SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION – THE WEEKLY BULL – July 20, 2026
Conference Meetings – Tom Ables, Katie Ott and I are scheduled to attend the North County, City Schools, Metro and Grossmont Conference Preseason Coaches Meetings. The Coastal Conference is currently scheduling their Flag Coaches Meeting. These conversations are very helpful to both coaches and officials. Here is the contact information for Tom Ables and Steve Coover: Assignor: Tom Ables assignsdcfoa@gmail.com H - (858) 272-9179 Cell – (619) 997-7684 Rules: Steve Coover cooversteve@gmail.com (Cell) – (619) 921-3006
SDCFOA Flag Football Instructional Zoom Clinic – Katie and I presented a one-hour instructional clinic for all of the SDCFOAS officials last Wednesday evening. Over 90 officials were engaged in the Zoom Clinic. You can view the clinic on our website at: www.sdcfoa.org. Under Video Library and Flag Football titled Flag Football Basics 2026. Or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZhp6YY2-2k.
The QB May NOT Receive a Hand-to-Hand Snap - The snap must be a backward pass, even if it travels a very short distance in the air. I gave the wrong interpretation during the Zoom Clinic and need to correct myself here. I apologize! Tackle football rule book states it can be a "a legal act of handing or passing the ball backwards." Flag Football rule book states it can be "a legal act of passing the ball backwards." No handing. No hand-to-hand snap, even if the QB’s back foot is 2-yards back.
Please Check Your Schedules in Arbiter – All Levels – Do this every week to make sure your officials have been assigned properly!
Length of Games – We expect some increase in game time due to teams now having three (3) timeouts per half. Coaches and ADs need to monitor the average length of games so that a JV and Varsity doubleheader work smoothly together without having to adjust start times for the second game.
Other Game Clock Stoppages – Remember, an official’s time-out occurs: Following a scoring play, Following a change of team possession, To administer a penalty, 2-Minute warning before halftime or the end of the game Incomplete pass (final 2 minutes of each half) Ball runner goes out of bounds (final 2 minutes of each half) Offense is awarded a 1st down; clock will start on the ready for play (final 2 minutes of each half)
No More Uniform Waivers – The jersey must be tucked in, The bottoms must have no pockets, zippers or belt loops, The flags must be a contrasting color from the shorts (flag-colored stripes on the bottoms will most likely be declared illegal), The flags must be worn at the waist, not the hips (to prevent slippage), A potential flag guarding penalty if flags shift after possession causing material impact on defender’s ability to pull the flag.
