Additional Information
Most people get involved in sports officiating because they're involved
in sports as a hobby. Experts say officials should "walk a mile in the players'
shoes" before attempting to learn how to officiate a game.
"Play the game and learn to understand it. Coaching experience may help,
but involvement in the organized game at any level is crucial to really learning
it," says football referee Steven Rosenblatt.
Get to know the rule book for your sport of choice. Sports officials have
to know the rules and regulations of their game backwards and forwards, so
the sooner you memorize the rules, the sooner you'll become a better official.
Libraries or athletic departments often have rule books for particular
sports. If you can't find any, contact the governing body for your sport and
request a copy of the rules.
National sports organizations may be another valuable source of information
on regulations, sports clubs and training programs.
If you've been playing on a sports team for a while and know the rules,
your next step is officiating. Children and youth sports leagues are often
in need of dependable officials. It's not the major leagues, but Little League
games are a good way to get your feet wet and prepare yourself for moving
on to high school, college or farm team games.
Regardless of what level of play you officiate, you should always be professional
and take the game seriously.
"If you can't give it all you've got for five to 10 years in the lower
leagues, then professional officiating isn't for you," says umpire Craig Friedley.
Today, most sports officials combine their on-the-job training with some
education in the field of officiating. Most new recruits for officials in
pro-level competition have to graduate from a short but intensive training
program.
The National Association of Sports Officials offers some training materials
for officiating in most professional-level team sports. There are also a number
of privately run courses in the U.S. for training professional umpires and
referees. Community centers or college leisure studies programs also offer
courses from time to time, but these are generally taught at an introductory
level.