Referees needed for upcoming high school football season

Doug Stevens is searching for high school football referees for the upcoming season in southwest Florida, but there’s more to the job than blowing whistles and throwing flags.

Stevens is the Chairperson of the Training Committee for the South Gulf Football Officials Association. And his job is to get refs ready for the season. Right now, they’re working on dealing with coaches and fans who can get hot in the heat of the moment.

“We just we screamed and yelled at them and see how they reacted,” Stevens said. “And we show them what to do. You know, there’s times when you have to say ‘coach, that’s enough.’ And you know, it’s all about communication, great communication with coaches.” Stevens puts the refs through simulations of what could happen while they’re on the field.

Some officials are tired of hearing it from people who don’t like their calls. Some officials say being part of the game is no longer worth the aggravation.

Adam Weissberger is a second-year official. And he’s already gearing up for the start of the high school football season, which is just weeks away.

“They watched (you know) the NFL on Sundays, and they see a different type of game and a different type of different set of rules and don’t understand why something might not have been called,” Weissberger said.

High school refs put up with a lot on and off of the field. Pay is one reason Stevens and the South Gulf Football Officials Association, which provides officially locally, struggle to keep refs on the roster. They’re paid a little more than $100 a game.

“There’s always a fallout every year there’s a retirement there’s an injury,” Stevens said. “We have one of our umpires just told us he’s going to have hip surgery. You know, it’s just I mean, he’s been a key person for us for years. But the young people, they’re just, there’s just not enough.”

Florida does have a law against the violence of a ‘sports official’. It works like a hate crime, where someone who assaults a ref is charged with a more serious offense than he might be if he assaulted someone else.

Stevens explained he needs as many as 50 men and women to become referees. Click here to find out more information if you’re interested in becoming a referee. To be a referee you just need to attend training sessions. They’re being held through the fourth of August every Monday and Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the North Fort Myers Recreation Center. Male, female, and high school students are welcomed.