the basic ability, interest and commitment of the
prospect.
• A report is filed on each candidate using an online evaluation tool that
reflects the 12 key areas of assessment. (See article of CFL Look-fors)
• Scouts recommend or nominate candidates to the department for
consideration as prospect officials.
Short-term Prospects
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•
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•
•
These are officials working at the CIS or CJFL level.
They need further training, development & experience.
They meet the CFL standards for appearance & fitness. This is essential.
These officials are approaching CFL standards for the technical aspects of
officiating the game
• They also demonstrate a feel for the game as well as a strong commitment to
learn and improve.
• They are observed, evaluated and coached by our scouting staff.
• They are also interviewed and vetted by V.P. of Officiating, Glen Johnson.
Professional Prospects
• These officials are CIS-experienced and judged to be ready now. We are
fairly certain that they can do the job
• They are invited to a CFL pre-season camp. There they become immersed in
the culture of the CFL official and come away knowing our expectations of
them.
• Each gets at least one CFL game experience, in some cases more games are
assigned to them.
• During their next CIS season, CFL scouts and/or positional coaches observe,
evaluate and mentor the officials. This active mentorship is designed to
enhance learning and improve performance.
• CFL positional coaches provide direct input to the professional prospects.
Recruitment process outcomes from 2015
• In 2015, five officials were involved in the professional prospect aspect of
the program.
• We worked to continue the establishment of a network of trained
observer/evaluators across all regions of Canada where CIS and/or CJFL
football is played.
• We revised and utilized our on-line evaluation tool for all prospects. In
2015, 89 evaluations of 43 officials were carried out.
• There was significant work with CIS conference assignors to ensure an
understanding of our recruitment process to help shape their perspective on
recruitment. We also met to enhance the consistency of seven-man
mechanics and positioning through CFL-hosted teleconferences. There were
also discussions about a common understanding of several on-field rulings.
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A different way of thinking about recruitment:
In principle, there is nothing new about the notion of identifying talent, but we
ask ourselves the following questions:
• How do we get talented individuals into the system, both through and
outside traditional channels?
• Is there enough training provided to ensure that our scouts/observers know
what we are looking for?
• Do the candidates themselves know what we are looking for and are they
willing to make the commitment required to get to this level and stay there?
• Do we consistently use video to back up our perceptions of candidate
performances as well as using it as a teaching tool?
The CFL is proud of the ongoing relationship with our colleague officials across
Canada. While there is some clear self-interest with this recruitment process, it is
also a strong model that might be utilized to recruit, assess and train officials who
work games at the “elite level” of play.
CFL Prospect Official Look-fors:
Dave Hutton CFL| Officiating Department - Coordinator of Recruitment, Training and Development
The Canadian Football League’s officiating department has been working closely
with its partnering provincial or local football officiating associations and elite
level leagues (C.I.S., C.J.F.L., etc.) with the overarching aim of assisting with the
development and recruitment of elite level officials. Prospect officials for the CFL
must meet stringent expectations prior to becoming part of the on-field staff.
Listed below are the 12 elements of officiating performance that are measured
based on “rubric” evaluation format which simply asks the fundamental question,
“Does the candidate meet this performance standard?”
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1. Appearance/Uniform
a. Uniform and appearance is professional.
b. The official presents a good level of personal fitness.
2. Agility/Movement/ Fitness/Stamina
a. Movement around the field is smooth and fluid.
b. Proper speed is used when needed throughout game.
3. Positioning /Coverage of Play
a. Uses correct mechanics and positioning throughout the full game.
b. Adjustments are made as dictated by game.
4. Penalty Judgements: Application or Non-application (**Evaluation based on
video review of calls.)
a. Correct rule enforcement on all plays.
b. Good non-call judgment in all situations.
5. Composure/Calm under pressure
a. Appears calm and composed throughout the game.
b. Provides assurance to others.
6. Judgements (Non-penalty) (**Evaluation based on video review of calls.)
a. Uses correct judgement on possession, catch/no-catch, lateral/forward
pass, scoring, etc. all the game.
7. Ball spotting/forward progress (**Evaluation based on video review of calls.)
a. Correct forward progress marking on all plays plus correction of others.
8. Consistency
a. Rulings and judgements are accurate and consistent through full game.
9. Signaling
a. Executes signals correctly on all plays with a controlled demeanor. (Does
not oversell calls)
10.Communications with Officiating Crew (includes minor officials)
a. Works very well with others. Uses clear & accurate intra-crew signals &
communications.
b. Puts the crew’s interests ahead of his or her own. (Getting it right!)
11.Communications with Players and Coaches
a. Throughout the full game is not too friendly with players/coaches while
showing respect and tact.
b. Is able to set limits.
12.Demonstrates a feel for the game
a. Demonstrates the ability to be in the right place and make the correct call
at the right time consistently.
Each element receives a different weighting factor in the final analysis of the data.
High priority is given to the “fitness” and ”athleticism” elements. Equally highly
regarded are the judgement elements for obvious reason
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Officiating Development
NFL Style
Every NFL game has a third team on the field: the officiating crew. For every down and
every snap, this seven-person unit makes precision calls and split-second decisions at full
speed.
Without the benefit of multiple camera angles on high-definition TV, this crew rules on about
160 plays each and every game. Correctly officiating an NFL game takes years of training and
experience.
Dean Blandino and Al Riveron discuss what goes into building the NFL's "third team."
NFL officials are the best of the best — only 122 officials currently have the privilege of
calling football games at the highest level. No one officiates forever, so the NFL’s Officiating
Department continuously develops a robust talent pipeline to ensure that the next generation of
officials is ready to step up when needed.
The Officiating Department works closely with local, state and collegiate officiating associations
to develop this pipeline of high school and college football officials across the country. The
league also hosts grass-roots clinics and programs designed to introduce young men and women
to football officiating at every level.
FINDING THE BEST
The NFL has developed a regional network of 92 officiating scouts to canvass the country
in search of officials with the potential to advance to higher levels of football.
“If you were going to write a 10-chapter book about what it’s like to be an official in the NFL,
the first nine chapters would deal with preparation. The last chapter would deal with the game.”
Jerry Seeman, NFL senior director of officiating, 1991–2001
These efforts have led to a pool of about 2,000 officials — primarily from the high school and
collegiate officiating ranks — that have been observed and evaluated by an NFL scout and
invited to apply to the NFL’s Officiating Development Program. Once in the program, the
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regional scouts track their progress, and those who stand out can earn opportunities to move up
the officiating ladder.
All will learn important personal and professional skills that will help them on and off the field.
A select few will demonstrate the skills, athleticism and strength of character necessary to
officiate in the NFL.
Though technically officiating is a part-time job, NFL officials dedicate significant time and
energy to succeed at football’s highest level, often in addition to their careers running businesses,
practicing law, farming or teaching.
Officiating Development PROGRAMS
Programs FOR ADVANCED OFFICIALS
High-performing prospects may earn their way into one of these programs, which develop
officiating talent at the highest levels:
“The key to officiating is learning to focus completely for 8 seconds at a time, 160 times in a
row.”
Mason "RED" CASHION, NFL OFFICIAL, 1972–1986
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Advanced Development Program (ADP): The most experienced and qualified nonNFL officials in the country are invited to join ADP. This select group — typically
officials for major college conferences — gets a chance to demonstrate their skills and be
evaluated and mentored by the NFL’s Officiating Department to see if they are ready to
advance to the NFL.
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Legends Officiating Development Program (LODP): Former players get the
opportunity to use their unique knowledge of football and world-class athleticism to stay
involved in the game they love. LODP offers former players a possible accelerated path
into a football officiating career.
BROADENING THE POOL
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
These grass-roots initiatives are designed to expand the
public’s interest and skills in officiating at every level:
 Football Officiating Academy (FOA): FOA
broadens the talent pool by introducing officiating to
people across the country who are interested in learning more about it. These academies
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teach officiating mechanics and football fundamentals, along with professional and
personal skills that last a lifetime. Sign up for a Football Officiating Academy near
you.
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Women Officiating Now (WON): WON introduces women to the possibility of
officiating football and helps them get involved in football at all levels.
http://operations.nfl.com/the-officials/officiating-development/scouting-the-next-nfl-officials/
Of the thousands of football officials nationwide, only 122 with the experience, technical skills,
athleticism, and character to call the game at its highest level currently officiate in the National Football
League. To make sure the NFL always has the most qualified officials, scouts work across the country,
scouting all levels of football to identify potential NFL officials. The league then uses this prospect pool
to develop and choose the next NFL officials.
SCOUTING FOR TALENT
As these candidates, men and women, continue to officiate games, the scouts monitor
their progress, act as mentors, and help the candidates advance through the officiating
ranks.
Meet David Wyant, NFL Officiating Recruiting
and Scouting Coordinator
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Grass-roots level officiating prospects receive hands-on training from current officials
and trainers through the NFL’s Football Officiating Academy, clinics, and other
opportunities. More experienced officials, typically at the college level, refine their
skills through similar opportunities, while remaining with their current conferences.
From the over 3,000 officials in the pipeline, the top NCAA D-I officials will be selected for
the Advanced Development Program (ADP) — putting them one step away from officiating in
the NFL.
The Officiating Department’s scouting team — led by Alberto Riveron, senior director of
officiating, and David Wyant, recruiting and scouting coordinator — is essential to the
League’s commitment to identifying and developing prospects who may one day become NFL
officials.
Scouts pound the pavement looking for up-and-comers, attending more than 600 games each
season at various levels. The NFL Officiating Department staff themselves attend about 50
games a season, including those that feature the League’s ADP prospects, including the postseason college all-star games.
Ranking the Prospects: A Scout's Report Card
The NFL Officiating Department has developed a regional network of more than 50
scouts in 34 states, to canvass the country in search of officials with the potential to
advance to higher levels of football. Armed with their extensive knowledge of football
and officiating, scouts use mainly two methods to find the next generation of officials:
“bird-dogging” and word-of-mouth scouting .A scout “bird-dogs” high school and
college football games — meaning that, with no existing knowledge of the officials, the
scout shows up at a game just to observe. Not every game features an official who
catches a scout’s eye, but occasionally one stands out.If an official makes a positive
impression working a game at which an NFL scout makes a “bird-dog” visit, the scout
will approach the official after the game to make an introduction, and extend an
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invitation to register in the NFL Officiating Development Program database.
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SPOTTING NECESSARY TRAITS
NFL officiating scouts are trained to recognize the distinct qualities that separate NFLquality officials from the rest. Scouts look for officials who exhibit the following traits
during every play of a game:
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Accuracy in enforcing penalties, and the ability to make consistent calls from play-to-play
and game-to-game;
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Physical fitness and a professional appearance;
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Field presence, which includes decisiveness, professionalism, and steady game oversight;
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Understanding and correct application of the rules;
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The knowledge and ability to execute correct mechanics and procedures with confidence and
precision; and

Personal qualities demonstrated by striving for improvement, leading by example and
maintaining integrity.
http://operations.nfl.com/the-officials/behind-the-stripes-timeline/
http://operations.nfl.com/the-officials/history-of-the-official/
http://operations.nfl.com/the-officials/these-officials-are-really-good/officials-responsibilitiespositions/
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Officials an Endangered Species????????????????
Nomads football club suspends staff after referee pushed at game
North Winnipeg Nomads player suspended indefinitely by league after game against
Greendell Falcons
CBC News Posted: Oct 05, 2014 1:58 PM CT Last Updated: Oct 06, 2014 8:36 PM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/nomads-football-club-suspends-staff-after-refereepushed-at-game-1.2788372
The North Winnipeg Nomads Football Club has suspended its entire coaching, training and
managerial staff for the rest of the season, after one of its players allegedly pushed a referee
during a game on Friday.
The team's board issued the suspensions at an emergency meeting Monday evening, after the
Midget Football League of Manitoba suspended the player involved in the incident.
"This reaction is not just for one game. This is for a couple incidents that happened during the
year that was brought to the coaching staff's attention and things that weren't
addressed," Nomads president Jeffrey Bannon told CBC News.
"We take these things very seriously."
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Bannon said a meeting will be held with Nomads players and parents on Tuesday evening to
discuss the team's future for the rest of this season.
If the team can find replacement coaches soon, they can play the rest of the season, he said. If
it can't, the team would have to forfeit its remaining games, including the playoffs.
Bannon admitted it will be a challenge to find replacement coaching staff because playoffs are
starting in other leagues and divisions.
The suspended members can file an appeal, and the suspension will be formally reviewed under
the club's code of conduct, but Bannon said they have accepted what he described as a difficult
decision.
"These are volunteer coaches. They spend, you know, countless amount of hours and they're
probably more disappointed than anyone," Bannon said.
Player suspended indefinitely
The incident in question happened at a game Friday night between the Nomads and the
Greendell Falcons.
A Nomads player was penalized during the game, objected to the penalty and pushed a referee as
he was walking off the field.
Dustin Pernitsky, vice-president of public relations with the Midget Football League of
Manitoba, said the league has taken action and is also investigating the incident.
"We have suspended the player indefinitely," said Pernitsky.
Pernitsky said the Nomads are investigating the incident and will be consulting with the
Manitoba Football Officials Association.
The league consists of six teams with players aged 15 to 17.
'I was flabbergasted,' says Falcons coach
Greendell Falcons head coach Perry Gilmour said some of his players were seriously injured
during that game, including one who was knocked out and taken to hospital.
Gilmour said the action on the field was so rough, he called off the game before the second half.
"In one quarter of play that I've lost, I had six players on the bench, and our training staff was
overwhelmed at the time. We've never had that," he told CBC News.
Gilmour said he was watching from the sidelines when he saw the incident involving the referee
and the Nomads player.
24
"The ref flew a flag because he was using inappropriate language at the refs, and then he turned
and he rushed the ref and knocked him to the ground," he said.
"I was flabbergasted. I mean, that's crossing the line," Gilmour added. "That's unacceptable in
sport today."
Gilmour said he will wait for the outcome of the investigation, but for now he would not feel
comfortable having his team play the Nomads again this season.
Football Manitoba conducting investigation
Meanwhile, Football Manitoba is conducting its own investigation involving the Nomads player
and the official involved in Friday's incident.
"Officials should never be touched. They shouldn't be hit. It's unacceptable in our sport for that
to happen," said Shawn Coates, Football Manitoba's executive director.
The case has parents like Terry Shaw, whose seven-year-old son plays football, planning to
talk to their children about respect in sport.
"We will sit him down and we'll remind him that not only does he need to be respectful to the
other team, but to the people that … support his ability to play the game — his coach and the
refs," Shaw said.
He added that it's important that young players understand that many referees are investing their
own time so that kids can play organized sports.
Coates said players' families have to sign a code of conduct when they sign up for the season.
Football Manitoba is looking at implementing a Respect in Sport online course, he added.
Referees Struggle With Respect Amid Growing Hostility
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/referees-struggle-respect-amid-growing-hostility-35408184

BY KURT VOIGT,
AP SPORTS
WRITER
FAYETTEVILLE,
Ark. — Nov 25,
2015, 6:06 AM ET
this Friday, Nov. 6,
2015 photo, referee
Greg Knight, center,
leans in for a pregame prayer with
25
other officials before a high school football game in Gentry, Ark. Sports across the country are facing increasing
scrutiny, with many taking out insurance in case they are attacked by fans or coaches. (AP Photo/Kurt Voigt)
Jimmy Woods has been a youth official for nearly 30 years, and he's lost count of how
many football games he has refereed and how many times he's been yelled at,
threatened or insulted.
Oh, he remembers the details. He has been surrounded by angry parents following
games, told he "has no integrity" by coaches and cursed at as recently as this season
by players and fans at a private high school in Little Rock.
"People don't respect the emblem anymore," said Woods, a 50-year-old firefighter who
officiates games on the side. "They think you're out to get them or cheat them."
Violence against referees is as old as sport itself, and most are familiar with awful
stories from lower-division soccer matches in Europe or South America. But the
headlines have appeared uncomfortably closer to home for Woods and his fellow
officials lately.
In a two-year span, referees in Utah and Michigan died after they were punched by
angry players during games. In September, two San Antonio football players blindsided
a referee on purpose, an incident that drew widespread condemnation.
This has come at a cost: By all accounts from those involved, finding and retaining
referees is becoming more and more difficult. In fact, recognizing the potential shortage,
many desperate state high school associations have taken lead roles in recruiting new
talent to an aging workforce facing startlingly hostile conditions.
One of those states is Kansas, where the number of registered officials has dropped
since the 2012-13 school year. The state had 2,027 basketball officials that year,
compared to 1,887 this year, and the number of football referees has shrunk from 1,372
to 1,309 over the same span. The average age of the state's softball umpires by one
measurement was found to be over 60.
The effects of a referee shortage are many — games are delayed or moved or canceled
altogether, and referee crews in sports such as soccer and basketball are trimmed from
three to two, said Gary Musselman, executive director of the Kansas State High School
Activities Association, whose group, like many others, is in the midst of the prep football
playoffs.
"I don't want to sound disparaging of younger generations, but I think sometimes
younger people aren't as inclined to be as fixed in as some older people," Musselman
said. "Maybe they are more established and aren't as caught up in, 'Does everybody
like me?' Because officials are going to do things that people aren't going to like, and
not everybody can handle that negative feedback."
26
Two years ago, the association started making training opportunities more accessible
for potential referees and offering a $1,000 grant, the first of which was awarded to the
Greater Wichita Officials Association to help create a library of video clips for training.
Coaches were asked to identify possible future referees among their players, too. The
efforts resulted in 22 recent high school graduates registering as officials.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association offers to waive its first- or secondyear registration fees for current and former members of the U.S. military. One
marketing brochure reads: "From Serving Our Country ... To Helping Our Schools."
Barry Mano founded the National Association of Sports Officials in 1980 and spent 23
years as a college basketball referee. The group in Racine, Wisconsin, doesn't keep
national data to track the decline, but its 2002 survey found that 90 percent of high
school officials believed they had a referee shortage — and Mano doubts those
concerns have gone away in the face of growing animosity and poor behavior by fans
and coaches.
"Unsporting behavior continues to be the main reason that people get out of officiating,"
said Mano, who noted that pay for his members ranges from roughly $50-$60 per game
at the high school level to approximately $2,500-$3,000 for major college football
games. "They worry about their safety, they worry about putting up with all that guff for
$50 a game. Are you kidding me? That's why there are shortages of men and women
who want to go out and officiate in a lot of parts of this country."
A call to NASO leads to a menu with multiple choices. The third option is the
association's Assault Protection Program for its 22,000-plus members.
"It is kind of a sad commentary," said Mano, whose organization backed legislation in
more than 20 states to beef up punishments for people who attack a referee. NASO
also provides insurance that can help officials who are the victim of an assault by a
spectator or athlete, as well as money for attorney fees.
Don Boss, 64, has officiated a variety of sports over his 47 years in the business, and
he's overseen high school and adult soccer leagues in Arkansas for more than 20 years.
He assigns officials in the central part of the state and tries to weed out officials who
might not be able to walk away from a heated situation.
"The problem isn't finding refs," Boss said. "The problem is finding good refs."
Boss has seen his share of incidents over the years — baseball bats being wielded as
weapons, guns being shown, police standing by, referees being assaulted. Boss has a
simple rule he takes with him onto the field, intended to keep everyone calm: "Everyone
goes to work on Monday."
Like many of his colleagues, Woods started as a football referee, in Texas in 1987, to
remain connected to the game he once played. It's a little money on the side, a chance
to be active and around the game he loves.
27
Nearly 30 years later, in an officiating career that's seen him work in high school and
college in conferences such as the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Conference
USA, the former minor league baseball player continues to referee despite taking
medical leave from his firefighting job in recent years as he battles leukemia. He plans
to keep going.
"It's a great service to the kids," Woods said. "Without these guys working at all levels of
football, from pee wee to junior high to high school to college to different pro and semipro events, these kid
Officials can except to be criticized by coaches, fans and broadcasters. You don’t normally see
officials being criticized publicly by there own Executive. Officials are always being graded and
evaluated. Public statements from within their own are certainly not necessary. As you know, if
a mistake is made, no one owns it more than an official.
Rob Christian
MacAulay quits NFLRA (sort of) after statement calling out his crew
Posted by Mike Florio on December 27, 2015, 3:06 PM EST
Last week’s debacle at MetLife Stadium resulted in no
consequences for referee Terry McAulay’s crew
beyond the normal grading process. Despite the
absence of a problem for McAulay and the NFL, there’s
apparently a problem between McAulay and the union
that represents him, the NFL Referees Association.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, McAulay
wasn’t happy with the decision of NFLRA executive
director Jim Quirk to issue a statement criticizing the
crew for its handling of the game. According to the
source, McAulay was sufficiently upset to essentially quit the union.
Technically, union dues payment is mandatory. Union involvement, however, isn’t. Which
means that McAulay isn’t required to take any role in advancing the interests or agenda of the
union.
NFLRA leadership is trying to get McAulay to reconsider. That will require McAulay to get past
these comments from Quirk: “I don’t want to second-guess the guys that worked the game, but
28
I thought they should have been a lot more judicious in their attempts to get this thing under
control. I don’t know why they did what they did, but I wish it had been handled different.”
McAulay surely wishes his crew had handled it differently, too. It wasn’t within his jurisdiction
to police the interactions between Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Panthers
cornerback Josh Norman.
Still, the league’s overall culture has counselled caution when ejecting players, given the
potential impact on competitive balance. That could change after last Sunday.
Whether McAulay changes his mind about the NFLRA may hinge on whether Quirk or someone
else issues another statement that expresses support for the league.
As one source remarked to Pro Football Talk, “Can you imagine [NFLPA executive director]
DeMaurice Smith issuing a statement like that about a player?” Indeed, the job of a union is to
protect all of its members, not to call them out. McAulay’s anger is understandable, and Quirk
would be wise to find a way to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
YOU Make the CALL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bce4q7968qg
Should Odell Beckham Jr. Be Suspended? |
The Great Debate | NFL
29
Christian’s Corner
MECHANICS – Football.Refs.Org
Mechanics are the most important, concrete, method of self-evaluation. They also
demonstrate our poise, professionalism, and commitment to the game.
There are manuals which outline the best ways
to ensure that we are in proper position to make
the correct calls a majority of the time and to sell
our judgment as sound. While there may be
some minor deviations, the manuals MUST be
adhered to if we are to adequately enforce the
rules of engagement.
You have probably noticed by now that my
approach to the game is much like a spider's
web. I have ten points which appear separate
and yet all weave together and intertwine. Many
of my individual preferences overlap into several
of my points.
I break mechanics into unnamed categories.
The first is working on my mechanics as outlined in the manuals. I look to the
mechanics from a perspective of what will put me in the best position to rule and create
a comfort zone which creates the illusion of professionalism.
My first concern is to have a good field of vision. I want to have an unobstructed view of
any action which may fall into my zone.
Initial Position
As a wing official, I believe being at the sideline is the best place to start... note, I said
start. This allows me to see all the action on the field without worrying about players
getting behind me. It also ensures that the play is coming at me and I don't have to be
preoccupied with backing up and wondering if I can run backwards and remain on my
feet! Now if the ball is placed on the far hash, I may come in to the numbers but I never
want to be closer than 10 yards to any player... obviously, this is not the case in
university ball as we have clear guidelines about starting on the sidelines.
As a referee, I want to set up so that I can see tackle to tackle and be on the QB's
throwing arm side. I don't like to get outside the tackles because if the action rolls away
30
from me, I am already out of the play and unable to properly see the action as it
develops.
While field of vision is important, I also want to move fluidly and with purpose.
While I start on the sidelines, I want to close briskly to the end of the action AFTER the
action is over. Don't be too quick to get in there as you may get caught up in a fumble,
an extraordinary athletic move which keeps the runner on his feet, or miss dead ball
fouls. I trail the play parallel to the sideline and then cut a 90 degree angle and move
directly to the dead ball spot.
I prefer this tactic because it keeps my field of vision wide, enabling me to see more
than if I am angling or sauntering. I mentioned in earlier criteria that being lackadaisical
is like telling everyone I don't care.
During and After the Play
Close with your head up and on a swivel. You have the spot in your mind; but don't
focus so much on that small area. I never run by players to get to a spot, because this is
when we miss dead ball action away from the ball.
I have noted over the years that some officials seem to be overly close to the play. They
think that close means good mechanics and hustle. I tend to subscribe to the philosophy
that I want to be close enough to rule but not so close that I am in the play itself.
Trail and rule. I like to be about 5-8 yards behind the runner from the flank position. This
implies that I also have read the play situation properly...pass versus run.
We all have been taught to read the tackles....if they fire out and downfield I think run; if
they retreat, then I read pass. I also factor in the situation: down, distance, time, and
team tendencies. When I misread, I adjust accordingly. If I read pass and they run, I
allow the play to come to me. If I read run and they pass, I move my butt to get into the
best position.
Goal lines... inside the 7 I begin thinking about the goal line and I move to protect it. I
like to be on the goal about 2-3 yards outside the pylon, as I feel this gives me the most
advantageous position to rule without being caught up in the players. Again, we should
be on the goal waiting for the play, not trailing in this situation. I want to be able to see
the relationship between the ball and the goal...it is the most important line we have.
Dead ball... an area in which many of us are remiss. I toss the ball underhand when
relaying and I don't worry about the new ball until I am confident that all action has
ceased. I also use this time to check my sidelines. I want to make certain that I have the
proper room in which to work and that it is clear of everyone except those who are
LEGALLY entitled to be there. I talk to coaches and then I administer warnings. My
personal feeling is that officials who are lax in this area are sending a negative
message. It erodes our image of professionalism and control. It's the little things which
31
separate the good officials from the average ones. I jog to new positions, never walk. I
also note the time, distance and down as I feel these items are all of our responsibilities
and not left to just one official.
The ball, My whistle, and Marking the Spot
I want to be aware of the ball. Too often we pretend that we are so focused on our area
that we don't know status of the ball. I want to know ball status. I may not know if there
is a fumble away from me but I want to know that it is a run. Being wide gives me the
advantage of more total game awareness.
Whistle control is vital. The whistle does not kill the ball, unless it is inadvertent; it
merely indicates that action is now over. The rules kill the ball. Sidebar - when coaches
scream that there was no whistle I ask them a simple question - "So if your player is
laying on the ground and there is no whistle, it's okay for the defense punish him?" Their
silence affirms that they know what is right. I seldom echo a whistle. I don't like to call
what I haven't seen. You run the risk of echoing a phantom whistle from the stands and
we know where that leads.
Also, don't be in a hurry to rule. I never kill the play until I see the runner down with the
ball. If his back is turned, or I am screened out, I merely wait and let the action speak for
itself.
Use discretion when marking the ball. I don't like to extend a foot, I prefer to indicate
with upfield foot by subtlety extending it no more than a foot length in front of my other
foot. If the Umpire takes the spot of the other official, I gently move to echo that spot.
This offering is dryer than others, but then mechanics, after all, are mechanical!
Officials who concentrate on rules or mechanics alone will never be excellent officials.
We need to emphasize both equally.
My Checklist for Mechanics
Maintain a good field of vision
 Start on the sideline
 Move with control, authority, and purpose
Study the manual
 Two-three hours a week during season
 One hour week during off season
 Observe other officials to support or change my method
Read game situation  time
 down
 distance
32


tendencies
key off tackles
Dead Ball
 Begin on the sideline
 Monitor my sideline  Keep the sideline clear of unnecessary traffic
 Talk with coaches requesting cooperation
 Sideline warning Don't wait until the end of the fourth quarter - if they are there now, it is because I
let them be there for the entire game.
 Check down indicator
 Move downs counter AFTER box has set
 Keep eyes on field as much as possible
Goal line
 Start thinking about it when inside the ten
 Move quickly to goal at snap
 Communicate with side officials to ensure we are all on the same page.
 Delay TD signal to allow mental process.
Body language  Keep head up
 Keep head on a 'swivel'
Be aware of the ball  Know if there is a pass or a run
 Adjust when necessary
Whistle control
 Blow only when certain the ball is dead
 See the ball before ruling
 Do not echo another whistle unless it is absolutely needed.
Do not exaggerate movements
 Mark the spot indiscreetly
 Adjust to the crew
33
I personally think there is very little to repair – Rob Christian
Referees: How to repair college football's officiating
system – by Jon Solomon, National College Football Writer
Seemingly everywhere you look this college football season (NCAA), high-profile officiating
controversies continue to add up.
If it's not highly questionable targeting calls, it's inadvertent whistles that get mismanaged. If if's
not the winning touchdown coming when a wide receiver is mistakenly ruled to have been
forced out of bounds, it's the winning score on a lateral after replay misses a knee being down.
The ACC and Pac-12 have suspended crews in recent weeks.
In reality, bad mistakes don't happen everywhere.
Officials are human so mistakes will naturally happen.
No one is perfect -- not the coaches, players or officials.
Still, college football is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Increasingly, the sport struggles with how to raise the
standards for officiating to meet that reality -- or at least
change the public's perception of poor officiating.
One veteran official from a Power Five conference, who
wished to remain anonymous, said there are deep and systemic officiating problems in college
football that need to be addressed.
“The accountability for officials is messed up,” the official said. “Sometimes you get a high level
of accountability for things you really don't deserve, and sometimes you have no accountability
for things that deserve it. It's really not handled well from league to league, from incident to
incident.
“You can see across the grid those officials who are in it for the right reasons and those who
aren't. Our evaluation process is all over the map. It's really not that good. It appears
accountability tends to rest in the eyes of how big (a mistake) gets publicly rather than doing
what most organizations say and that is just say, ‘This is what we expect.'”
CBS Sports separately interviewed two conference officiating coordinators (Bill Carollo of the
Big Ten and Terry McAulay of the American Athletic Conference); one conference
commissioner (Bob Bowlsby of the Big 12); one anonymous official (a respected veteran from a
Power Five conference); and the president of the National Association of Sports Officials (Barry
Mano, who founded Referee magazine).
As the scrutiny on officials increases, some people within the officiating community have
fundamental concerns that focus on maintaining and recruiting quality officials, paying them
34
enough to justify their time worked and the scrutiny, and providing appropriate accountability
and transparency when mistakes happen. Others aren't as concerned about officiating
compared to the public perception.
” McAulay said. “Social media makes it appear worse than it really is. I think officiating, in
general, is very good considering how much more complex the game has become with tempo
and different plays and more plays.
“I really believe the muffed punt at Michigan, the poor defense called by a coach or the wrong
call made by an official is a major, major part of our game and is very exciting about sports. If
every aspect of a game was perfect, I think people would turn away because the human foibles
that take place are very, very important to the game. That's not trying to excuse the mistakes
that are made.”
Should officiating be a more professional avocation?
Full-time officials are probably never going to happen. If the NFL hasn't done it yet, then it surely
won't come to college football. Mano said there aren't enough football games, unlike in
basketball or baseball, for management to justify officials being full-time employees.
Said Bowlsby, chairman of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee: We're managing hundreds
and hundreds of games compared to 16 games on a Sunday. I don't know that we're headed
there, but the comparisons with how the professional officiating programs are administrated is
not really apples to apples.”
Maybe not. But Carollo, who is on the new 12-member College Football Officiating Competition
Committee, said college football officiating hasn't been professionalized enough to change with
the times.
“I get these guys to come in and do replay training for a couple days a year. It's good,” Carollo
said. “I need year-round training, just like the coaches, just like the players. This is not part-time
anymore. I think it's an important job and needs to be recognized like that. It's not organized that
way right now. I think we can do a lot better to make it a real professional avocation.”
It's already close to a full-time job for the best officials. The anonymous Power Five official
estimated he spends 30 to 40 hours per week on officiating during the season in addition to his
full-time job. During the offseason, he spends about 20 hours a week to study the rules. Not
everybody puts in that much time, he said. Some officials gather for weekly study sessions in
the offseason. Officials who care about staying sharp will attend several clinics across the
country for trips they pay for out of pocket.
35
“If you don't spend the time, you'll suck,” the official said. “If you suck in a big game, you know
how much time these coaches and players spend and what it means to them. It's just a real sad
thing when you see an officiating crew that doesn't have their mind wrapped around officiating
for the right reason and doesn't prepare themselves to the best of their ability.”
Carollo believes officiating would improve if college football applied a more professionalized
approach, such as required training and higher pay.
“But we pay it like it's a part-time job. When you look at our officials today, and even at the NFL,
and you look at the hours they put in, it's a little embarrassing how much they're paid per hour.”
Are the right people in replay?
The vast majority of college football replay officials are ex-referees. Carollo questions if these
are necessarily the right people reviewing calls upstairs.
“I think my last five replay hires are lawyers,” Carollo said. “They're really smart people. (Replay
officials) have to be really smart and understand the rules. I think we can get much better
people up there. I've got a 24-year-old guy working Division I replay who has never officiated
before and he's one of my top replay guys.”
“This replay job doesn't exist at the lower levels,” McAulay said. “It's a very difficult job to fill.
How do you know they will handle the pressure? Can they officiate well with video or is it gut
instinct? I've seen the best on-field officials become poor replay officials and vice versa and
everything in between. I'm not really sure what the answer is.
Keep in mind, replay is still young in college football. The Big Ten first experimented with replay
in 2004 and the NCAA adopted it for all conferences in 2006. The NFL used replay on a limited
basis from 1986-91 and then discarded it before bringing replay back in 1999.
Increasingly, replay in pro sports has moved to centralized command centers, a concept that
commissioners and officiating coordinators are discussing. The NFL, NHL and MLB use people
stationed in a command center to make replay calls. The anonymous Power Five official wants
this in college football.
“Let's take our three best replay officials in our conference and put them in one spot,” the Power
Five official said. “We've got the technology to centralize it and we can limit the number of
officials, which limits the inconsistency from one to the other.
“I think we better take a deep breath and look at the replay system and where it's going,” Mano
said. “We should be looking for indisputable video evidence. I've been in the Major League
Baseball command center. You look at a play and we're arguing in the command center. That's
36
just substituting a judgment on the field with a judgment in the command center, and it turns out
sometimes it's not much better.”
How should accountability and transparency be handled?
There was some satisfaction from the public when the ACC suspended the entire Miami-Duke
officiating crew and replay officials for two games due to mistakes they made on the Hurricanes'
winning touchdown. But within the officiating community, there is deep concern about
suspensions.
“We do this all the time where we suspend an entire crew for something one or two people are
responsible for doing,” the Power Five official said. “There were people who were suspended
who had nothing to do with it, yet they sit for a week for something someone on their crew did. If
a player or coach does something wrong, the entire team doesn't sit.”
Mano said officials want management to apply a consistent policy instead of suspending crews
for public relations purposes.
“Really? Where the hell is this going?” Mano said. “There's no replay during that game, but they
take those raw (video) materials and look at it and say, ‘This crew screwed something up.'
You're out there for 40 to 50 bucks a game and you want to subject yourself to this kind of
(expletive)? The vast majority of mistakes made are reasonably made. It doesn't mean they're
not wrong, but what do you want us to do?
“I'd like to use what we use in a court of law. Is what the official did reasonable? It might turn out
to be factually wrong because of technology, but was it unreasonably done? If the answer is
yes, there needs to be some penalty. But if it passes the reasonable test, even though it's
wrong, then shut up and stand up to the rest of the world
The NBA has started publicizing last two-minute reports of calls or no-calls in games which are
within five points at the two-minute mark. The report identifies the time of the call, what got
called, the committing player, the disadvantaged player, whether the call was correct or not, and
a brief comment. Mano said officials are fine with these reports and they “play to the
entertainment package” of fans who have opinions about officiating.
Said the Power Five official: “Why not do that in college football?”
McAulay, the American officiating coordinator, questioned the purpose of the NBA two-minute
report.
“I'll tell you what I learned when I first took this job and I think you saw this in the Duke-Miami
situation in spades," he said. "When you start identifying various errors that give an indication
that the wrong team won the game because of officials' mistakes, you have indeed tainted the
37
win of the other team. Football is played for 60 minutes and maybe a mistake late seems
important, but mistakes are made throughout. Who's to say if not for a mistake at the beginning
of the fourth quarter, the game couldn't have turned into a blowout?”
McAulay said the American is exceptionally transparent to its customers -- that is, coaches and
schools. Generally, he said, the American is careful on what it says publicly, but coaches and
schools know when mistakes occurred and if officiating crews get suspended.
“That's transparent enough for now, and maybe the times will change soon and we have to go
that direction,” McAulay said. “There was a coach on the West Coast a couple years ago that
was espousing for a ref to get in front of the microphone like he does after a game to explain
himself. My thought was, ‘When my referee gets a bonus for $2.5 million, then we might
consider that.' But for the relatively small fee he makes, I don't see why it's appropriate to put
him through that additional pressure or attention.”
Is there a pipeline for future college officials?
Approximately 60,000 to 70,000 people are amateur football officials in America, according to
the National Association of Sports Officials. Mano said that's slightly down from five years ago
and it's getting harder to convince people to officiate. On the association's surveys, the No. 1
reason people cite for why they stop officiating is unsportsmanlike behavior at games.
“We don't see (recruiting problems) firsthand at our level, but there are some troubling signs in
terms of the front end of the funnel,” Bowlsby said. “There aren't as many young men and
women that want to be officials. I am concerned for the future of it because if we don't have
quality people coming in the front side of the funnel, we won't have quality people at our level
before long.”
Carollo, the Big Ten coordinator, said recent attacks on officials in high school and youth sports
could cause more people to avoid officiating.
“We don't get a lot of people raising their hand saying, ‘I want to be a ref to get yelled at by
50,000 people,'” Carollo said. “Let's start with the people we have now. Can we fix what we
have right now? Then we need to step back and say, 'In five years and 20 years, what are we
going to do?'
“People say, ‘Why don't you make it full-time? Why not have a national Division I officiating
group not tied to the conferences and pick the best 100?' There's something to be said about all
of this. Can we make it better? It's important. We have to try.”
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Vanier Cup Backup official identified
From Rt to Left
Kevin Riopel LU
Iain Cropper FJ
James Fowler U
Henry Chiu R
Nigel Bushe SJ
Marc Cobb HL
Back Up official identified as
Renald Dulac
apologies for missing your name in the
Dec issue
Look back in time when the best dressed officials wore shorts.
Can you identify these young men?
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On the left, with the open necked shirt is Barclay Easton, President EOTFOA on the
left and on the right EOTFOA Referee in Chief, John Pinches with award winners
EOTFOA contribution to
Officiating Award recipient is
JohnKachiuk
John's award recognized his
incredible dedication and
contributions to officiating over
many many years. It is the highest
honour our association can award.
And John has earned it many times over!
Don Wilcox, EOTFOA
EOTFOA most improved official, is
Frank Nigro
EOTFOA Rookie of the Year
official, is
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Steve King.
2015 OUA Officials Award of Merit
Voted on by the OUA Coaches, this year’s OUA Officials Award of Merit goes
to Kevin Horton. Kevin is the only repeat winner since this award was
established. Previous recipients include Ron MacVinnie and Murray
Drinkwalter.
Manitoba Football
Officials Association
Our members were proud to have
represented the MFOA as the CFL
support crew at the 103rd Grey Cup.
A great way to end the season. Great job
gentlemen! — with David Kendall, Ardis
Oleksyn,Daniel Jacob Doerksen, Damien
Lacasse, Chris Donaldson, Jamie Bernard, Jon
Reyes, Ryan Ratte, Jp Chorn and Kyle Mikulik.
Missing Brian Hlatkey, Dale Jacobson, Richard
Pilbeam and Ron Hallock
Referee, Staying Up to Snuff - Google Books Result
https://books.google.ca/books?isbn=1440192707
Chuck Wenstrom - 2009 - Sports & Recreation
Oftentimes early whistles would be tied in with rookie officials. ... with an early whistle, it does relate to
our first rookie female football referee. ... about women in football is now passe with women's tackle
football beginning to gain in popularity.
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Football Canada 100 – 2255, boul. St. Laurent Ottawa, ON K1G 4K3 Telephone : 613-564-0003 Fax: 613564-6309 info@footballcanada.com
Contacts Rose-Anne Joly
Administrative Coordinator:
General inquiries
admin@footballcanada.com ext: 221
Shannon Donovan Executive Director:
Operations, events, competitions,
officials, finance
operations@footballcanada.com ext:
225
Aaron Geisler
Technical Coordinator:
JPD, 6-A-Side, Flag Football,
Aboriginal programs, NCCP
technical@footballcanada.com ext:
227
Patrick DeLottinville
Communications Coordinator
communications@footballcanada.com
ext: 226
Tamara Hinic
events@footballcanada.com
Event Coordinator
ext. 222
Jean François Lefebvre,
development@footballcanada.com
Manager, Program Development
ext. 228
Chris Flynn Director of sponsorship
chris.flynn@footballcanada.com.
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