Become an Official!

We are always seeking new members with or without officiating experience. Please email or call Rookies Coordinator Paul Hernandez on his cell phone at 213-712-8401 or email him at coash@aol.com to get more information.

NOTE: If you filled out and submitted the old pop-up application form in the past, please contact Paul Hernandez directly. The website provider had a glitch that prevented us from receiving your form and it was deleted!

Who We Are

The Kern County Officials Association trains officials to work games in Kern County, California for CIF Central Section high schools, as well as many of the youth leagues. Most of our schools are roughly located within the metropolitan-area of Bakersfield, however we do officiate games in the cities of Arvin, Delano, Maricopa, McFarland, Shafter, Wasco, Taft and Tehachapi! Our members come from various walks of life and share in the love for football.

How to Join Us

Joining the Kern County Officials Association is easy! Simply call Rookies Coordinator Paul Hernandez at 213-712-8401 and leave a voicemail if he doesn't answer or email him at [email protected].

Training

We offer a comprehensive training program for all officials, including first year officials. We start our meetings in May to allow our newer officials to not feel bombarded with new football concepts when the actual season starts in August. Our Summer Study Groups will begin in July at different locations led by veteran officials.

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, Frosh-Soph high school games, and work the chain crews for JV and Varsity games. As the season and your experience progress, every first year official has the potential of working JV and even Varsity high school football games by the end of the season based on their abilities. Keep in mind that most of our top officials played the game just like today's players are playing now.

Youth Football

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, as a service to our community, 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. We recommend www.ump-attire.com, but there are other online suppliers that can be found on our links or equipment page. Contact us before you purchase anything to ensure you are buying the correct products.

How much money will I make?

Officials receive approximately $160 for typical JV & Varsity doubleheaders on a Friday night. Freshman games and youth football are $45-$70 per game. You will have to pay membership dues as well as your equipment purchases all of which are tax deductible so save those receipts! You will also pay a nominal Assignors Fee for each high school assignment. Your dues cover the cost of your Rules Books, Instruction fees, the day-to-day business of the football unit which includes this website, and liability insurance.

How do I move up?

Work hard, study hard, and become the best official you can be at the level you do. In reality, the only person that you're competing against is yourself! 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! You will meet and work with some of Kern County's finest people that will turn into life-long friends.