Football officials ensure fair play and rule compliance. Junior and high school games have five officials, while college and professional games have seven. Objectivity is crucial, and officials must handle criticism. Most officials start at the youth or high school level and work their way up with experience and training.
A football official is responsible for ensuring that the game is played fairly and in accordance with the rules. He or she approaches the action on each play to look for rule violations and determine where the ball should be placed for the next down. Additionally, a team of referees works together to track games, score points, and inform teams and fans of calls. Regardless of the level of play, a football official must always be attentive, objective and confident in order to maintain authority and ensure a fair game.
In junior and high school league games, a team of five officials is usually on the field. College, amateur, and professional games usually have seven employees. The team is led by the referee, who has the final say on all decisions. The referee is in the middle of the field, just behind the defense, and the back, side and field judges are positioned deeper in the defensive field. The line umpire and lines umpire face each other along the line of scrimmage to place the ball after plays, measure first downs, and give penalties and administer penalties.
Objectivity is one of the most important qualities for a football official to possess. Favoring one side or player is not only unfair to the other team, it is also disrespectful to the fans and the sport. Most employees take their work very seriously, so they can remain completely impartial. Even so, it is common for leagues not to allow referees to call games in their home cities or states to eliminate the chance of playing favorites. Collegiate, amateur, and professional league officials frequently travel across major regions during football season.
There’s so much action going on during a football game that it’s possible for a referee to miss a violation or make a bad call. With the exception of instant replay challenges in some professional leagues, there’s really nothing players, coaches or fans can do to overturn a decision once it’s been made. A good football official must be able to take criticism and ridicule and maintain his composure during the game.
Most football officials begin their careers as youth league or high school referees. There are many community and regional organizations that can help a new employee learn all about the job responsibilities and find opportunities in their area. To move up to the collegiate or professional level of play, a football official usually needs to gain several years of experience and build up a good reputation. Some national college systems and private organizations offer licensure for employees who complete accredited training camps.
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