Football is an essential piece of Americas fabric, uniting fans, players and communities with a simple yet powerful bond. Around this time, the hat style of the officials changed to the current baseball cap. During professional and most college football games, seven officials operate on the field. Officials' hats are occasionally used as markers. For years, college football referees were prohibited from announcing the number of a fouling player, except in the Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference (and in all conferences when ejecting the offending player). Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, an American flag was added to the shirts of NFL officials, but was removed in 2006. The side judge is the official positioned 20 yards deep in the defensive backfield near the same sideline as the head linesman. Privacy Policy NFL.com, 2022 Rules Changes and Points of Clarification, Summits showcase pipeline for minority coaches, GMs, Their Causes, Their Impact: Player-Led Initiatives a Multiplying Force for Good, Offensive backfield, right side of the formation, 15 yards deep and behind the normal Tight End position, Wears the white cap, known as the crew chief and leader of the officiating crew, Oversees everything related to the officials and maintains the pace of the game, Verbally and visually communicates all fouls, Counts the offensive players on the field, Determines first downs or if a measurement is necessary, Before the snap, watches for false starts by the QB and the Running Backs, Watches the Center, Right Guard, Right Tackle, monitors their actions and those of the defenders engaged with them, Watches the Right Guard, Right Tackle and monitors their actions and those of the defenders engaged with them, Turns attention solely to quarterback as the defense becomes a threat, Primarily responsible for all action around and to the QB/Passer, Rules on Roughing the Passer, Offensive Holding, Pass/Fumble and Intentional Grounding, Kickoff Lines up middle of the field between the hash mark on the receiving teams goal line, Prior to the kickoff counts the receiving team and initiates the kickoff, Punt Primary responsibility is the Punter, Field Goal/Point After Touchdown - Primary responsibility is the Kicker and Holder, On opposite sideline from line judge, looking directly down the LOS, Rules on sideline plays on nearest half of field, Watches for false starts, offside or encroachment at line, Watches blockers and defenders on nearest side of field for any penalties, Monitors sideline on plays run to nearest half of field, Determines when and if runner is out of bounds, Based on the formation they are responsible for specific receivers, If play goes into their vicinity, helps to rule on whether pass is complete or incomplete, Rules if receiver is in or out of bounds when catch is made, Rules on Offensive and Defensive Pass Interference, Defensive Holding and Illegal Contact of eligible receivers, Determines if pass is forwards or backwards on passes towards them, Makes sure passer is behind LOS when he throws ball, Kickoff Positioned on the receivers goal line on the sideline, Prior to the kickoff counts the receiving team, Punts - Observes LOS for offside and encroachment, Field Goal/Point After Touchdown Rules on false starts, offside or encroachment at line, Defensive backfield, 25 yards downfield from the LOS on the same side of the field as the down judge, Serves as the primary timekeeper if the game clock malfunctions, Watches receivers on their side of the field for illegal use of hands and blocking fouls, and for penalties on defensive back covering him, Watches sidelines to determine if runners are in or out of bounds, Signals referee when time expires at end of each quarter, Watches the blocks by receivers on their side of the field, looking for illegal blocks or holding by the receivers, If play goes to nearest side of field, helps determine if runner goes out of bounds, Focuses on the receivers to their side of the field to make sure the player is able to run his route without defensive interference, If play goes to the SJs area, helps to rule on whether a pass is complete or incomplete, Rules if receiver is in or out of bounds at time of catch, Kickoff Lines up on the receivers back restraining line and ensures the receiving team is lined up by rule, Punts Position 7-10 yards behind the receiver on the sideline, Field Goal/Point After Touchdown - Defensive backfield, lines up seven yards off the line of scrimmage over the snapper, watches for snap infractions and illegal blocks, Deep defensive backfield, 30 yards downfield. The seven NFL officials on the field have specific roles and responsibilities that make it possible to correctly and consistently call games at football's highest level. ESPN says the center judge was used for six games, while Football Zebras says it was used for five games. List of National Football League officials, NFL Back Judge 199091 Referee 1992 to 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_National_Football_League_officials&oldid=1142536522, Dave Anderson (19842002) Head Linesman; Line Judge, Ron Baynes (19872000) Side Judge 1987; Line Judge 19882000, Grover Klemmer (19551981) Head Linesman 19551966, Back Judge 19671977, Side Judge 19781981, George A Sladky, Sr (19861991) Replay Official, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 23:52. The red and orange look was recreated in 2009 during AFL Legacy Weekends to mark the 50th anniversary of the AFL's founding. Sometimes there are only three. For more information on the responsibilities of a referee, consult the law 5 of the Laws of the Game. The officials and referees play a large part during the game. A line judge is also responsible for counting offensive players. Players may accidentally bump into each other. Darin Gantt of Profootballtalk.com and Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times lamented that it was in this manner that this gender barrier was broken. Rules on pass interference or holding downfield. The back judge watches all eligible receivers on the wide receiver side of the field. Over the next 40 years, the system would change into what is more-or-less equal to what most American football leagues use today, a seven-official system. The coaches delivered it to him for his one-year anniversary with the Bucs. Signals are used to effectively communicate penalty calls in environments where it may be too loud to hear verbal communications. Side judges rule on pass interference, illegal blocks downfield, and incomplete passes, and also count defensive players. The seven officials in an NFL game include: The Referee The Umpire The Down Judge The Line Judge The Field Judge The Side Judge The Back Judge Football Referee The referee is the head official and has the final say with all rulings on the field. It is most common for high school football games to have five officials, although this number can change depending on the league and state that games are played in. The NFL adopted the gender-neutral term down judge in 1997, and the CFL followed suit in 2017. official to watch scramblers, clock", "2009 FOOTBALL MANUAL For IOA Officials, Observers, Athletic Directors, and Coaches", "National League officials to work in crews of six (five)", "Why the ACC will use an eighth official called the 'center judge' in all conference games this season", "Inside Slant: Using Microsoft tablets for replay and more preseason experiments", "NFL taking another look at adding an 8th official in preseason test", "Big 12 adds eighth official just to keep up with up-tempo offenses", "XFL Q&A: Oliver Luck on lessons learned, Colin Kaepernick and sports betting", "CFL adds eighth official to monitor hits to helmet", "NFL experimenting with 8th on-field official", "Thomas will become first female referee in top tier of college football", "Thomas on field for Little Caesars Bowl", "Female ref Conti still chases NFL dream", "NFL makes Sarah Thomas first full-time female official", "Sarah Thomas, NFL's 1st Full-Time Female Ref, Gets 2015 Season Assignment", "Meet Sarah Thomas: The Only Female Official in NFL Playoff History", "Sarah Thomas Becomes 1st Woman to Officiate NFL Playoff Game", "UFL hires first female official in pro football", "United Football League Announces Officials And Explains Rules Differences For 2010 Season", "XFL breaks new ground by having a woman on every officiating crew", "Officiating crews for the 2020 XFL season", "Former officials are at odds with the NFL, too", "NFL's replacement officials would include first female ref", "Football referee Shannon Eastin a pioneer, but also a pawn", "XFL makes history again by opening doors to LGBTQ officials", "Officiating crews for the 2019 AAF season", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Official_(gridiron_football)&oldid=1136544818, Referee, umpire, head line judge, line judge, Referee, umpire, head line judge, line judge, back judge, Arena football, high school varsity, semi-pro, Referee, umpire, head line judge, line judge, field judge, Referee, umpire, head line-judge/down judge, Referee, umpire, head line-judge, line judge, back judge, field judge, side judge, center judge, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 21:47. The head linesman rules on all out-of-bounds plays along the sideline where positioned. According to NFL rules, game balls must be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 psi, but teams can choose to supply their own footballs. You can find the Assistant Referees on either side of the touchline. This is the newest position of all the official types and their primary job is to keep everything calm and organized while the other officials watch the main bulk of the game. The average salary for NFL referees was $205,000 in 2019, up $55,000 from the previous year. The experiment was continued for 12 games in the 2011 preseason, and was then discontinued afterwards. Additionally, during the dead-ball interval between plays, each official has separate administrative duties, such as counting players, timing the play clock, monitoring (or timing) the game clock, and spotting the ball as ready for the next down. Officiating an NFL game takes years of training and experience. [32] Thomas later became the first woman to officiate a bowl game when she worked as a line judge during the 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl between Marshall and Ohio. The referee can be identified by a white cap, while the other officials wear black caps (the hat color scheme was reversed in the NFL from 1979 to 1987, and in Canadian football until 2019). Similarly, the Indianapolis game balls were measured at halftime, and were within the regulation range. If wearing knickers, high school officials wear socks with a "Northwestern stripe" pattern, which college officials used to wear; NFL officials wore socks with two white stripes bordering one black stripe. FOA alumni have joined officiating crews in major college football conferences, including the Big 12 . A Quick Guide, Basketball Referee Roles And Responsibilities, The Hardest And Easiest Sports To Officiate, referees and officials involved in a soccer game, How Many Officials Are On The Field During A Football Game? [37] In 2019, she became the first female official to officiate an NFL playoff game in an AFC divisional round between Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots. Each official has his own title and assigned responsibilities: referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge, back judge, field judge and side judge. Launched in 2013 as part of the NFL's Football Officiating Academy (FOA), WON hosts clinics at which women learn the basics of football, the fundamentals of officiating and leadership skills that are useful on and off the field. Members of the officiating crew for American football games are known as game officials.It is extremely common for football fans to refer to every official onscreen as a referee, although this is technically not accurate because only one game official on the field is considered the referee. On a punt out of bounds, referees use their vantage point behind the punter to direct the nearest sideline official to the spot where the ball went out of bounds. The umpire, having a traditional position in the middle of the field, usually stays stationary until the returner and the other players are passed. Checking and inspecting the substitutes equipment and making sure it is all correct and regulated. Flags are thrown for penalties that occur before the snap, during the play after the snap, or after the play has ended. The umpire makes sure that the offense has no more than 11 players on the field and checks the legality of player's equipment. How many officials are on a NFL team? To understand a bit more about the four officials that make up the referee team in a soccer match, we will be going over their roles and responsibilities in this section of the article: Starting off at the top, the Head Referee is in charge of overseeing and enforcing the rules of the game in play. Each official has his own title and assigned responsibilities: referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge, back judge, field judge and side judge. NFL officials make the largest paychecks and earn the highest pay per game. The United Football League, which launched play in October 2009, featured officials wearing solid red polo shirts without stripes with black numbers and black pants. The ball is placed at the opponents two-yard line after a touchdown. The following are the positions and responsibilities of each officiating positions. Rookie Road may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. They may also disagree with the other officials calls. [41][46] For the defunct 2019 Alliance of American Football, and the 2020 XFL, she works as center judge. [6] In addition, officials wore white (or red) "newsboy" style hats. Originally Answered: How many referees handle football matches? [14] Some states have revised their high school officials manuals to also use the term head line-judge.[15]. However, Kensil did not respond to requests for comment. NFL referees work 20-24 hours a week, which is equivalent to three days at a typical 9-to-5 job. Indicating extra time at the end of the halves (usually with an electronic sign that has numbers on it). In this article, we will be looking into it and answering that question! [25] Main responsibilities were to look for holding near the line of scrimmage. Terri Valenti became the first woman to officiate professional football when she began working United Football League games in 2009. All the officials minus the replay official are on the field during play. This is particularly dangerous for fast players, because the force required to bring down a quarterback can be enormous. Watches the running back during running plays. He also helps with offside, encroachment, false start, and other line of scrimmage calls. Referee's Decision Making The referee makes and calls decisions to the best of his or her ability. The first new addition to the crew was the field judge (also referred to as the back umpire) in 1951, then the next addition being the back judge in 1979, and the seventh official, the side judge being added in 1991. Prior to the snap and during the play, each official, by position, has a specific area of responsibility on the field to watch specific player positions and watch for specific fouls. The umpire (U) traditionally stands behind the defensive line and linebackers, observing the blocks by the offensive line and defenders trying to ward off those blocks, looking for holding or illegal blocks.