Purpose
The San Diego County Football Officials Association (SDCFOA) provides certified football officials for CIF High School, Pop Warner, AYF and flag football throughout San Diego County.
The purpose of the Association shall be to:
- Provide quality football officiating service.
- Maintain and strive to improve the service through an education and training program.
- Promote fair play and sportsmanship among people involved in football contests.
- Encourage good fellowship among members of the Association and others interested in football.
Mission
The mission of the San Diego County Football Officials Association is as follows:
- To maintain the highest standards of football officiating,
- To provide the means for a correct and consistent interpretation of the football rules,
- To develop the most effective and efficient mechanics and football philosophies,
- To develop new football officials at the Youth and High School level, then educate and mentor them with the highest standards of ethics,
- To promote close professional relationships among our members,
- To secure cooperation and understanding throughout the entire interscholastic community to include: (inter-scholastic and youth football athletic officers, sportswriters, coaches, players, and officials),
- To further the interests of football by fostering the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play.
- To cultivate and maintain relationships within the global community by sponsoring and contributing to youth football fund, scholarship fund and other community involvement.
Presidents Message
Welcome to the 2021 Season!
Let me begin by saying what an absolute honor and privilege it is to have been selected to serve as your President for 2021. I look forward to serving all of you as we strive to make this a very successful year!
What can we say about the challenges that 2020 presented to all of us and our families other than “what a long, strange trip it’s been”. We endured a year like no other and for the vast majority of us that meant not suiting up for preseason scrimmages, no Friday Night Lights or weekend Youth games. We missed out on the traditional June Crew Draft, the gathering of and renewal of old friendships and seeing new faces in July for the first in person Association meeting, the pre-season crew get-togethers, pregame meetings, the sights, sounds and excitement of the games, the post-game meal, camaraderie, the Youth Football Golf Tournament Fundraiser, our annual Banquet and CIF playoffs.
Despite the setbacks caused by COVID, our Association endured and overcame many unexpected challenges and as a result has grown stronger. Together, we will be ready to resume the profession we all love as members of the premier Football Officials Association in America. I say that because of what we were able to accomplish this past year and the traditions that will carry us forward well into the future.
Relying on the leadership of our 2020 President, Dave Garza, the Board of Directors and our Association Appointed Officers, we decided early on to get ready for what we all hoped would be an opportunity to officiate in 2020, but unfortunately the season never materialized. By utilizing a format many of us had not experienced in the past, we held virtual Zoom meetings to plan for contingencies, initiate training and keep everyone as well informed as possible as events continued unfold and the season kept getting delayed. We had incredible attendance for our highly regarded Referee and Umpire, Line of Scrimmage and Back Judge Clinics presented by outstanding former and current NFL and NCAA members of our Association. Our Instructional Program continued to set the standard for rules and mechanics training and film study calibration thanks to the unwavering commitment and untiring efforts of Steve Coover. Please join me in thanking all of these individuals for helping us to grow and continue to be the elite Association that we are today.
I would like to recognize and welcome our newest members in the 1st and 2nd year / transfer classes. You are the “life blood” of SDCFOA and we strive to make your training and on field experiences as positive and rewarding as possible. Across the board our Classroom instructors are among our most experienced, dedicated and knowledgeable members and they will continue to ensure our instructional program is the best anywhere.
I want to thank you all for hanging in there this past year and for what I know you will do in 2021 “for the good of the Association”. Recruit, study, mentor, represent and enjoy! You won’t regret it!
Please free feel to contact me at any time with any questions, concerns or suggestions that you have. I promise to do my very best to represent and serve each and every one of you!
Kevin Haws
President, San Diego County Officials Association
SDCFOA Supports Worthy Causes
The SDCFOA is a source to cultivate and maintain relationships within the global community by sponsoring and contributing to youth football fund, scholarship fund and other community involvement.
The Fund has provided financial assistance to players, coaches and officials that did not have sufficient health insurance coverage to protect them in their time of need. In most cases, the injury was so serious that the primary health insurance did not provide coverage for items such as crutches, wheelchairs, physical therapy rehabilitation, and transportation.
Annually, the FUND will award the “George A. Schutte Memorial Scholarship” and other “Kickoff” scholarships to deserving high school senior football players that have been nominated by his/her coach having demonstrated that the individual has attained a high degree of academic, athletic, community and leadership abilities.
Since 1998, the Fund and the San Diego County Football Officials have provided thousands of dollars in financial assistance to numerous players, coaches, and officials. The Fund awards grants based upon financial need as our funding permits. Every football season, the financial needs of the youth football community out-pace our available funding.
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SDCFOA supports the Battlefields to Ballfields mission. We had 12 officials sign up to work football last year through this remarkable organization.
The Foundation will provide scholarships to veterans who return from defending our country with an opportunity to get integrated back into their community through officiating.
Those who have been involved in officiating already have felt the joy of stepping out onto the field. With it comes a great sense of value that leaves one with a feeling of accomplishment.
In serving in the military, and in officiating, there’s the common bond of being a member of a team and creating order out of chaos. Battlefields to Ballfields will provide these veterans with an opportunity to hone their newfound officiating skills and participate in something that will give them a new sense of self-worth along with the ability to make some extra income.