So you want to be a football official?

If you've ever thought about how to become a football official, you've come to the right place!  Texas High School Football Officials come from all backgrounds and all walks of life, but share a common bond:  a love for football, their communities, and a strong desire to give back to their communities through officiating.

Be forewarned, though:  being a football official takes commitment - you have to commit to learning rules and mechanics as presented in the rule book and mechanics manuals, not the 'rules' that armchair quarterbacks and game commentators THINK they know.  It takes time, and patience, to learn this craft, but you will find that it is one of the most rewarding avocations you could ever be a part of, as well as making a little pocket money as well!

To get started as an official in Texas, you need to do two things:  register with TASO (Texas Association of Sports Officials, this is required), and then contact your local chapter, to become a part of the officiating family.  There are 23 regional chapters across the state, who are responsible for officiating games within their geographic area.  The link below contains email addresses for board members for each area, who will be more than happy to welcome you into the officiating family.  

Note:  Additional links to specific chapters can be found on the Links page.

TASO:  https://taso.org/sports/football/

TASO Chapters Listing:  https://taso.org/chapter-directory/football/

If you are Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces (thank you for your service!), a foundation set up by Mike Pereira can help provide you basic equipment and uniforms, free of charge (for all sports, not just football.)  More information can be found here: https://www.battlefields2ballfields.org/

...so let's talk about the cost of being an official.  First, you'll need the necessary equipment:  

1. Uniform (shirt/pants/shoes/hat
2. Flag
3. Whistle
4. Beanbag (note:  while black, blue, and white beanbags exist, TASO Mechanics state that only black may be used.)
5. Chain clip
6. Belt
7. Down Indicator
8. Shoes

You can get all these from vendors here from around $100-150, under Uniforms/Equipment/Supplies:  https://txfbofficials.com/helpful-officiating-links.  Shoes obviously are going to be a significant expense on top of that, so if you budget $200 to get fully equipped, you will be fine.  (TXFBOfficials.com have no association with any vendor listed.)  You'll easily make that amount back the first week or two of the season.

So now you've got your stuff... let's talk about the Benjamins $$$.

How much can you make officiating, and how often do you get paid?

Two of the most common questions.

The short answer to both is, it depends - on how many games you work, school policies on payments, and maybe even your chapter - it varies across the state.

Sub-varsity games, such as middle school/junior high, freshman/JV levels, you can expect to make $50-$60 per game.  The good news is, for games at this level, they are usually stacked, meaning you may work up to 3 games in one afternoon evening - not bad for a few hour's work!  For Varsity games, the pay is based solely off gate receipts with a minimum, and as a new or newer official, you can expect pay from $90-130  per game, not counting the distance add-on... the further you have to drive to the game (from your chapter's center point), the more you are paid.  Distance bands run as follows:

1-30 miles:  $15

31-60 miles:  $30 

61-90 miles: $45

Beyond 90 miles:  based on mileage, but as a new official, you aren't likely to be in this scenario.  If you are, contact your local chapter and they will explain the process to you.

So, if you have 2 Tuesday middle school  games at $55 each in Distance Band 2, 2 Thursday night fresh/JV games at 55 and 60 each in Distance Band 1, and a Friday night game in Distance Band 3, here's how your pay for the week would break down:

Tuesday:  2 games x 55 = 110+distance addon of $30 = $140

Thursday:  2 games, 1 at 55, 1 at 60 = 115 + distance addon of $15 = $130

Friday:  1 game at $90 (using lowest possible pay for simplicity's sake) + distance addon of $45 = $135

For the entire week, you would make $405.  Not bad!  And that's not even counting youth football, where you can easily make $100-300 for a half/full day's work for flag/peewee leagues.

...but that's just the dollars in, not accounting for all the other expenses you would have, including time (your time is valuable, and you can assign a dollar amount to it!) During a typical week, for me, I might have to account for the following:

Time spent studying/chapter meetings

Preparing uniforms/dry cleaning

Time spent away from work

Time spent driving - for Varsity games, you usually are required to be onsite 2 hours in advance of kickoff

Gas/food

Time away from family 

Purchasing other study materials/clinics/camps (optional)

(just a quick note on time:  That $130 you made on Friday night?  Well, you likely had to leave work early at 4:00, meet your crew and drive 84 miles, get there on time (two hours early), officiate the game that ends around 9:30, change back into street clothes, leave driving back home by 10, home at 12.  That's 8 hours just for one game!  That $130 is now 16.25 per hour, not counting your other time and expenses... it adds up quickly to deplete those checks!

Speaking of, back to the paychecks - unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all here; it really can vary from school to school - some send checks once a month, some send checks twice a week, some use online pay systems such as Arbiter... your chapter secretary will be able to fill you in on all the details around this, and how schools in your area address this.

All these things, and I am sure I am missing more, all have to be factored into whether you see this as an opportunity to be profitable, or whether you just do this for enjoyment and love of the game.  Realistically, most officials have a net loss at the end of year.  But, we do what we do, for the immense satisfaction we get from being part of the game.

Lastly, and I hate that I even have to write this:  You're going to get yelled at.  A LOT.  Some deserved, the vast majority not.  You need to be mentally tough to be an official.  Parent, coaches, fans, even players, demand NFL-level precision and exactness, at every level of play.  Officiating is the only avocation I know of, where perfection is demanded of you the very instant you set foot on ANY field (or court) regardless of your experience level, or the level of play.  The ubiquity of social media and the ease that mistakes can be rapidly shared makes our job exponentially harder, at all levels.  

You're going to miss calls.

You're going to have that instant of doubt, and not a throw that you should have. 

You're going to blow your whistle too soon.

 You're going to make mistakes.  But it's how we respond to them, that sets us apart.  You have to have thick skin, a growth mindset, and be able to forget mistakes very quickly to be a good official.

Ability is key:  The vast majority of people have the capability; add to that availability, and you have the ingredients to be a good official.

Can't wait to see you in stripes with a whistle, making a difference in young kids' lives and your community!

info@TXFBOfficials.com