The NNFOA currently provides officiating services to 30+ local high schools, which equates to over 300 games per season including playoffs. In short, the need for qualified high school officials has never been greater.

By joining our association, not only will you receive extensive training and mentoring, you will start gaining experience immediately by officiating freshman-level high school contests. Most games consist of a 4-person officiating crew, led by one or two veteran officials paired with at least two newer members. Rules knowledge and mechanics are certainly not required to join as you will be taught almost everything you need to know to begin officiating in your first season. In fact, many new members are surprised to learn that high school football rules vary significantly from those used by the NCAA and the NFL. What you do need to bring with you is your love of the game of football, your professionalism and enthusiasm, and a desire to achieve excellence by playing an integral role in promoting fairness, safety and sportsmanship in amateur athletics.

Individuals must be prepared to commit 2-3 nights per week during August through November for meetings and game assignments. There is an association meeting every other Tuesday during the season; freshman and junior varsity games are played on Thursdays and some Fridays, and varsity games on Friday nights and an occasional Saturday afternoon. Although you are not required to be available during all of these times every week, the season is short — less than 3 months — and the greater the availability, the greater the experience.

Any football official — whether they have just finished working their first game or have been calling games for decades — will tell you that being a football official means belonging to a unique and proud fraternity where friendships are key and trust is paramount. Few people realize that during any football game, there are actually three teams on the field. The first two are wearing helmets and shoulder pads and doing battle against one another, while the third is wearing black and white stripes.

You can expect a great deal of fun and satisfaction, and also a great personal challenge. Officiating requires you to handle the stress and pressure of making instantaneous decisions, as well as the ability to calmly resolve conflicts. Furthermore, just keeping up with the speed of the game even at the high school level requires you to be in good physical condition. It truly is the best seat in the house...

If you would like to join our association, the first step is to fill out an information request form on the Contact page. Our recruitment coordinator will contact you shortly and provide you with information regarding the location, dates and times of our association clinic and meetings, as well as how to purchase your game uniform (typically between $150 - $200 for first-year officials). All necessary rulebooks and study aids will also be made available to you.