In previous articles, we talked about focusing on what we can control and taking ownership of the next action. That naturally leads to a harder conversation: what are we willing to give up?
Officiating high school football is not a casual commitment. It may be a part-time avocation, but it is not a low-expectation role. For roughly three to four months each fall, we are entrusted with the safety of players and the integrity of competition. That responsibility demands more than showing up on Friday night.
I’ve heard officials say they don’t study or prepare much because the pay “isn’t worth the time.” One official framed it as a cost-per-hour calculation: leave the house at 5:00, pregame at 5:30, kickoff at 7:00, game ends at 9:15, home at 10:00. When you do the math, the hourly rate doesn’t look great.
Others point out that they work harder to prepare to officiate other sports where the pay is better. Soccer in the fall. Basketball in the winter. They choose to invest more time there and minimize the effort they put into football preparation.
Still others simply have hobbies, side projects, or interests they enjoy more. Football officiating gets what’s left.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if football always gets what’s left, the product will always be mediocre.
This isn’t about subordinating your job or your family. That should never happen. But it is about recognizing that from August through November, football officiating must be elevated on the priority list if we expect to do it well.
Think about the investment on the other side. Coaches spend countless hours planning, teaching, and correcting. Players practice nearly every day. Parents arrange schedules, travel, and commitments around the season. Against that backdrop, it’s unreasonable to assume officials can put in minimal effort off the field and still meet the standard we expect of ourselves.
High school officiating isn’t like officiating in the NCAA or NFL. We don’t have the luxury of weeding out underperformers. We are undermanned, and we often must put every available official on the field. That reality doesn’t lower the standard. It simply makes personal accountability more important.
If an official has chosen, year after year, to put in the bare minimum, this article probably won’t change them. That’s okay. But for many others, the issue isn’t unwillingness—it’s misalignment.
Your calendar is a confession of your priorities.
When fall football season arrives, do we just tack it onto an already busy schedule and give it minimal time and effort (just enough to get by)?
Sometimes improvement doesn’t come from adding more. It comes from shedding one thing.
One fewer fall commitment
One fewer evening lost to something that can wait
One fewer excuse that says, “This is good enough”
That reclaimed time doesn’t need to be dramatic. Thirty minutes each day may be enough to stay sharp, connected, and improving.
Maybe we choose to forgo an evening watching our favorite television show so we can study Hudl film, watch a YouTube training video, or spend time in the Rules Book or Case Book. Perhaps we put another hobby on hold for a few months because becoming a better football official requires intentional investment.
This is a challenge, not a condemnation. If you’ve chosen to wear the stripes, choose—at least for the season—to make football officiating matter. Shed one thing so you can give the game, the players, and your crew the best version of yourself.
Quiz
Read the quiz stem and then choose the best answer.
3/10 from the A-45. A10 gains five yards to midfield. Team A’s head coach immediately sends his kicking team onto the field to punt the ball. After 20 seconds, he changes his mind and orders his offense back onto the field.
- Legal
- Illegal substitution, live ball foul (wait for the snap to toss a flag)
- Illegal substitution, dead ball foul (do not allow Team A to run a play)
Review Rule 3-7-3