Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of the some of the questions we typically receive from prospective officials. Please contact us if you have a question that isn’t addressed here.
Can anyone be an official?
The short answer is, yes! Anyone of any age can become a football official. All officials in the state of Washington are required to pass a background check.
How much does it cost to get started?
To officiate school games, one must be a member of the Washington Officials Association, which charges annual school-year dues of $90.00 plus an additional $30.00 per sport officiated. The $90.00 includes a membership in the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) which provides the absolute best liability insurance in the sports officiating industry and a subscription to the very excellent monthly Referee Magazine and a host of other benefits.
Because WOA uses ArbiterPay to quickly pay officials for each game worked, WOA withholds the amount of dues above from the first few school games worked. Generally, working 2 school games gets dues paid with money left over.
Does the IEFOA provide a uniform, or will I have to purchase one myself?
In the past, we've assisted new members with purchasing their initial uniforms and accessories, which is the single largest cost for new officials in any sport. Our assistance is to arrange no-interest credit for them with a supplier, and we expect to continue that for all new members in the future. We will collect that money from you out of game fees earned. Generally, a basic football officials starter kit, including field shoes, is about $250.00. If you work eight to 10 of our lowest level games, you would pay off all the costs of uniforms and dues. First-year members may, of course, opt to purchase their own uniforms directly without utilizing our supplier or the loan from our association.
Are uniforms and dues tax deductible?
We certainly don’t claim to provide legal and/or tax advice. However, generally, uniforms and dues are tax deductible.
What about background checks?
Every official has to have a current background check, which is good for 3-5 years depending on a random renewal factor approved by WOA. There is a $10.00 fee to process the on-line background check, payable by credit or debit card and payable only when you have the initial check and when you have to actually renew it. With the way the system is set-up for a credit card payment, we have no way defer that for new members.
Does the IEFOA have a training program to help me get started?
Yes! First-year officials are given special attention and training. The first meetings for new officials typically start at the end of July or beginning of August. Weekly meetings are held Sunday evenings during August, and every other week during the football season. Officials at all levels are encouraged - and required - to attend as many meetings as possible.
Additionally, the WOA provides annual on-line clinics. There is a general WOA Information clinic and a concussion clinic. There is a football specific clinic and an online football test – just like for all other WOA sports.
Once I become an official, how many games can I work?
Our association has a lot of games to assign since we cover home games at various levels for just over 30 high schools, 30-something middle schools, a large youth group, and a small local Parochial league. That amounted to 738 games covered in 2018 and 678 in 2019.
Availability is the key to getting lots of games in the afternoons when middle school games often start at 3:30, 3:45, or 4 PM depending on the league. Most non-varsity HS games start at 4 PM for most of the season, so being available Monday through Thursday for earlier games is quite helpful. We have lots of youth games on Saturdays with some occasional school games, and the Parochial League plays their games on Sunday afternoons. If you have good weekday availability for those early-starting games, you can easily do 20 or more games per season. If your availability during weekdays is not so good for early-starting games, we try to give you some priority for the weekend games.
How much would I earn per game?
WIAA school game fees are made digitally available 48-72 hours after the game. Officials must attach a personal bank account under the “Payments” dashboard on the Arbiter website to access and manually transfer the direct deposit funds.
Fall 2022 only, the new games fees will be:
Varsity: $69.25 + $18.00 mileage = $87.25.
Sub-varsity: $57.75 + $18.00 mileage = $75.75.
MS/JH: $51.50 + $18.00 mileage = $69.50
This increase pertains to “school” games only. Our youth and parochial partners will negotiate future game fees on a different pay scale. Non-school game fees are paid by check at seasons end.
Does the IEFOA provide insurance for its members?
You are covered for injuries to yourself for both school games and non-school games through the Washington State Labor & Industries system. There is a master statewide account for school game coverage, and IEFOA maintains a separate L&I account for all the non-school clients to which we provide football officials. While an official is not often injured while doing a game, it does occasionally happen, and L&I coverage is required for independent contractor officials. You join us as an independent contractor member of our association. You would not be considered an employee of IEFOA or WOA or of the schools or youth groups.
I have officiated in another association and/or state. What do I do?
We welcome transfers from other associations. Contact our Assigner, Chuck Latimer, and let him know you would like to join the IEFOA. All transfers are required to pass a background check, pay IEFOA dues and pass field trials to determine the appropriate pool placement.
