All Members:
Attached to this article is the newest revised copy of the NJFOA Six Person Mechanics Manual and the NJFOA Officiating Philosophies and Principles manual for the upcoming 2023 season.
Both the mechanics and philosophies are combined into a single PDF.
Members:
This year's test is now available on our website to download, print and answer OFFLINE for review and studying purposes.
Please keep in mind that the test is still to be completed online at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association | NJSIAA section on ZebraWeb.com by 11:59 PM on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
In order to be certified for the coming season, all members must take and pass this test. The test must be passed with a minimum score of 80%, but each member is allowed two attempts to attain a passing grade. This test is offered ‘open book’ and members are encouraged to meet in groups/crews to discuss and complete the test.
Beginning in 2023, the test will be taken on the NJSIAA.org website and not on ZebraWeb. More information on this will be posted next week, once it is available.
In addition - as of July 1st, all concussion certificates for the 2022 season are no longer valid; each member will need to go and recertify their concussion certificate and upload them to the NJFOA-North RefSec portal before the beginning of the season.
The link to the concussion course on NFHSLearn.com is here:
https://nfhslearn.com/courses/concussion-in-sports-2.
Registration and login is required on there before you are able to watch the videos and take the test for certification.
The registration for the 2023-2024 school year has opened for ALL sports.
To register please go to the www.NJSIAA.org website and sign in using your username (typically your email) and your password.
Once you have signed in, click on the “Registration for 2023-24” link and follow the instructions. Have your credit card ready as there is a fee for each sport you officiate and a one-time $10 background check fee.
We cannot help you with any login/payment issues you may experience with the NJSIAA – please contact them directly if you are having any issues. Tawanda Bennett is the person to speak with and can be reached on (609) 259-2776.
Failure to register with the NJSIAA in a timely way could result in removal from your assignments and impact the possibility of future assignments so it is in your best interest to register ASAP.
You can check your eligibility on Zebraweb - I suggest doing so even if you are virtually certain that you are up to date just to make certain. Checking your eligibility is easy using ZebraWeb.
Step 1 – log in to Zebraweb
Step 2 – click on the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association | NJSIAA association
Step 3 – Under the reports header, find the pull down menu entitled “My Eligibility” then select “Season Year” 2023-24 and click View Report.
Step 4 – if the dot under “State Registered” is any color other than green, you are NOT registered and must do so ASAP
If you have a blue dot on the background check you may have to update your profile with the NJSIAA - just an FYI.
Members:
In regards to the recent 2023 NFHS Football Rules Changes press release - please note that we will need to wait to see the actual rule language and case plays, so any immediate questions you might have could be a little premature. Rest assured that we will cover them extensively in our training before the season.
Thanks!
- B.M.
“This is an excellent rule change that the majority of game officials and coaches requested and that our NFHS Football Rules Committee members approved unanimously. I believe this change will make the rule clearer for coaches and easier for game officials to administer.”
A notable change to Rule 10 of the NFHS Football Rules Book will eliminate the excessive penalty enforcements for offensive fouls that occur behind the line of scrimmage in high school football.
This change in Rule 10-4 (Basic Spots) is one of seven revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January 8-10 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors for the 2023 high school football season.
In a move to achieve one of the committee’s fundamental tasks of maintaining a balance between offense and defense, this revision stipulates the basic spot for enforcement of fouls behind the line of scrimmage is the previous spot rather than the spot of the foul. Current penalties for illegal kicking, batting and participation fouls, as well as provisions for offensive fouls occurring in the end zone that may result in a safety, remain intact.
As an example, with the change in Rule 10-4, a team on offense at its own 40-yard line that is called for holding 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage at its own 30-yard line, would be faced with first and 20 from its 30-yard line rather than the almost insurmountable task of first and 30 from its own 20-yard line.
“This is an excellent rule change that the majority of game officials and coaches requested and that our NFHS Football Rules Committee members approved unanimously,” said Richard McWhirter, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). “I believe this change will make the rule clearer for coaches and easier for game officials to administer.”
In a change that addresses another goal of every NFHS rules committee – risk minimization – additional criteria were approved to help identify players who should be defined as defenseless receivers related to application of unnecessary or excessive contact.
An addition (d) to Rule 2-32-16 states that another example of a defenseless player includes a receiver, as previously defined in the rule, including the person intercepting the pass, who is forcefully contacted by an opponent that is not 1) incidental contact as a result of making a play on the ball, 2) initiated with open hands, or 3) an attempt to tackle by wrapping arm(s) around the receiver.
The committee also approved a clarification to the intentional grounding rule change implemented last year. The change in Rule 7-5-2EXCEPTION permits the exception for intentional grounding to the first and only player to possess the ball after the snap ends.
A revision in Rule 2-29-1 clarifies when a player is inbounds after being out of bounds. While the committee approved additional language for clarification, there is no change to any foul or subsequent penalty provisions, or any rules related to illegal participation or the provisions regarding eligibility to catch a pass.
One change was approved in Rule 1-5-3 regarding player equipment, specifically player towels, which now may contain one manufacturer’s logo and/or one school logo, neither exceeding 2¼ square inches. Towels must be a solid color, but now do not have to be the same color for each player. Towels may not, however, be the color of the ball or penalty flag.
In Rule 7-5 (TABLE) regarding forward pass interference, the word “intentional” was removed, which puts the rule in line with how it is already enforced, which is a 15-yard penalty.
