We are an organization that has provided quality football officials in South Jersey since 1954. We are committed to providing quality training and mentorship to prospective officials, and continued development with the assistance of veteran officials that work both High School and NCAA level games.

 

Sports officials play a crucial role in ensuring fair play, player safety and a positive experience for young athletes. Officials play a key role in shaping the future of youth sports. Our responsibilities include:

 

• Focusing on the kids: Officials should prioritize the well-being and enjoyment of young participants.
• Helping kids improve: Coaches and parents rely on officials to help their children develop their skills.
• Keeping the game fair: Officials ensure that play is honest and consistent.
• Ensuring player safety: Officials monitor the action to prevent injuries.
• Other roles: Officials also handle administrative tasks and mentor aspiring referees. 

 

Being a youth sports official isn't easy. The job involves far more than calling penalties and marking players out of bounds, and taking this role means seeing the game from a child's point of view. To children, every game is the most important one. 

 

Kids Love Game Day

Some sports officials see game day as a brief hassle to endure on the path to receiving a paycheck. But to children, game day is the most important day of the week. It impacts their win-loss record, and to them, it's as important as the games they'll play in high school, college and beyond. It's important that officials go into game day with the same anticipation as the kids. They should be enthusiastic, focused and ready to help young athletes improve. When the job of officiating a youth sports competition is handled correctly, it can be a deeply enriching experience.

 

Helping Kids Improve

Coaches and parents do much of the practicing with their little ones. Coaches hold official practice sessions, while parents offer pointers when shooting hoops or scoring goals in the backyard. However, officials play a larger role in the teaching process than many kids, parents and coaches think. The South Jersey Officials Association (SJOA) reminds officials that they must possess outstanding communication skills to interact with players in a manner that helps them understand the rules of the game and use that knowledge to improve.

 

Keep the Game Fair

Every official holds a position of authority, and that authority is used to keep competition fair and positive for players on all sides. Officials must understand all of the rules of the sports they're officiating to ensure both teams are given an equal opportunity to win. SJOA provides routine training to help youth sports officials become familiar with the latest rules and regulations, as well as the officiating practices that help kids succeed in sports and beyond.

 

Keep Players Safe

One of the most important roles of a youth athletics official is to ensure the sport is performed safely. Of course, keeping players safe includes implementing the rules of the game and intervening during arguments among players, parents and coaches. Yet it also means examining the playing field and youth sports uniforms to keep them free of safety hazards. Each player's uniform and equipment must be checked before competition to ensure both sides are playing as fairly and safely as possible. Parents can ensure their kids are using the proper uniforms and equipment by purchasing gear from a company that focuses solely on providing high-quality athletic wear designed specifically for the sports they're playing.

 

Other Roles of Officials

It's easy to see that officiating youth athletics isn't as straightforward as blowing a whistle when a player is offside. In addition to keeping players safe and implementing the rules of the game, officials are expected to monitor the time of the game and ask the timekeeper to make corrections when needed. They should use their best judgment to stop and restart play whenever necessary. Officials are expected to make split-second rulings, and because the rulings are made so quickly, they're forced to deal with disagreements expressed by players, coaches and spectators.

 

Keep It About the Kids

Officiating can be stressful, and that stress can take much of the focus away from the kids. It's important to remember that these games are fun and friendly competition for young athletes. Officials don't need to play the role of parent or coach, but it's OK to spend several seconds explaining a rule to a young player who repeatedly makes the same mistake. As a team, officials, coaches and parents can work together to make every game a fun and active learning experience for the little ones involved.