Do you have a  passion for football? Are you a confident person? Do you like getting some exercise and get paid for it? If any of the above apply to you then you just might be cut out for being a football official.

The Central Alberta Football Officials Association is looking for a few good men and women to get the stripes on, pick up a whistle and work some minor football.

A Level One clinic will be held September 18th in Red Deer and it could start you off on a part time job in the fresh air.

“ We start you off by going over the basic rules and the positioning of the officials on the field,” said Darren Petriew, president of the CAFOA.” So the first half we cover the rules related to offside and that type of thing and then in the afternoon we do some on-field stuff so that the officials can practice a little bit as far as what we need then do do on the field.”

Bantam age referees will likely work the peewee aged games to begin with and more mature officials starting out will do peewee, bantam and down the road, some of the local high school games, he said.

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Experience is a big part of advancing the level of officiating ability for each referee so being available to work as many games as you can handle is a key aspect of signing on to ref. Petriew says after the clinic is done your not just thrown into a game without support.

“ Once they’ve taken the course we’ll assign somebody as a mentor to work with them, shadow them at some games to enhance their skills, where they should be looking and what they should be doing.”

Petriew says the zone stretches from Rocky Mountain House to Camrose and Drumheller to Drayton Valley with close to 200 games running from early September to late October so you can easily get your fill of officiating. He says they have about 30 officials working those games with maybe 20 of those being very active and taking as many games as possible.

On any given Saturday you could have five or six games from peewee to bantam level going so there is certainly a need for help at those levels, he said.

“We’re central and we do a lot of six man football so we go out to Breton and Caroline so there’s a real need for people out there as well that could assist our association or assist the growth of football out there.”

In the minor hockey world officiating organizations have struggled to retain young officials due to various circumstances, including being abused or intimidated by coaches.It’s the same story to some extent for minor football referees. Petriew says in any given year if they have ten people through a clinic they might retain one or two.

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“That’s probably a good success rate and the issue is the same in Edmonton and Calgary. That’s why we have that mentoring program. We try to make things as positive as we can on the field.”

Throughout the year officials are continually evaluated and work is done to improve their skill and knowledge of the game. If it turns out this is something you take a liking to at a young age then there is a path to follow towards a higher level. There have been a few officials who got their start in Red Deer and are now working games at the junior and CIS level. Those officials are part of the pool where the CFL will draw from so there is that reward if you are so inclined.

“ Until you do it you don’t know if you like it, right? It’s a great group of guys. You’re on the field. It’s best seat in the house.”

For more information on the clinic you can contact [email protected].