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Become an Official!
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We are always seeking new members with or without officiating experience. Please fill out a membership form or call us at (661) 808-3344 to get more information.
Who We Are
- The Kern County Officials Association trains officials to work games in Kern County for CIF Central Section high schools, as well as many of the youth leagues. Most of our schools are roughly located within the Bakersfield city limits, however we do officiate games in Arvin, McFarland, Shafter, Wasco, Taft and Tehachapi!
How to Join Us
- Joining the Kern County Officials Association is easy! Simply fill out the membership form or call us at (661) 808-3344 and someone will get in touch with you shortly.
Training
- We offer a comprehensive training program for all officials, including first year officials. In July our study groups will begin at different locations lead by veteran officials. This provides valuable pre-season study of rules and situations for every official. Our first meeting of the season will be at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, August 1, 2018, at the Larry E. Reider Education Center located at 2000 K st. in Bakersfield . We continue to have meetings on Wednesday nights in August, September, and October. See our events page for the complete schedule.
Your First Year
- First year officials are assigned weekly games. You will be working with the more experienced officials, first year officials can expect to gain valuable on-field experience as you are assigned youth football games. As the season and your experience progresses, every first year official has the potential of working high school football games.
Youth Football (NOR, GEYF, Jack Frost, etc.)
- There is no substitute for the on-field experience you get by working youth football. It is a huge stepping-stone in the process of becoming and remaining a good football official. Many of our veteran officials still work youth ball to improve themselves and so they can help out new officials.
Where do I get the uniform and supplies?
There are several on-line suppliers of officiating uniforms and equipment. Online suppliers can be found on our links or equipment page.
What are the different positions, and how do I know what position to work?
Most new officials begin work at Head Linesman or Line Judge. Over time, as you gain experience you will be given opportunities to work different positions and can specialize on one or more positions.
The positions worked in high school football are:
The positions worked in high school football are:
- Referee: He's in charge and is the "white hat"! Lines up in the offensive backfield.
- Umpire: Lines up in the defensive backfield about 5-7 yards off the line of scrimmage
- Head Linesman: On the line of scrimmage at the sidelines at the snap; responsible for chain crew.
- Line Judge: On lines of scrimmage at the snap, opposite side of field from Head Linesman.
- Back Judge: Works in the defensive secondary.
How much money will I make?
Officials receive approximately $135 for JV/ Varsity doubleheaders, $59 for Freshman games and about $45-$55 for youth football games.
How do I move up?
- Work hard, study hard, and become the best official you can be at the level you do. Once you are the best Frosh/JV official, be the best Varsity official. After 5 years or so, you may decide to start working junior college football. It takes about 5 years of JC experience to move on to NCAA, and about 5-7 years of NCAA to move to the NFL. Whether you want to move up or not, don’t forget that the reason you are officiating is to have FUN!