SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL - July 15, 2026
1stYear and 2ndYear and Transfer Classes – 1st year, 2nd year and transfers will meet in their classrooms just as they did last Wednesday. Your classrooms are Room 708 for 1st year, and Room 707 for 2nd year and transfers. Park in the back of the school near those classrooms. Do not park in the large front parking lot. Instructional kits will be available back there as well as uniform and equipment for sale when Bob Hood begins his on-site sales (August5th?) All Certified Classes – There are no classroom meetings this week for classified members at Mira Mesa. Study your rules, mechanics, and get registered with CIF registration! Take the Tackle Football and Flag Football Tests! Zoom Clinic on Flag Football – In this year’s survey, members requested more instruction on flag football. Agreeing with that request, Katie Ott and I will host a 1-hour Zoom Clinic on Flag Football. We will be reviewing the rules, covering the new rules, and discussing the new mechanics. This PowerPoint production will be extremely helpful and there is room for up to 300 members to attend so hop on and ask questions! Katie Ott and the SDCFOA Flag Football Zoom Clinic July 15, 2026 7:00 PM Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85492134039?pwd=CWgmOc3yraZaZMmN80zNEyaipnY35z.1 Meeting chat link https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/85492134039 Meeting ID: 854 9213 4039 Passcode: 098841 One tap mobile +16699009128 Taking the NFHS Flag Football Rules Test - Go onto your Arbiter Account. In Arbiter, click on ELIGIBILITY. Then , if you've Registered for Flag Football, look for the VIEW DETAILS button and click on it. You will see two Flag tests. You will do the test for the NFHS. Do not do the CFOA test. Almost Everyone is Registered and Cleared to be Assigned – Great job SDCFOA. Tom Ables will get word out to those who still need to register but the number is very small. Thank you. Insurance - Officials in the SDCFOA must carry some level of insurance. Registration with the CIF in Arbiter automatically enrolls you in a policy that will meet this requirement, covering all assignments made by SDCFOA in Arbiter. However, as an official, you may want to explore other additional options such as NASO, NFHS, or RQ for insurance needs, especially if working at other levels that may not be covered by this CIF policy, or if you desire higher levels of coverage. Each policy/organization offers different options of insurance coverage. Problems With the Answer Key to the Summer Study Exam- It looks like question 2 is missing which made the answers off by one until question 8 which carried into number 9. Starting with question 10, they are back in line. For example, Question 2 corresponds to Answer 3, Question 3 to Answer 4, and so on until the alignment corrects itself at Question 10 because Questions 8 and 9 appear to be combined into one question. Questions 10 and beyond are all correct. Question 2 is supposed to say, "Ball colored exterior arm covers and undershirts are legal equipment." My apologies! Final Foul Data – Our final average fouls per game rose last year. Several crews were quite elevated in their count. We have a plan for those few to make adjustments and we should see our foul count return to the less than 14 fouls per game. We all have games where the count is high, but we’re talking about an average over the whole season. The data is what it is. 2023 = 13.96 fouls per game 2024 = 12.95 fouls per game 2025 = 14.96 fouls per game Recruitment – We are over 30 new officials but need to continue to recruit friends, family, fellow workers, and former athletes. Remember, our best new officials tend to come from the recruitment efforts of our members. Meeting Attendance, Clinics, and Tests – You must attend 9 meetings and pass the mechanics and rules tests with scores of 70%. First year officials do not take any tests, but your attendance is closely monitored. All officials will get credit for the banquet, so count that as one of your meetings! You will also get credit for attending your Position Zoom Clinic. That leaves attending at least 6 regular meetings. If you attend more than one Clinic and come up one meeting short, I will credit you with the extra Clinic and your attendance will meet the standard. If you missed your clinic, it will be available on the website under Instructional Videos, and you will get class meeting credit if you watch it online. Pre-snap and Dead Ball Routines – Our pre-snap and dead ball routine must be as complex and thorough as the coaches’ and players’ play-calling and pre-snap adjustments. Every play has three separate phases: Pre-Snap Live Ball Dead Ball (dead ball culminates with the movement of your down indicator on your hand – once you move that, you now begin your pre-snap routine!) Base your routine on the SDCFOA Pre-Snap Routine which is in the mechanics manual page 134. Each position’s pre-snap, live ball and dead ball routines are listed by position. The live ball portion is listed in the general mechanics for 4-man or 5-man. The list provided is just that, a list. Re-order according to your own style and crew. Write it out…Memorize it…use it every play! Remember, it changes slightly for kicks, short yardage, red zone, goal line, etc. When in Question - Do No Harm! - There are four and only four reasons to throw a flag: Safety Sportsmanship Administration (LOS fouls, procedure, delay of game, etc.) Effect on the play (at point of attack with definite, material restriction and advantage gained) Accuracy in judgement comes from strong, consistent mechanics, mastery of the rules, and a deep understanding and appreciation for the SDCFOA Philosophies (Officiating Standards) located in our mechanics manual page 157. “Accuracy and consistency come from a strong foundation. It is the bedrock of our association!” - George Schutte Illegal Equipment (VARSITY Games)– Please be consistent as an Association. Follow the procedure prior to each and every varsity game. Fill out your equipment card and present it to your umpire. Referee and Umpire will present the card to the head coach. This serves as the warning. Then, first series for each team, including kick off, send out any player not properly equipped. After that, any equipment issue will be a surprise to you, and you can send them out. Coach’s Cards -Coach’s Cards can be filled out and downloaded at www.sdcfoa.org under Educational Resources and Football Mechanics. They are also in RefMasters app. These cards are to be presented to the head coach at the Pregame Meeting or at the sideline meeting between the flank officials and their head coaches at EVERY high school VARSITY game. Do you have any conflicts of interest? Here are some possible conflicts of interest which may cause you to block yourself from working a particular school: Your alma mater – Don’t work games at your high school if you’ve graduated within the last five years. If you still have ties to the school, were a noted athlete, or still good friends with members of the coaching staff, 10 years or longer would apply. Family connections – Don’t work games at a school if you have a family connection. Business ties – If you are employed by a school, don’t officiate that school. Also be careful of bosses whose kids play for a particular school. Blocks in Arbiter– Scrimmages and Week #1 assignments are out! Don’t forget to block the dates you cannot work. If a game comes up on a Thursday and you’re not blocked, Tom will assign assuming you are available. A phone call or email saying you’re not available doesn’t do well for you the next time a game comes up and it’s your turn. Conversely, if you block a Saturday and a big game comes up, you will not show up as available for that “big assignment”. So, keep your blocks honest and up to date! AND DON’T FORGET TO ACCEPT YOUR ASSIGNMENTS IMMEDIATELY! Referee and Umpire Pregame Conference -Confer with coaches and check game balls. Be businesslike and cordial but not overly friendly with the coaches. During the Pre-Game meeting with the coaches, the REFEREE shall confirm (but not be limited to) the following information starting with the HOME TEAM and in no particular order: Introductions (hat off) – My name is (your name) and I’ll be your referee tonight. (Coach’s Card) Everyone legally equipped? Any unusual plays or formations? Will you be going in before kickoff? Where will you go at halftime? As you know we will expect good sportsmanship tonight. Let’s agree on how we’re going to communicate tonight…. Who is your “Get Back Coach”? In order to hear and see a signal from the sideline for a Time Out, you may enter the field so as to alert any/all officials to stop the clock. Can we see your game ball, please? My watch/the game clock has the correct time; we will come for the captains in 15minutes. Good luck, coach
