1. Preventive Officiating
West Coast
Officials Association
Tampa
WCOA
2016 FHSAA Football Field Clinic
Preventive Officiating

2. Preventive Officiating
Starts before you arrive at the game and continues even
after the game is over
Preventive officiating is an aspect of game management
Keeps small problems from blooming into bigger ones
Keeps disruptive flags to a minimum
Allows you to maintain a game tempo
Engages you with the players, so they know you’re there

3. Preventive Officiating
Pregame
Certain games have a history
of being a rivalry
Some games will determine
playoff eligibility
Other games have a history
of bad blood
Has the crew worked together before?
What are the expectations of each position functioning
with the crew?
What can you improve on from past games?

4. Preventive Officiating
Social Media
Players will “trash talk” on line leading up to the game
Often you are oblivious to this
After the kickoff, the secret is out

5. Preventive Officiating
Coach’s Conference
Several of the questions you ask are at the heart
of preventive officiating:
“Are your passers and kickers right-handed and
right-footed?”
“Are there any unusual plays you are going to run?”
“Who are your captains?”
“If you win the coin toss, what would you like to do?”
“Do you have a ball boy?”
“Do you have a chain crew?”
“Do you have any questions for us?”

6. Preventive Officiating
One of the most common preventive officiating interventions
occurs before the kick off, at the coin toss
“I want to kick”
What the player actually wants to say is “I defer”

7. Preventive Officiating
“I like the way these guys are handling
things, letting the players play the game and talking to the players rather than turning this
into a flag fest.”
- Rishi Barran
Bright House Sports Network

8. Preventive Officiating
Philosophy
What kind of official do you want to be?
Spirit of the rule vs. Absolute letter of the rule
Let the players play vs. Put on an officiating clinic
Fade into the background vs. Front and center
Preventive officiating will help you be the former and
not the later

9. Preventive Officiating
Talk to the players and coaches during the game
Make yourself useful
Warn and correct bad behavior / close fouls
Praise and reinforce good behavior and play
Communicate information
You’re on the line or you’re in the backfield
Let’s go offense, we are ready for play
Your opponent called time out
They are talking a knee

10. Preventive Officiating

11. Preventive Officiating
For warning of fouls or bad behavior, choose your
words carefully
“Number 50, you can’t hold like that”
vs. “Number 50, watch you hands”
“Number 24, you’re lining up in the neutral zone”
vs. “Number 24, watch where you are lining up”
Discrete comments personally to players
are far better than yelling stuff
across the field

12. Preventive Officiating
Preventive actions will also improve your officiating
by making your games run smoother
After all, the chief responsibility of a football official is
to administer the game – not throw a ton of flags
Spot the ball
Keep the down
Operate the chains
Start and stop the clock
Throwing flags does not make you an official, but
administering the game does

13. Preventive Officiating
Watching your game film helps you polish your craft
Can you see things you can do better or differently?
If you had skirmishes, was there evidence
of it brewing in the previous plays?
Are there flags you wish you had back? What
might you have done differently / better?
We strive for consistency, but where do you stack up
as compared to your peers?
Penalty stats
Evaluations

14. Preventive Officiating
Penalty Stats
Back Judge is given a job during penalty enforcement,
record the information
The clock operator keeps the sheet

15. Preventive Officiating
Penalty Stats

16. Preventive Officiating
Penalty Stats

17. Preventive Officiating
Evaluations

18. Preventive Officiating
Nay Sayers
Preventive officiating is coaching
Preventive officiating does NOT:
Tell teams what plays to run
Tell players not to go for it on 4th down from their
own 20 yard line
Help players catch the ball
Etc.

19. Preventive Officiating
Preventive officiating CAN:
Help you administer the game more effectively
Keep a game tempo
Reduce the number of flags you throw
Prevent small problems from escalating
Improve your worth as an official

20. Preventive Officiating
“An ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure.”
Benjamin Franklin