SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL – Sept. 25, 2024
No Meeting This Week 9/25 – Get into the Instructional Film and Review “The Roots” of officiating by Garth DeFelice. Great reminders for our weekly preparation for Week #6.
The Extra Point – We had a game ending touchdown, and the extra point was not attempted by rule 8-3-1 Exception. We checked with the CIF to see if playoff qualifying would be affected by this rule and the answer was “No”. So, we continue with the rule book which states that the try shall not be attempted if a touchdown is scored on the last down of the fourth period.
Drone Sighting at Olympian – Right after I reported the lack of drone sightings, we had one at Olympian. We stopped the game and after a few minutes, the drone flew off and the game continued without further incident.
Homecoming – By rule the home team may be extended to 20 minutes for homecoming or any other major event. The visiting team must have been notified at least 5 minutes prior to the game. Teams will also have the mandatory 3 minute warm up for a total of 23 minutes.
The Regular Season Begins - Teams are now playing conference opponents and league championships are at stake. We need to "up our game" in response to this unique part of the schedule. Teams are more familiar with each other and that can be a good thing or a bad thing. Be aware of rivalries. Sportsmanship Awards from SDCFOA and CIF – Once again the SDYFF, through your generous charitable contributions to the Youth Fund, will be providing a trophy, banner and $1,000 to one program from each of the 5-major conferences (City, Grossmont, Coastal, North County, and Metro). It’s time for nominations. Please reflect on the first 5 weeks of the season and nominate those teams that practice all of the tenets of good sportsmanship, from the players, coaches and student bodies. Thank you!
Crowds at the Goal Line – Move them back. Move the G back. Clear that area and get wide of the pylon and never give up the goal line. This is critical.
Signals and Clock Awareness – Everyone on the crew should be relaying signals. If one person signals time out, we all signal time out. I’ve seen a video where crew members were getting lazy with this and making the crew look sloppy and unprofessional. The clock operator is dependent on good signals from all officials. Let’s make this a crew goal for this week!
Scoreboard in the Corner of the Game Video – This feature in Hudl rocks! We’re loving being able to actually see the clock while we evaluate our crews. Did we officiate the game and the game clock properly? Now we can tell. Outstanding.
Our Annual Bands and PA Announcer Warning – The following is taken from the CIF Green Book: “Bands are not allowed to play during the course of the actual contest. In the sport of football, bands may play during timeouts, halftime or in between plays. Bands must stop playing when a team breaks the huddle or in the case of a no huddle offense, when the quarterback lines up in position to take a snap.” Any violation of this CIF policy can be directed to the game administration for immediate correction. Continued violations would be considered an 'unfair act' under NFHS Football Rule 9-10-1 and could result in a 15-yard penalty being assessed to the head football coach of the offending school for unsportsmanlike conduct.
National Association of Sports Public Address Announcers (NASPAA) - Code of Conduct - The following principles and expectations underscore the NASPAA’s P.A. announcing philosophy. P.A. announcers must utilize these guidelines. 1. Announcers shall understand that their role is to provide pertinent information in a timely manner and to do so professionally and not attempt to be bigger than the game or event by doing play-by-play or by providing commentary in an effort to entertain or to draw attention to himself or herself. 2. Announcers shall understand that because they have a tremendous influence on the crowd and that cheerleading or antics designed to incite the crowd for the purpose of gaining an advantage for their team is inappropriate. 3. Announcers shall promote good sportsmanship and a positive environment by what they say and how they act. 4. Announcers shall treat the opponents and their fans as guests, not the enemy. 5. Announcers shall respect the individuals who are responsible for the conduct and administration of athletic games and events, such as coaches, officials and administrators, and avoid making any comments that reflect positively or negatively on them. 6. Announcers shall respect the participants of all teams and remain neutral when introducing the starting participants, announcing substitutions and the outcome of plays or performances of the participants. 7. Announcers shall exhibit professional behavior and represent their school, organization or association with respect and dignity at all times by what they say, how they act and how they appear.
