I Know That It's Crazy Talk, But...

H

Howdy_85

11-man fan
I'm sure most of the readers on here understand the trouble most officiating chapters in "6-Man Country" are having in attracting and keeping new officials. I'm afraid that many don't understand the severity of the problem. I think I have one solution that might help.

There are times when thinking wildly out of the box is called for and actually turns into something workable. So, "gulp", here goes...(and please don't shoot me! LOL)...

What if 6-man football was a spring sport? Think about it for a minute before you fly off the handle. Most schools in 1A UIL don't play baseball. More are competitive in basketball than in football. What if basketball had all the players healthy for the start of the season instead of with nagging injuries, or worse? I suppose that it would probably be best to swap track & field, to make it a fall sport. I can just about guarantee you that you would never lack for officials.

Just so that you know, typing this makes me cringe. Not playing football in fall goes against everything within my being. On the other hand, I also see how small schools suffer to have decent officials or maybe just warm bodies who spent $40 for a striped shirt. I certainly think it would help officials from a scheduling point of view, which in turn helps the schools, I think. I know that it would probably never happen, but sometimes you have to think out of the box a bit! :-)

Any thoughts?
 
I don't want to beat you up too bad, but that's the dumbest damn thing I've heard in a long time. Do you work for the government in your full time gig?
 
OF&B - No. I don't work for the government. LOL However, I do work for a very understanding employer who allows me the pleasure of running around on a football field 20-30 evenings per year.

Besides, I told you that it was a crazy idea...same thing they told the Wright brothers, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, etc. LOL

Seriously. We've got a really serious problem with the number of officials. I really see only two ways to avoid a terrible outcome - either pay more money to make it more attractive for guys to join/stay or spread the games out over a larger calendar to allow the same number of guys to work more games. Otherwise, you're going to play 6-man games on Tuesday or Saturday, if you can.

I'll tell you this, on Thursdays, I get paid $35 for a junior high game. One game with maybe a JV thrown in occasionally, usually 30 minutes drive time. On Sundays, I work a local youth league, practically in my backyard where I get $45 per game and work 2 and sometimes 3 games. Games are an hour long with about 5 minutes between. Which of those scenarious do you think has the hardest time getting officials? If a young official has a choice of which venue to work, 9 times out of 10 he'll choose the money.

I'm not complaining for myself. I'm a big boy and can decide to quit whenever I want to. I'm just not blind to the fact that the one who is really going to pay the price is the small schools furthest from the large groups of officials.
 
Tuesday night JH games are workable. So are Thursday and Saturday....to a point, varsity games. I know a lot of six man schools don't play games involving hitting fast moving objects with a stick. But a lot do. No sense in killing that program.
 
One thing that has worked fairly well over the past couple of years is the JH - Varsity doubleheaders on Thursday. That makes it worthwhile for the crew.

Now, if you straight-up play your varsity games on Thursday, you're probably going to run into a milder version of the overall problem. A young guy can stay in the big city and work 2-3 crowded field JH games at $35 a pop, or he can go for an hour long ride, unpaid, and work a varsity game for $45. You pick which one you'd do.

As far as Saturdays go, some guys would work those, but only if they're not taking the family to the local college tailgate and game.

Here's something to think about all of you small schools way down the road from the officials: MAKE THEM WANT TO COME BACK!!! I can't tell you how many times I've ridden in a car with 3-4 guys for well over an hour, only to be greeted by a cooler with 6 bottles of water. You know the places I remember? The ones with the sausage wraps or hot-off-the-grill burgers. Hospitality. It doesn't take much or cost the schools much, but it goes a loong way. The pay is the same at both places, but the "scratches" are far fewer at the places that take care of you.
 
I think it's a brilliant idea. Alexander Graham Bell had to go door to door to sell the first phones, Edison had to fight the Gas lamplighters to get elec. light posts, you mentioned the Wright bros etc. All new ideas face resistance from certain types of people. They killed Jesus didn't they?
 
Ok I get it. Gods purpose was for Jesus to die for our sins. I believe.
I meant, that the people of his day were resistant to his message because it was new. Kinda like some may be about changing Friday night lights for 6 man nation.
 
In the bidness' world it's not called crazy, it's brainstorming. No idea is too outlandish for consideration, even as a joke and immediately dismissed. From the process even a bunch of blind hog's occasionally find an acorn.
I know school districts are strapped for cash. But $35 a night paying for their own gas and time traveling is ridiculous.
 
Howdy_85":7kl42z2m said:
OF&B - No. I don't work for the government. LOL However, I do work for a very understanding employer who allows me the pleasure of running around on a football field 20-30 evenings per year.

Besides, I told you that it was a crazy idea...same thing they told the Wright brothers, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, etc. LOL

Seriously. We've got a really serious problem with the number of officials. I really see only two ways to avoid a terrible outcome - either pay more money to make it more attractive for guys to join/stay or spread the games out over a larger calendar to allow the same number of guys to work more games. Otherwise, you're going to play 6-man games on Tuesday or Saturday, if you can.

I'll tell you this, on Thursdays, I get paid $35 for a junior high game. One game with maybe a JV thrown in occasionally, usually 30 minutes drive time. On Sundays, I work a local youth league, practically in my backyard where I get $45 per game and work 2 and sometimes 3 games. Games are an hour long with about 5 minutes between. Which of those scenarious do you think has the hardest time getting officials? If a young official has a choice of which venue to work, 9 times out of 10 he'll choose the money.

I'm not complaining for myself. I'm a big boy and can decide to quit whenever I want to. I'm just not blind to the fact that the one who is really going to pay the price is the small schools furthest from the large groups of officials.
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With all due respect. And remember, I said with all do respect. (LOL, Talladega Nights reference). This will always be the issue and argument between officials and coaches. Coaches typically get a stipend between $1,500 and $5,000. Do the Math. (23 hours a week - minimum, 12 weeks - minimum). If you're the rare breed that gets the top end, you're doing ok; but if you're the typical football coach, at the lower end of the pay scale, you're making less than minimum wage, with no meal or mileage reimbursement. This year, our lowest paid official was on a Junior High game, and he got paid $45 for one hour of work. He rode with someone and they both traveled around 30 minutes together (one way). The following night, our lowest paid varsity official was $97.50 (top guy was $186.25), and he also worked around an hour. You take these two "lowest" paid officials, for two hours worth of work. And lets just add in their travel time for a whopping total of 2 combined hours (round-trip). $142.50 at 4 hours equals $35/hour. I'm not saying the officials are getting rich, but please remember your audience when money is brought up. I don't know a coach who wouldn't give their right arm for $35/hour.

Possible Solution:

Why not charge each school a surcharge to use specific chapters, based on their enrollment. Obviously a 6A school would pay a substantially higher price than a 6-man school. Use these funds as incentives for officials who reach a specific number of junior high, JV and varsity games. It wouldn't affect the current pay rates, but offers incentives for officials to make sure they're available and working every week. The chapter could zone a mileage chart, so every official would be scheduled a different zone each week. Thus eliminating those officials who refuse to travel over 15 miles for a game. If they don't confirm their game, they forfeit their incentive bonus. They're not fired or disciplined, just removed from the bonus structure and placed in a different zone.
 
Coachsatcher,

It sounds like your school pays a little better than most. For a 6-man JH game, we typically have 8 minute quarters. The state minimum for an 8-min quarter game is $35, and that's what 99% of the schools pay.

I have NEVER made an average hourly rate of $35 on Friday night - even calling at the 5A/6A level. Seriously, the only place I've made that kind of money is Saturday and Sunday YFL games.
 
Everyone sounds like a bunch of politicians. lots of talk and no action. The simple solution is everybody joins the chapters, scratch everything but 1A, and officiate. I officiated 10 years, but had to quit due to physical limitations. You get older and things tend to fall apart running up and down a field.
 
Howdy_85":1dlodtqc said:
Coachsatcher,

It sounds like your school pays a little better than most. For a 6-man JH game, we typically have 8 minute quarters. The state minimum for an 8-min quarter game is $35, and that's what 99% of the schools pay.

I have NEVER made an average hourly rate of $35 on Friday night - even calling at the 5A/6A level. Seriously, the only place I've made that kind of money is Saturday and Sunday YFL games.
Click to expand...

But 6-man games have the 45 point mercy rule, and those games end way earlier than a typical 11-man game. I've never understood why more officials didn't request 6-man games, knowing that they could be done at halftime and still get the same pay. Two years ago, we used to be able to make it to the Rogers game around half time - maybe the third quarter, after our game.
 
Howdy_85":1fo1w227 said:
Coachsatcher,

It sounds like your school pays a little better than most. For a 6-man JH game, we typically have 8 minute quarters. The state minimum for an 8-min quarter game is $35, and that's what 99% of the schools pay.

I have NEVER made an average hourly rate of $35 on Friday night - even calling at the 5A/6A level. Seriously, the only place I've made that kind of money is Saturday and Sunday YFL games.
Click to expand...

Thanks for doing what you do. It's obviously not for the pay but for the attention you get from fans when you get one call wrong in 50 or 100. Without you and your kind the rest of us would have nothing to talk about, in more respect's than one.
 

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