Interested in Becoming a
Football Official ?

Prospective new officials often have concerns and questions.
Below are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions we hear.
If you have further questions, please feel free to
contact us.
What does it mean to be
a member of District 11 Football Officials Association?
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To experience
camaraderie with other officials
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To learn high school
football rules
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To be positive role
models to the community
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To officiate football
games at all public and private middle schools and high schools .
I'm interested in
officiating football. How do I join?
We typically start meetings in April and they continue until July and
you can come there to join. All meetings will be held at the
Myrtle Beach Police Annex on the old Air Force Base. You can
also join by completing a New Member Application and mailing that to us
at the address below or
emailing us. You
will also have to have a
physical exam completed
by your own physician.
Common Document Downloads
Do I need prior
experience as a football official?
Prior experience is good but is NOT required. We
conduct a thorough training program for new officials at no cost to you.
Further, a clinic is offered for officials the Saturday prior to the
test date in Columbia, SC.
What time commitment
must I make to officiate football?
District 11 hosts preseason
training
meetings and regular membership meetings (1 per week during the
preseason). Actual weekday games (non-Varsity) typically kick off around
4:30pm. Saturday games typically kickoff around 9am. Subvarsity games
are played Wednesday and Thursday, so no one is required to work games
every day. You can work as much or as little, depending on your desire
and availability.
Where do we do it?
In Horry, Williamsburg and Georgetown Counties, along the Grand
Strand in northern South Carolina.
How do you join?
a. New member dues are $52..Payable by early-August.
Dues are $40 if you have officiated another sport.
b. Complete
SCFOA Application…due by early-August
c.
Local
application and local dues ($35) are also due at the same time.
d. If you choose to not officiate on the
varsity level, only local dues will be collected.
What kind of training do we offer?
a. Combination of classroom and on-field
b. Work with experienced officials
What can you expect for the upcoming season?
a. A lot of FUN…as much work as you want and your
rating score allows!!
b. Mandatory Monday night training from April through
August
c. Thursday, Friday nights, and Saturday mornings
for middle school, freshman, and junior varsity games on field
i. Not expected to work every night
ii. Are expected to work at least two sites a week
iii. Are expected to travel to the areas outside the immediate
Myrtle Beach area
d. Depending on your position and
rating score, you may work
varsity games early in your career
How do you progress in the
SCFOA and District 11?
Via a rating system. Earn
up to 100 points for
1. Rules & Mechanics Exam score (40 pts).
Statewide exam held in Columbia on the third Saturday July
2. Officials Peer Rating score (25 pts).
Ratings submitted on a 1 - 10 scale (then multiplied by 2.5).
Grades <7 are documented.
3. District meeting attendance (15 pts)
4. SCFOA experience credit (15 pts). 2
points given for first 5 years; 2.5 points given for years 6 & 7.
Experience from other states must be documented by former state's
athletic governing body.
5. Cooperation with District Director (5 pts)
What are the costs involved?
a. $52 for state dues… payable in early-Aug.
Local dues are $35
b. Approx $100-$200 for
equipment
What does it pay?
The Executive Committee of the SCHSL
has approved the following three (3) classes of fees for varsity games
set forth by the South Carolina Football Officials Association:
|
REGULAR
SEASON
CLASS
OFFICIALS ECO
I $74.00
$41.00
II $64.00 $41.00
III $55.00 $38.00 |
PLAYOFF
GAMES
QUARTER & SEMI‑FINALS
FINALS
FIELD ECO
FIELD ECO
$78.00 $44.00
$84.00 $46.00
$66.00 $44.00
$74.00 $46.00
$55.00 $38.00
$64.00 $41.00 |
The South Carolina Football Officials Association, thru the local
district will book junior varsity and junior high school football games
played on days other than Friday when requested by a member school or a
conference. The fees will be $34.00 plus travel for each official for
junior varsity games and $27.00 plus travel for each official for junior
high school games. Travel allowance for each official will be $0.45/mile
with a minimum of $9.00
How do I get paid?
At each game site you will be required to complete a document to submit to the administrator at that site. Each school district processes
those sheets and has a check made out to you or mails a check directly to you.
Is my officiating income
taxable? As an independent contractor, each official is responsible
for the reporting of the income, typically on a schedule C of their IRS
tax return. Most all of your expenses are also reportable and they will
reduce the amount of actual income taxable by IRS.
Important dates to remember
a. Meetings: each Monday at 6:30 at the
Myrtle Beach Police Annex. Bring applications and dues
b. Summer Pre-Clinic: July 14 in Columbia at
Gateway Baptist Church near Dutch Fork at 9am.
c. Clinic & Exam: July 21 at
White Knoll HS at 8am
How do I receive
pre-season scrimmage assignments?
Prior to the beginning of the regular season there are typically
pre-season scrimmages that you can sign up for. This is a great
opportunity to practice officiating skills before the real games begin.
How do I receive game
assignments? District 11 and the
SCHSL and
SCFOA use
The Arbiter (an scheduling
website) as its scheduling mechanism for all subvarsity, varsity and
middle school games. Officials all must mark off any
dates they will not be available receive a list of available games and be permitted
to sign up for any of those that are available. You will also receive
periodic emails advising a new opportunities as they become available.
If you are a new official to football or just moved to the area, we'd
love to add you to our roster. Please complete the information
below and we'll have someone get in touch with you about joining the
District 11 Football Officials.
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