How to Become a High School Football Official

By 4Football Staff · October 15, 2026 · 10 min read

The path from "I could do that better" to wearing the stripes: state registration, rules exams, training, local associations, first games, pay and what to expect on the field.

Every Friday night, a few thousand people in a stadium argue with a call. A few of them, on the drive home, wonder what it would take to make the call themselves. The answer is more accessible than most fans assume. High school football officials are not full-time professionals. They are teachers, electricians, retired coaches, college students, nurses and small-business owners who decided to learn the rules and put on the uniform.

Many communities struggle to find enough officials to staff all of their games, so a person who is willing to learn is often welcomed. But becoming a good official takes more than signing up. You have to pass a rules test, learn positioning and mechanics, handle criticism and keep your composure while 10,000 people watch.

This guide describes how people typically become high school football officials in the United States, what the process involves, what the job demands and how to get started. The specific steps vary by state, because each state's high school association runs its own program. Where a detail differs, we say so and tell you where to confirm it.

Who runs high school officiating

High school football in the United States is organized state by state, as explained in our article on how high school football is organized by state associations. Officials follow the same structure.

The state high school association sets the registration process, fees, rules-test requirements, training requirements and sometimes the minimum age. In most states, only registered officials can work varsity games.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) publishes the football rulebook that most states use. A few states adapt it with their own modifications.
Local officials associations (sometimes called chapters, boards or clubs) are groups of officials in a region. They train new members, hold meetings, and often handle game assignments or work with an assigner.
Assigners are the people, or in some regions the software systems, that decide which crew works which game. An assigner usually works with schools, conferences or the association.

The practical point is that the sensible first step is to find your state's high school association and your nearest local association. Both will have information on how to join.

Basic requirements

Requirements vary, but most states look for the following:

Minimum age. Many states set a minimum age of 18 for varsity-level officials. Some allow younger students to officiate subvarsity or youth games as part of a training program. Check your state's rule.
Registration with the state association. This is usually an annual process with a fee. In some states, registration includes liability insurance.
Passing a rules exam. Most states require officials to pass an open-book or closed-book test on the NFHS football rules each year. The pass mark and format vary.
Meeting attendance or training. Some states require attending a number of rules meetings or clinics. Others require completing online modules.
Background check. Because officials work with minors, many states require a background check before registration or at renewal.
Safety training. Some states require courses in topics such as concussion awareness, sudden cardiac arrest or heat illness, because officials may need to recognize problems and stop play.

Officials do not usually need a college degree or prior playing experience. People who have played or coached have an advantage in understanding the game's flow, but plenty of excellent officials never played.

Step by step: how to get started

The following steps describe a typical path. Your state may reorder or add to them.

Learn what the job is. Watch a game with an official's eyes. Ignore the ball and watch where the officials stand, how they signal and how they communicate. Many local associations welcome observers.
Contact your state association. Look for the "officials" page on the state association's website. It usually lists registration steps, deadlines and contact information for local groups.
Join a local association. Most new officials do this. The group will usually run a new-official class, often in the late spring or summer, because football officials need time to learn before the season starts.
Register and pay fees. This includes state registration and sometimes local dues. The fees typically cover rule books, insurance and meetings.
Study the NFHS rulebook and case book. The rulebook contains the rules; the case book provides situations and rulings that show how they apply. A new official should study both.
Pass the rules exam. Most states want it completed before the season starts.
Attend training and scrimmages. New officials often work scrimmages and subvarsity games first.
Get equipment. You need a uniform and gear, covered below.
Work games, get feedback, repeat. Mentors and evaluators watch games and provide notes. Improvement comes from repetition and feedback.

What new officials learn in training

A typical new-official class covers more than the rulebook.

Rules

Officials need to know the rules of the level they work. High school rules differ from college and the NFL in important ways, such as the timing of the game clock, the rules about the ball and the penalties for particular fouls. Our article on how high school football rules differ describes some of those differences. Officials also have to know rules about player equipment, substitutions and rules for specific situations, such as overtime in the state's format.

Mechanics

Mechanics are the standardized procedures for positioning, signals and communication. Each position on the crew has a specific area to watch and a specific set of responsibilities. The referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge and back judge are the traditional positions on a five-person crew. Larger crews add a side judge and a center judge. Our article on the seven on-field officials explains what each one watches.

Crew size varies by level and state. Many varsity games use a five-person crew, and some states use four officials for lower levels or for budget reasons, while others use six or seven for larger events. Your local association will tell you the standard.

Signals

Officials use hand signals to communicate penalties and game situations to each other, the press box, coaches and fans. The signals are standardized, and new officials practice them until they become automatic.

Game management

Game management covers how an official talks to coaches and players, how he deals with complaints and how he handles tense moments. Good officials stay calm, explain calls briefly and avoid arguments. Many associations emphasize this as strongly as rules knowledge.

Fitness and safety

Officials run, backpedal and cover large distances. Fitness matters, particularly for the positions that run with the play. New officials are also trained to watch for signs of injury, heat illness and unsafe play, and to follow the protocols for stopping the game.

Equipment and uniform

High school football officials in most states wear the familiar black-and-white vertical striped shirt, black pants, a black cap (white for the referee in many crews) and black shoes, though specifics differ and a few states have their own variations. Equipment typically includes:

A whistle and lanyard
Penalty flags, often more than one
A bean bag to mark a spot
A down indicator or other tool, depending on the position
A watch or timing device, depending on your assignment
A game card for notes
Shoes appropriate to the field surface

Costs are usually modest compared to many other hobbies, but a full uniform and equipment set is an investment. Local associations often have starter packages or used gear. Because rules for patches, colors and logos differ, buy only after your association tells you what is required.

Where new officials start

The first assignments are rarely the Friday night games that fans see on television. A new official typically begins with:

Scrimmages. Preseason scrimmages are a good chance to practice with experienced officials.
Freshman and junior varsity games. These are sometimes called subvarsity games. They usually carry less pressure, and some crews pair new and experienced officials.
Middle school and youth games. Some leagues run their own officiating programs.

Over time, an official moves up as he or she gains experience. Assignments to varsity games depend on a combination of ratings, evaluations, availability and the policies of the assigner and the association. Some officials work for a few years and move up quickly; others stay at subvarsity for longer. There is no single timeline.

Working with a crew

Football officiating is a team activity. A crew meets before the game, discusses the plan and checks each other's work. A new official is expected to ask questions, take feedback and learn the crew's habits. Pregame conversations cover game-specific issues, such as how the home team's staff runs the sideline, which teams run particular formations, and who will handle timing and scoreboard questions.

What officials are paid

Game fees are set by local associations, conferences or state associations, and they vary widely by region, level and the number of officials in the crew. In general, officials receive a fee per game, and sometimes travel reimbursement. Subvarsity games usually pay less than varsity games. Because the amounts vary so much, we do not list numbers; your local association will tell you the current schedule.

A few important notes:

Officials are often treated as independent contractors for tax purposes, not employees. This affects how income is reported and what expenses may be deductible. A tax professional can give advice about your situation.
Fees do not include the cost of uniforms, travel, dues and training, which can reduce the net amount.
Officiating is typically a part-time activity, and most people do it for love of the game, a sense of service and the camaraderie of a crew, not primarily for income.

Handling criticism

Every official hears criticism, from fans, from coaches and sometimes from players. Learning to take it is part of the job, and associations spend time on it for good reason.

Practical habits that experienced officials recommend:

Stay neutral. An official who tries to be liked is not neutral. Focus on applying the rules.
Let coaches ask, and answer briefly. A coach can ask a question about a call, and the official can respond with the rule or the reason without debating.
Do not take it personally. Comments from the stands are about the call, not about you.
Review the game afterward. Use video, if available, or talk to your crew about calls you missed. That is how officials improve.
Know when to ask for help. If a situation involves a fight, a threat or a safety concern, follow your association's protocol and involve the game administrator, who is usually the home school's athletic director. Our article on what the athletic director does on a Friday night describes that role.

Many states have rules and laws about sportsmanship and the treatment of officials, and some have programs to protect them. Ask your association about what support exists.

The commitment

A football officiating season typically includes:

Preseason training and the rules exam
Several weeks of practice, scrimmages and clinics
A regular season of weekly games, often on Friday nights and sometimes on other days
Postseason assignments for officials with strong evaluations
Offseason study, meetings and, in some cases, a second sport such as basketball or baseball

A Friday night game can take up most of an evening once you add travel, pregame meetings, the game itself and postgame discussion. Officials who also work during the week should think about how the schedule fits their jobs and families.

Advancing

Some officials want to move beyond high school. Opportunities exist at the collegiate level, though they involve additional training, camps and evaluations. College conferences have their own processes for recruiting and developing officials. The path is competitive, and many officials remain at the high school level for their entire careers, which is a respectable and valuable role. Do not make advancement your main reason for starting. Start because you want to work games and contribute to the sport, and let the rest develop.

Who makes a good official

The following traits matter at least as much as athletic ability:

A willingness to study rules every year, because rules change
Calm under pressure
Clear, short communication
Honesty about mistakes
Consistency
Reliability, because crews depend on every member showing up

If you recognize these traits in yourself, you likely have what you need.

The short version

High school officials are registered through their state high school association, which sets fees, exams, training and age rules, so start there.
Most states use the NFHS rulebook, and new officials study the rules and the case book and pass a rules exam.
Join a local officials association for training, mentoring and assignments.
Expect to start with scrimmages and subvarsity games before working varsity.
Uniforms and equipment cost money, and pay per game varies by region, so ask the local association.
Fitness, composure and consistent communication matter as much as rules knowledge.
Check the high school directory to find schools and conferences near you, use the schedule to see when local games are played and the scores page to follow results.

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