Twenty referee spots must be filled so everyone can have the same high school football experience in Southwest Florida. Because of this, the res are starting to prepare for the upcoming season with an on-field clinic. The explanation is that sportsmanship between the refs and the player’s parents and coaches is the biggest reason for the lack of refs. People who once wanted to be a part of the game are instead going elsewhere. WINK News spoke with Adam Weissberger the president of the South Gulf football officials association. WINK News asked Weissberger about the lack of refs and what can be done to improve their numbers. “We probably need another 20 or 30 officials to be able to help fill out our varsity schedule as well as all the freshman and JV games that are out there as well,” Weissberger said. To keep games on Friday nights, those officials are not optional. “A number of us ended up having to work on Friday and Thursday varsity games or whenever the games ultimately get moved to. So it does put a little bit of a strain on our members as well having to work a much heavier schedule and workload,” Weissberger said. They hope to fill those spots for their Sumer training in July. North Fort Myers, Mariner, and Bishop Verot are participating in the clinic on Friday night. Click here to learn more if you’re interested in becoming a ref.