Weekly Bull 7/5/23 Part 2
SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION
THE WEEKLY BULL - JULY 5, 2023
2023 New Mechanics
1. LOCKER ROOM ACCESS – At the varsity level, one crew member will be assigned the responsibility of knowing the person(s) from the home team staff who will be available to open the locker room door at halftime (if the crew chooses to not stay on the field) and, most importantly, at the end of the game. (Page 8 – before Establishing Correct Game Time)
2. Page 80 Insert after …REFEREE always has the option of declaring the “old ball” ready for play if, for some reason, the “new ball” is not provided by the offensive team, and it is seriously delaying the ready for play. This can commonly occur following an interception, or fumble, returned for a touchdown where teams are celebrating and a “new ball” is not being provided. (We might start a new paragraph after this statement as we begin to discuss the flank and the “new ball”.
3. Page 8 Coin Toss – 8) Coaches are told that the captains are needed 5-minutes before kickoff. That should be our standard, but can be adjusted to 3-minutes before kickoff if the National Anthem is before the coin toss.
4. Page 40 - 7) During the National Anthem the crew will gather shoulder-to-shoulder in a straight line facing the flag. The referee will either be in the middle of the formation or on the end. After the coin toss, all officials will meet….
5. Page 90 changes the title to add halftime: HALFTIME, POST-GAME AND CREW SELF-EVALUATION – THE USE OF GAME VIDEO
6. Page 10 – PRE-GAME WARM UPS – Flank Officials – Rewrite 1) Flank officials will go together to introduce themselves and their crewmate to each of their head coaches explaining that we work as a pair and constantly communicate with one another. Any information from the head coach can be easily shared with the opposite flank. Provide the Coach’s Card to your head coach at this time.
7. Also, Pre-game warmups – flank officials New 2) Flank Officials will have an Extra Coaches Card with an illegal equipment checklist on the back. Each flank will quickly evaluate their team’s players to determine if players are missing equipment, wearing illegal equipment, wearing adornment, or wearing legal equipment illegally. If so, the player’s number shall be noted on the card. Should most players be wearing pants in a manner that does not cover the knees, then the flank official can just note “most players” on the card. The flanks will present the completed cards to the umpire as soon as possible.
8. Also, Pre-game warmups – Umpire New 2) Alert the referee once you have received the completed Coaches Cards with noted equipment issues from both flanks. Assist the referee as the two of you present the cards to the head coaches. This is a separate meeting from the Coach’s Conference.
9. Also, Pre-game warmups – Referee New 2) Once you have received the completed Coaches Cards with noted equipment issues from the umpire, present them to each head coach with assistance from the umpire. Inform the coach that this is what we observed during the warm up period but we are just informing you now so that you are properly warned that if the players fail to correct the issues, they will be sent out of the game for one play.
10. Page 102 PLAYOFFS - An extra, alternate official will be assigned to each semi-final and championship game and will be compensated the same amount as a working crew member. The alternate official will function as a member of the crew and will attend all pregame conferences with the officiating crew. He/she will perform any additional assigned duties by the crew chief in the preparation of the crew. The alternate will dress in full uniform ready to officiate, and shall wear black jacket or association pull-over when on the sideline so as not to be confused with an official on the field. The alternate official shall wear O2O system with the crew. The alternate official will be stationed with the chain crew and keep a mental record of the down, distance and line-to-gain.
