Video Assistant Referees (VARs) and Assistant VARs. Similarly, the Indianapolis game balls were measured at halftime, and were within the regulation range. They rule on pass interference, illegal blocks downfield, and incomplete passes, and are also responsible for counting defensive players. Here's a look at how the Rams and 49ers have fared over the past five years when Cheffers has served as the ref in one of their games (stats via Pro Football Reference). This is particularly dangerous for fast players, because the force required to bring down a quarterback can be enormous. The side judge (S or SJ) works downfield behind the defensive secondary on the same sideline as the head linesman or down judge. In 2007, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate a major college football game, working a game between Memphis and Jacksonville State. In a recent instance, a linebacker from USD demanded a game ball after his team beat Presbyterian 69-28. Linemen make about $75,000 a year, and can move up as their skills improve. [8] Although all officials on the crew may be responsible for any decision involving the application or interpretation of the rules, the referee has the final decision. It is important to note that the pressure on game balls should be between 12.5 and 13.5 psi, or 12.5 to 135.0 psi. James Alder is an expert on the game of American football, blogs for The New York Times, and appears on radio shows. How many more months til' Football" A back-up ball will be used if necessary. [35] She entered as a line judge, and moved to the down judge (head linesman) role in her third season. 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. They must contain at least 12.5 pounds of air and cant exceed 13.5 PSI. Rules on pass interference of holding downfield in the area between the side and field judges. [7] In the 2010 season, college officials and, in many states, high school officials, were given the option of wearing the black cold-weather pants. The center judge (C) is positioned beside the referee in the offensive backfield adjacent to the referee, positioned equivalent to the umpire. [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. [11] In March 2010, the NFL announced that this repositioning would be permanent, after five major injuries were suffered by umpires in 2009 (two concussions and three knee or shoulder injuries requiring surgery). They also met with the crews captain and coordinator to discuss how they would react in different scenarios. Determining if a goalkeeper moved off the goal line before the taking of a penalty kick. 1. A referee signal is a way that the officials communicate with teams and fans during a game. [46] She is also the first openly bisexual official to work in a major professional football league and in college football. The referee determines any fouls for roughing the passer and, if the quarterback loses the ball, determines whether the ball was fumbled or if an incomplete pass had been thrown. The officials and referees play a large part during the game. In college football, the side judge is responsible for either the game clock or the play clock, which are operated by an assistant that the side judge directs. They can initiate replay reviews on in certain circumstances. Game officials are typically accurate on 98.9% of calls. They have also notified the game officials of their plans. In addition to game balls, coaches often deliver scout-team game balls to players during a game. The referee will place this marking on the side of the ball, on the corner of the non-insignia panels. No woman had ever officiated at the professional level before. Around this time, the hat style of the officials changed to the current baseball cap. They also make the most dangerous officiating positions in the league, with five major injuries occurring during the 2009 preseason. It is also used by the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The field judge is responsible for keeping track of the play clock and calling a delay of game if the clock expires. [5] The officials are colloquially called "zebras" due to their black-and-white striped shirts. The NFL does not own the footballs; each team provides at least a dozen balls for every game. During punts and field goals, the referee observes the kicker (and holder) and any contact made by defenders approaching them. 29 Likes, 0 Comments - Liberty Hill Football Boosters (@lhpantherfootball) on Instagram: "It's OFFICIAL! For the NFL, this was the fourth official, added in 1929. The referee, two linesmen (aka Assistant Referees) responsible for offsides and out of bounds calls, and the fourth official responsible for substitutions, the time added on, and getting yelled at by managers. In every NFL game, there are seven officials on the field.Each official has different roles and responsibilities. For the NFL, this was the fifth official, added in 1947. Because the referee is responsible for the general supervision of the game, the position is sometimes referred to as head referee or crew chief.[1][2][3]. Prior to the snap, he counts all offensive players. A yellow flag may be thrown onto the field by an official to signal a penalty. Officials' hats are occasionally used as markers. The NFL recently changed the way game balls are handled during games. The following are the positions and responsibilities of each officiating positions. Players may not make illegal contact with the passer while the ball is in flight. [12] From 2010 to 2015, the umpire returned to the defensive side of the line of scrimmage during the last five minutes of the second half. 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. With each official focusing on their role, the game runs smoothly and without too much hassle. For the NFL, this was the sixth official, added in 1965. In addition to his salary, NFL officials also get additional payments for every game they referee. Stripes on officials' shirts in high school are one inch wide and in college are two inches wide. They also need to know the strategic tendencies of both teams, as well as the habits of star players. In 2014, several high school associations started mandating the wearing of the black slacks for varsity level games. The head linesman and line judge move toward the goal line at the snap of the ball. This has led to referees being referred to as "white hats". When it comes to the game itself, there are many different roles that need filling outside of the actual soccer team. When judging a play, an effective officiating crew takes into account the formation, team, and situation in which the play occurred. How To Referee Basketball: Guide To Being A Good Officiating. Finally, in 1988, the NFL switched to the high-school and college football convention: the referee wears a white hat (with the NFL logo since Super Bowl XXXIX), and the other officials wear black hats with white stripes. The NFL has drafted new rules for roughing the passer. 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 down judge (DJ) in the NFL, CFL, and the 2022 version of the USFL; head line-judge (H or HL) in college and some states for high school football; or head linesman (H or HL) stands at one end of the line of scrimmage (usually the side opposite the press box, always with the chain crew), looking for possible offsides, encroachment and other fouls before the snap. The alternate judge stands in the offensive backfield opposite the head referee, in the same position as an NFL umpire, while keeping the Big 12 umpire in his traditional position behind the defensive line. [21] In 2017, the NFL renamed the head linesman to down judge. While the average salary for NFL referees is around $12,000 per game, many NFL referees earn much more than that. 2. Some players are obsessed with them; others are indifferent to them. In Major League Soccer (MLS), three officials make up the crew members who will oversee the match: a referee and two assistants. [41][42], In 2012, Shannon Eastin became the first female official of an NFL game. As the play develops, line judges are responsible for the action near their sideline, including whether a player is out of bounds. Watches the quarterback for passes beyond the line of scrimmage. [31], For the 2015 and 2019 NFL preseasons, for 8 and 2 games respectively, the NFL experimented with the umpire (U2),[25] positioned in the offensive backfield. What does a referee do? For several decades, all NFL officials wore white hats. In gridiron football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. Arena football, high school football, and other levels of football have other officiating systems, which use less than the standard seven officials. Inflation was a major problem in the AFC Championship Game, and the NFL has introduced added security during Super Bowl XLIX to ensure that the ball remains in good condition. The side judge makes sure the defensive team has no more than 11 players on the field and watches all eligible receivers from that side of the field. In addition, tight end C.J. Brent Grimes, for example, left his game-used ball on the field after an end-zone interception. In addition, NBA rookie Tyler York (right) scored seven points, had one rebound and a block in his 15-minute NBA debut against the Sixers. Learn more about NFL football referees below! U Sports and other leagues in Canada do not utilize the replay-review process. Diagram showing the relative positions of the traditional seven-official system (in white) in relation to the typical offensive (in blue) and defensive (in red) formations. The opponents two-yard line is the first stop in a football game. A referee team usually consists of two Assistant Referees. The position of a side judge in an NFL football game is critical to the integrity of the game. The official also reviews all scoring plays during the game. He is the top dog on the pitch and any choice or decision he makes directly affects if the team wins or loses. You can find the Assistant Referees on either side of the touchline. Once the score is over, a team has four consecutive downs to advance to the next down. The latest report suggests that 10 of the balls were below the regulation range, while the 11th football may have been two pounds under that limit. The middle judge is placed in the center of the field, adjacent to the back judge (BJ). The field judge is the official that lines up 25 yards deep in the defensive backfield on the tight end side of the field. In high school the line judge is the official timekeeper of the game. The side judge is the official positioned 20 yards deep in the defensive backfield near the same sideline as the head linesman. (1966 inductee Hugh L. Ray was inducted for his 14-season tenure as the league's head of officiating, an off-field position.) Meanwhile, the NCAA Football Rules Committee has given all Football Bowl Subdivision conferences the option of implementing the new system. The NFL Referees Association serves as the union that represents officials in the NFL. The footballs are also subject to doctoring and alteration by teams to make them feel better. There are now 2,146 women refereeing across all levels of the sport. The red and orange look was recreated in 2009 during AFL Legacy Weekends to mark the 50th anniversary of the AFL's founding. The CFL used an eighth official (with no official position name) only during the 2018 playoffs, but that official's only responsibility was watching for head contact with the quarterback. There are also other referees and officials involved in a soccer game, but exactly how many officially are there per game? Now, the Big 12 and SEC are planning to try eight-person crews for 2014. 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. Each NFL game averages around 154 plays. The back judge rules on the legality of catches and pass interference penalties andhas the final say regarding the legality of kicks during kickoffs. Any of the seven referees can throw flags onto the field. [17], The position is called the back umpire in Canadian amateur football; all other leagues use the term field judge. On offense, a back judge might line up on the strong side of the offensive formation, and a side judge may be on the weak side of an offensive formation.