Penalty Codes & Documenting Fouls
It is recommended that all certified officials note each foul that they call during a game. In most cases, the recording of the foul information cannot be completed during the dead-ball period when the crew is enforcing the foul and communicating with the sidelines. Instead, the calling official should use the next dead ball period to record their foul information. An even better method is to have a volunteer available to record all of the crew’s fouls. Either way, it is highly recommended that the crew completes a Foul Report for each varsity game. A Foul Penalty Tracker Form is available on the SDCFOA.org website.
The recording of fouls greatly enhances the halftime and post-game discussions and improves the video review by the crew if the game film is available. Foul notes can be taken quickly but should not interfere with your focus on the game or dead-ball officiating. Sometimes a BACK JUDGE will use a recording device to record all fouls for the crew. Other times the BACK JUDGE keeps fouls for himself, the umpire and the referee. Each official, and each crew, should develop their own technique for quickly noting their fouls.
Foul Codes have been developed to speed up the note-taking and improve consistency between officials.
