• Sunday nights at UAH’s Morton Hall in Huntsville.
• First meeting is usually the first Sunday that follows July 4th weekend
• Meeting time is 7:00 p.m. and usually last an hour. 
• New officials will start at 6:00 p.m. for specialized rookie training starting week 2.
• See parking and meeting location below.
• 

• Rules – Alabama is a member of the National Federation and uses National Federation rules
  • First 4 weeks of training consists of reviewing the rule book in preparation for the state test.  Everyone must take the state test, rookies and veterans.  The registration test is an open book test and is taken online.
• Mechanics – Positioning and responsibility before, during, and after each play.
  • After the test, new officials will concentrate on the mechanics of being a football official. 
• District Camp (optional)
  • Held  at Arab High School.
  • Usually the first or second week in August
  • Classroom lectures and some on-field mechanics.
  • Fee of $40 includes lunch and usually another official related gift.  

Yes – we have many pre-season scrimmages that you can attend as a new official that will allow you to practice what you have learned in the classroom setting.  There will be veteran officials there to watch you and help you with any questions you may have.

Playoffs are assigned by the state via our District Director.  We will send crews or partial crews to assigned games and we will locally cover the clock, play clock and chain crews for our local teams.

The uniform consists of the following:

• Striped shirt (AHSAA Approved shirt)
• Black football officials pants
• Black Socks
• Shoes (mostly black)
• Whistle
• Flags
• Beanbag
• Information card
• Down indicator (used to keep track of the down in a series)
• Sports watch

Basic uniforms and other items will cost approximately $200.00.  A uniform can be purchased at several online/catalog companies that specialize in officials equipment. Usually current officials will have items for sale and will bring them to the meetings before the season starts.  These are mostly uniforms that shrunk while hanging in the closet during the off season.  They will normally give you a very good price on these items because we all know what it is like to be starting out.  Official uniform description for all sports can be found here AHSAA Uniforms

• Association Fees
  • $36.00 goes to the association for expenses used to operate our group
• State Fees
  • $60.00 goes to the Alabama High School Athletic Association for your rule books, mechanics manuals, casebook (list of plays and their correct rulings), and your insurance.

We currently have 19 schools under contract.

These include Middle School, Freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity teams.

The season starts at the end of August and goes for 11 weeks.

Post season starts the next week and last for 5 weeks.

• Assignments are assigned via an online system and gone over each Sunday night after the training session
• Assignments will cover that week, Monday through Saturday
• Normally there are no games on Wednesday or Sunday
• On average, each official works two nights a week.  The number of games you work depends on your availability.
• Monday and Tuesday are our two busiest days.
• We are flexible in scheduling your assignments
• Officials are required to meet at a predetermined location between 4:00 and 5:00.  The location and time depends on the location of the game.  If it is an out of town game, usually the crew of officials will travel together

• We pay our officials each week for the games you just worked.  These fees are set by the AHSAA.
• Varsity (5 person crew) = $120.00 per Official per contest. 
• Varsity (7 person crew) = $110 per Official per contest. 
• Sub Varsity 10 min Qtrs. $75.00
• Sub Varsity 8 min Qtrs. $65.00
• Chain Crew = $40 per person (If an Official) 
• Electric Clock Operator Fees:
  • Varsity = (Game and Play Clock) Operator $65 per Official
  • Sub Varsity = $45 per Official 

As a new official with no experience, you can expect to start at the middle school level.  Based on your performance, you can progress to the freshman and JV levels.  We have had new officials work varsity games their first year, it is rare but it is based on your performance and our schedules.

No.  If you come to us with no football experience, that gives us a blank slate to work with.  You have no bad habits of other officials or you won’t have to learn new mechanics if you come from another state.

Of course, having played football will help you understand the game, it is not necessary.  We have officials that have never played before work the AHSAA Super 7 Finals!