Welcome to the 2026 High School Football season. Congratulations to all on a great 2025 season. Receiving 14 first round playoff games is a tremendous achievement and acknowledgment by the CIF office for SFVFOA. Thank you for all your efforts throughout the 2025 season.
Your Board of Directors has been hard at work preparing and formalizing a plan to continue our success for the upcoming season.
2026 dues are $168.00 for returning members. New Members dues are $95.00. Associate members dues are $50.00.
The insurance and background check will cost an additional $29.00
Beginning June 1, 2026, CIF has implemented a mandatory background check for all sports officials. The background check and insurance are both completed via Arbiter. You will find the registration page by clicking the ‘Eligibility’ tab then ‘Registration’ tab on Arbiter. The background check and insurance will be valid for one calendar year and all sports (unless otherwise specified).
Additionally, CIF is also requiring all members to pass an eligibility/certification test which will be administered via CIF Central Hub on Arbiter – that will be available after completion of the insurance and background registration
CIF/CFOA Shirts now mandatory – SFVFOA will be placing a bulk shirt order directly with Smitty – the registration form has more info on pricing and please note you must pay by June 14, 2026 to be part of this order
Game fees: Tackle Varsity $152.00 & Tackle Lower Levels $102.00 / Flag Varsity $76.00 & Flag Lower Levels $60.00
2026 Instructional Calendar & Meetings:
2026 instructional calendar can be found here and will be added to the website: Click Here
There will be six (6) in-person SFVFOA meetings with each member required to attend at least four (4) of those SFVFOA in-person meetings for playoff assignment eligibility.
Each member will have their own personal attendance tracker set up courtesy of IC Jon Stein – if you have not received this via email, feel free to contact Jon.
Association Requirements:
To receive game assignments (including playoff assignments) all members must be registered with all dues and past assigner fees paid. 2026 regular season assigner fees must be paid by the end of the regular season for playoff assignment consideration.
All associate members must pass the CFOA summer study guide to be considered for game assignments
CFOA requires 18 hours of instruction/education for certification – meeting this instruction hour requirement is mandatory for playoff assignments.
Your instructional requirements can be met through off-season Zoom meetings, in-season/in-person meetings, the summer study guide, quizzes and tests – all of which is outlined in the calendar (with some coming up in the month of May)
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any SFVFOA Board member.
Best of luck in the upcoming season.
—The 2026 SFVFOA Board of Directors (President: Russell Nygaard, VP: Larry Hernandez, Past Pres.: Jessier Tibana, Sec/Treas: Andy Parker, Members at Large: Joseph Baldino, Mark Millsom, Paul Rodarte)
Only Three Weeks Left We’re down to the final three weeks of the regular season. Soak it in and give your best effort each and every time you step on the field. Teams are playing for playoff eligibility, emotions are high, and many seniors are nearing the end of their football careers. Meet the moment – expect elevated emotion, keep your feet moving and get in between players to deescalate before you reach for a flag. Let the players enjoy the game, but never lose control of it.
Classification Exams Make sure you complete your classification exams for both tackle and flag (if applicable). These are due Thursday, October 30th at midnight. Do not wait until the last minute – postseason eligibility depends on completion of this exam.
Enforcement Question – Food for Thought From Coover’s Bulletin: After a touchdown, a Team A player taunts his opponent and is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct (UNS). Team B chooses to have the penalty enforced on the ensuing kickoff. Then, on the successful PAT, Team B roughs the kicker. What’s the proper enforcement?
Answer: Both fouls are enforced on the ensuing kickoff, and the yardage will offset. The kickoff will be from the Team K 40-yard line.
Hudl Playlist – Pregame Discussion Tool I sent out a Hudl playlist earlier today featuring plays from a recent Chaminade vs. Amat game. The officiating in this game was strong across the board, and the film includes several sequences that make for excellent pregame discussion points. Review it with your crew and talk through how you’d handle those situations and how you want your crew communication to look this week.
Let’s keep pushing toward a strong finish to the regular season. See you on the field,
Media in Team Box Last week we had an official nearly injured by a camera man who moved his tripod into the restricted area as the snap was imminent. Fortunately our official who tumbled over it was OK. I did some digging and the CIF policy requires accredited media personnel to be outside the team box. Now, this is really an Admin issue and not something that we should be actively looking for. If a school chooses to allow this and the media members are no distraction or threat to us, then leave it be. However, if you are having issues this is something you can fall back on in asking Game Administration to move them out of your working area. Additionally, if a school allows media in their team box then as far as we are concerned they are team personnel while inside the team box and subject to the same sideline restrictions as any other members of the team. Be careful and prioritize your safety.
Unnecessary Actions Still seeing too many unnecessary actions away from plays or to players on the ground that have a high chance of injury or inciting retaliation. Please be diligent in removing these actions from our games. Warn and enforce early so the rest of your game goes smoothly.
Final Weeks of the Season We are quickly approaching the end of the regular season and with that comes higher stakes and more emotion between players and coaches. Work hard to be the calming influence on your games. When tensions go up, we need to stay poised and level headed. Game management is as important as getting our calls correct.
Best of luck to everyone working tonight and please reach out with any questions or concerns,
Let’s sharpen up our enforcement knowledge when it comes to fouls on kicks. Fouls by the kicking team (K) during a free kick may be enforced from the previous spot or the succeeding spot. Fouls by the receiving team (R) during the kick are enforced from the previous spot only. Remember: a free kick out of bounds has four options:
5 yards from the previous spot
5 yards from the spot where the ball went out of bounds
At the spot the ball went out of bounds
25 yards beyond the spot of the kick (only if that spot does not place the ball in the end zone)
Fouls by K during a scrimmage kick down can be enforced with the basic spot as the previous spot or from the succeeding spot. That means even a foul that occurs simultaneously with the snap, such as an illegal formation foul, can be enforced from the succeeding spot if R is next to put the ball in play. Fouls by R are also enforced from the previous spot, unless post-scrimmage kick rules apply. PSK fouls require the foul to be a) during the kick, b) occur beyond the neutral zone, c) require the kick to have gone beyond the neutral zone, and d) that Team R will be the next to put the ball in play. If the answer to all four questions is ‘yes’ then the foul will be enforced from the end of the kick.
Officials on the CFOA mailing list received a great question regarding fouls by K during a kick from Greg Truex yesterday – apply the above to this situation and determine the correct enforcement:
K, 4/4, K-44. K’s short punt crosses the NZ and is grounded at the R-38 and begins to come back toward the LOS. K14 then illegally kicks the ball at the R-40 and it is caught by K21 at the R-34.
Uniform Messages and Markings We’ve had instances of players writing on their equipment or placing decals/stickers on visible gear. These markings sometimes include acronyms, messages, or brand names. We are not going to attempt to parse what is or isn’t appropriate or promotional. If a player is displaying a written or graphic message visible to spectators or cameras, it must be removed. This is one aspect of uniform issues that we need to be diligent and consistent on.
Pregame Meetings By now, most crews are well-acquainted and have a rhythm. That said, I challenge all Referees to refresh your pregame approach this week. Bring in new scenarios you haven’t discussed the last few weeks. Staying sharp is easier when we stay out of autopilot mode.
Personal Fouls & Take-Downs We talked Tuesday about the importance of addressing unnecessary roughness early. Late hits, takedowns away from the play, body slams, diving on top of players, etc.- these are the kinds of plays that build into something bigger if they aren’t addressed right away. Throw the flag. Talk to the player. Talk to the coach. And if you issue a warning, let the head coach know. Accountability needs to follow the warning.
Helmet Contact & Targeting Let’s revisit our discussion from the Summer Kickoff Meeting. In NFHS, targeting is defined as taking aim at an opponent’s head or neck area. Helmet-to-helmet contact alone is not necessarily targeting. You must see the full action and judge whether the defender took aim.
If you determine that targeting occurred and the player hit is a runner, you do not have an automatic ejection. You must determine whether the contact was flagrant.
If the player hit is defenseless, and the defender takes aim and delivers a forcible blow to the head or neck, then that does meet the definition of a flagrant foul and should result in ejection.
If any of this is unclear, reach out to me or another instructional staff member to discuss.
Pink Whistles Starting with tonight’s games, officials may use pink whistles in support of breast cancer awareness. This is completely optional. Crews do not need to match – if you have one and want to wear it, go for it.
Classification Exam
Don’t forget the CFOA Classification Exam is currently Open on the Arbiter. This must be completed by the last Thursday of the season if you want to be eligible to work in the postseason.
Stay focused and take pride in the work we’re doing. Let’s make Week 6 a great one.
We’re in the thick of the season now with league play in full swing. Our officiating across the board has been stronger week in and week out – but league play means even larger emphasis on how we handle ourselves, how we enforce the rules, and how we prepare for our games. Let’s continue raising the standard to meet the importance of the next month of the season as teams vie for league titles and playoff appearances.
Overtime Procedures Greg Truex sent out an email to all CFOA members today outlining proper overtime mechanics and responsibilities. You can also find this on our website sfvfootballunit.org under Forms and Resources. If you haven’t reviewed it yet, make sure you do. Every crew should designate someone on their crew to be the overtime expert – though all officials should take the time to read and understand the process. Don’t wait until it’s 28-28 at the end of regulation to start figuring things out.
Ineligible Downfield Rule This is one of the hardest calls to get right and one of the easiest to get wrong. The only way to be consistent is to approach it with discipline. Use a two-step process: First, identify an ineligible lineman clearly downfield (we want to see them 3+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage before we consider IDP. Then, find the ball. If the quarterback still has the ball in hand and then throws a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone untouched, throw your flag. If the ball is already in flight by the time you find it, hold the flag – the player more times than not was legal at the time the ball was released. Let’s make sure our calls are both correct and consistent.
Official-to-Official Banter Remember, you can’t quote silence. Last week, a photographer overheard two of our officials talking on the sideline about how they didn’t want the game to go to overtime. The photographer then asked them which team they were rooting for. Even if it’s just joking around, it opens the door for unnecessary embarrassment for you and the entire association. Stay professional. Save it for after the game.
Game Management and Unnecessary Roughness We’ve had many games escalate due to late hits and unnecessary roughness situations. This needs to be cleaned up. Diving on players already down, supplex tackles, take-down holds, and shots well behind the play are not part of football. The game is violent enough without allowing extra. Throw the flag early in the game to set the tone and prevent bigger issues later. Trust what you see, and don’t talk yourself out of fouls that clearly cross the line.
Kicking game enforcement Take the time to slow down and enforce fouls on kicking plays correctly. Things can get convoluted quickly. Fouls during free kicks are enforced from the previous spot in almost all cases. Fouls during scrimmage kicks may qualify for PSK – review what the PSK requirements are. Fouls during the return in both cases are enforced as normal. We have had a few instances of fouls by R during the free kick enforced from succeeding spot. Take the time to slow down and identify when the foul occurred so that our enforcements are right.
Illegal Participation and Deception You may have seen the Oklahoma deception play against Auburn last weekend. Be ready for a high school team to try to copy it. Remember, deception plays in NFHS are illegal by rule. The reference is 9-6-4-d: ‘It is illegal participation to use a player, replaced player, substitute, coach, athletic trainer or other attendant in a substitution or pretended substitution to deceive opponents at or immediately before the snap or free kick.” The penalty is live-ball illegal participation, enforced 15-yards from the previous spot.
Good luck this week and be ready from the opening whistle
LOS ANGELES — Karina Tovar, the NFL’s first Latina referee, nervously recalls the moment even while she tells the story years later. She is sitting in her parents’ den on an exceptionally hot Mother’s Day in Southern California, and her usually sharp and unwavering voice changes slightly in tone. It’s almost as if she realizes this was the pivotal instant, the day that put her firmly on the road to making history.
At a refereeing camp during her days as a high school official, Tovar was in the middle of calling a simulated game while under the watchful eye of Gerry Austin , best known for his 26 years as an NFL referee and officiating three Super Bowls. At that time, Austin was Conference USA’s head of officiating and one of the camp’s instructors.
As we reach the midpoint of the regular season, it’s a good time to reflect on how you and your crew have grown from Week 0 to now. Don’t be afraid to review your game film and look for areas to improve and areas of success to replicate.
Speed vs. Efficiency
One area we need to be intentional about is penalty administration. Our goal is not to be fast for the sake of speed, but to be efficient in getting the call right. Work together as a crew to confirm all relevant information before stepping off the enforcement. Move quickly, but not at the expense of accuracy. Efficient doesn’t mean rushed.
Start of League Play This week marks the beginning of league play for many teams. Emotions will be higher than usual as schools looking to make a run at a league title aim to start strong. In many of these games, players on both sides may know each other personally. Be especially aware of potential sportsmanship issues – what may look like trash talk might be joking among friends, but we are going to assume it’s taunting unless proven otherwise. Warn players early. If they tell you they’re just joking around or that they’re friends with the opponent, remind them that we are not going to guess whether they’re friends or not. They need to keep that kind of banter within their own team.
Lightning Protocol It looks like the rain will stop before our kickoffs, nonetheless it’s a good time to review NFHS lightning safety procedures. When lightning is seen or thunder is heard, suspend the game immediately and clear the field. Do not resume play until 30 minutes have passed since the last sound of thunder or visible lightning strike. Talk with game management early so you’re on the same page should delays occur. We want to make every effort to finish the game, as long as school administration is prepared to wait out the weather. Stay in communication and follow their lead. As on-field officials, we will never make the decision to go home for the night due to weather. This is a game administration decision. If this becomes a problem in real time, make every effort to get in touch with one of Danny Vargas, Dwayne Finley, Jessie Tibana or myself.
Holding We spent a lot of time in our Tuesday meeting this week reviewing different categories and levels of holding. Let’s put that into practice. Be consistent from the opening kick to the final whistle. The holds you call early set the standard for the rest of the night, make sure that standard is one you’re confident in holding throughout the game. On the subject of holding, along with our pass interference calls, it is vital that you process the action and are able to put it into one of our categories as discussed on Tuesday. If you cannot place the action into a category, it is almost certainly not a foul for holding or pass interference.
020 Usage The use of radios on the field has increased our efficiency as officials. They are great tools for communicating standard penalty enforcement issues and basic adjustments. However, we have become overly reliant on the 020s during atypical situations. If there are multiple fouls, an unusual ruling, or something outside the norm, get together face to face. Talk it through directly with the Referee. There is no substitute for a direct conversation when accuracy matters most.
Keep pushing yourself and your crew to get better each week. Our standard in San Fernando is high because we know every crew is capable of being great out there; our goal is to meet that standard every time we step on the field. Good luck this week – the season is flying by and will be over before we know it!
Friday-night lights are back and whistles are blowing across the San Fernando Valley. Our officials are already on the field making sure every kickoff, touchdown, and overtime thriller runs smoothly.
But if you’ve ever thought about becoming a football official, it’s not too late to get in the game this season. We’re still welcoming new members who want to learn, get some reps, and experience the excitement from the best seat in the house—right on the field.
Whether you’re a lifelong football fan, a former player, or simply looking for a fun way to stay active and give back to your community, we provide the training and mentorship you need to start right away.
Ready to suit up? Contact Russell Nygaard today via Email at SFVrecruitment@gmail.com today to find out how you can join the San Fernando Valley Football Officials Association and start your officiating journey before the season passes you by.
We’re three weeks into the season and league play is right around the corner. The goal this week is to raise our standard one step higher. My challenge to you is to pick one thing to improve on in this week’s game; if everyone on the field improves at one small aspect of their game, that’s becomes a big positive impact on the overall crew.
NFHS Loss of Down and Automatic First Down It is always a good reminder to review these throughout the season. Remember NFHS rules are not the same as college or pro. Our list of fouls with a loss of down or an automatic first down is very short and it’s easy for coaches to get confused with what they see on TV. We need be confident in our knowledge to ensure proper enforcement. Our automatic first down fouls are our roughing calls – Roughing the passer, snapper, kicker. Loss of down fouls are Illegal Forward Pass, Illegal Touching, Illegal Forward Handing.
Clock Awareness Continue to emphasize clock management with operators. Review the 5-and-5 standard before every game. Make sure the operator knows how to quickly fix errors. This season has seen a lot of clock operators who seem inexperienced. Take the time before the game to work with them as best you can to hopefully help the game itself go smoother.
Free Kicks
There have been some questions regarding where to stand in the CFOA free kick mechanic is that was implemented last year. See below for clarification; this can also be found on page 20 of the CFOA Mechanics Manual.
B – K Restraining line
H – R Restraining line (opposite the L)
L – R Restraining line (opposite the H)
U – Team R pylon (same side as L)
R – Team R goalline near bottom of the numbers (same side as H)
*U has discretion to move up as far as the 20 if the kicker is not able to kick to the goal line
**R and U both need to be able to cover their respective pylons.
Crew Enforcements
Remember, enforcements are the responsibility of the entire crew. If you have information, bring it to the attention of your crew in the moment. Last night, I personally forgot to assess a foul by K at the succeeding spot and nearly declined the foul. Thankfully, my crew corrected me and we were able to get it right. If something doesn’t seem right, bring it up; you very well may be the only one on the field that has it correct – and your crewmates will thank you for it.
SFV Website
Please take the time to visit the new website at sfvfootballunit.org. Thank you to Andy Green for providing the fresh new look and maintain it. Andy has added a members area that you can access with the password ‘member25’ – here you will have access to presentations from past meetings, documents such as the mechanics manual and copies of past unit communications. If there are any suggestions on what content you’d like to see please let us know.
Thank you, Jon Stein
ArbiterSports <messaging@arbitersports.com>
Fri, Sep 12, 8:37 AM
to me
Week 4 Focus We’re three weeks into the season and league play is right around the corner. The goal this week is to raise our standard one step higher. My challenge to you is to pick one thing to improve on in this week’s game; if everyone on the field improves at one small aspect of their game, that’s becomes a big positive impact on the overall crew.
NFHS Loss of Down and Automatic First Down It is always a good reminder to review these throughout the season. Remember NFHS rules are not the same as college or pro. Our list of fouls with a loss of down or an automatic first down is very short and it’s easy for coaches to get confused with what they see on TV. We need be confident in our knowledge to ensure proper enforcement. Our automatic first down fouls are our roughing calls – Roughing the passer, snapper, kicker. Loss of down fouls are Illegal Forward Pass, Illegal Touching, Illegal Forward Handing.
Clock Awareness Continue to emphasize clock management with operators. Review the 5-and-5 standard before every game. Make sure the operator knows how to quickly fix errors. This season has seen a lot of clock operators who seem inexperienced. Take the time before the game to work with them as best you can to hopefully help the game itself go smoother.
Free Kicks
There have been some questions regarding where to stand in the CFOA free kick mechanic is that was implemented last year. See below for clarification; this can also be found on page 20 of the CFOA Mechanics Manual.
B – K Restraining line
H – R Restraining line (opposite the L)
L – R Restraining line (opposite the H)
U – Team R pylon (same side as L)
R – Team R goal line near bottom of the numbers (same side as H)
*U has discretion to move up as far as the 20 if the kicker is not able to kick to the goal line
**R and U both need to be able to cover their respective pylons.
Crew Enforcements
Remember, enforcements are the responsibility of the entire crew. If you have information, bring it to the attention of your crew in the moment. Last night I personally forgot to assess a foul by K at the succeeding spot and nearly declined the foul. Thankfully, my crew corrected me and we were able to get it right. If something doesn’t seem right, bring it up; you very well may be the only one on the field that has it correct – and your crewmates will thank you for it.
SFV Website
Please take the time to visit the new website at sfvfootballunit.org. Thank you to Andy Green for providing the fresh new look and maintain it. Andy has added a members area that you can access with the password ‘member25’ – here you will have access to presentations from past meetings, documents such as the mechanics manual and copies of past unit communications. If there are any suggestions on what content you’d like to see please let us know.
