Prospective Football Officials
FAQ
Thank you for your interest in joining the South Plains Football Chapter of the Texas Association of Sports Officials.
On this page, we will attempt to answer the most frequently asked questions of prospective officials and provide basic information.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us via email at spctaso@gmail.com
How do I become a football official?
New officials local association dues are waived for their first year in the South Plains Chapter, this is to help defer some costs and limit
the barriers to entry into our avocation. However, you will need to complete our New Member application form which can be found here. You can complete that and either email it to spctaso@gmail.com or bring it to the next chapter meeting.
You will need to pay your state dues as a new member of TASO, this can be completed at the TASO website.
What will my expenses be? How much will I make? When are the games?
After paying your state dues, you will have to purchase a uniform and equipment. This cost will be approximately 150$.
Your earnings will depend on the type and number of games that you work. Most sub-varsity games pay about 40$ each and many schools have at least 2 sub-varsity games. Varsity games pay between 60$ and 150$ per game.
There are also opportunities to work youth football, though not assigned through the chapter, this is another way to get more experience and make more money. Sub-varsity games can be found on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Varsity games are typically on Friday night, however some are played on Thursday night as well. Most youth league games are on the weekend.
How will I know what to do? Will I have to take a test? What rules do we use?
Attendence at weekly meetings will be a good start on knowing what you will need to do, also we have new member specific meetings and training opportunities to help you along.
The mechanics manuals that can be found on this site will also help you in knowing what to do on the field, these are as important as the rule book. You will have to pass a test
before you are able to officiate Varsity games. In Texas, we use the NCAA rule book with exceptions that are approved by the UIL. A pdf copy of this rule book can also be found on this site in the downloads area.
Feel free to drop us an email at spctaso@gmail.com and we'll get them answered for you!