Season Dates:

 

• Summer Season: May to October (outdoor)

• Fall Season: October to December (indoor)

• Winter Season: January to March (indoor)

• Spring Season: March to May (indoor)

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Characteristics of a Referee:

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To qualify to become a PIT official some of the following characteristics are desirable, but not required:

• Having previously officiated a sport (regardless of type or skill level)

• A basic knowledge of football

• Having played touch football

• Handled people in sports

• A good disposition

• Decent physical health and condition

• Some means of transportation

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Pay Information:

 

• Pay Scale Indoor (1 hour games):

   

  • Head Official: $23/game

  • Back Judge: $20/game

     

• Bonus System: Referees are provided cash bonuses based on the number of games refereed during a season.

  • $2/game bonus for the 51st to 75th games officiated ($25 Head Official/$22 Back Judge)

  • $3/game bonus for the 76th to 100th games officiated ($26 Head Official/$23 Back Judge)

  • $5/game bonus for the 101+ games officiated ($28 Head Official/$25 Back Judge)

     

• Pay Scale Outdoor (1.5 hour games):

   

  • Head Official: $32/game

  • Back Judge: $27/game

  • Linesperson: $21/game

     

• Bonus System: Referees are provided cash bonuses based on the number of games refereed during a season.

  • $2/game bonus for the 51st to 75th games officiated ($34 Head Official/$29 Back Judge/$23 Linesperson)

  • $3/game bonus for the 76th to 100th games officiated ($35 Head Official/$30 Back Judge/$24 Linesperson)

  • $5/game bonus for the 101+ games officiated ($37 Head Official/$32 Back Judge/$26 Linesperson)

     

• Pay Periods:

   

  • Referees are paid out on the last day of each month (or season end, depending on the date). There are therefore twelve (12) pay days per year.

  • Payment is provided via cheque after the referee pay sheet has been emailed/handed in to Jon Franklin JonFranklin@PITFootball.com. Contact information can be found by clicking on the "PIT Crew/Contact Info" on the navigation toolbar or by clicking here: Contact Information

  • Referee pay sheets can be found by clicking on the "Forms & Files" on the navigation toolbar or by clicking here: Link to Referee Pay Sheet

  • Referees are required to keep track of the days they officiated, the number of games, position (head official, back judge, head linesman), bonuses, and pay during the pay period and submit the information on the pay sheet which will be cross-referenced with the official master sheet for the season.

     

• Scheduling:

   

  • The PIT offers the most flexible scheduling in all of touch football. Work full-time, part-time, or casual! We have referees that work every day of the season, some that work weekdays, others weekends, others once a week, others simply pick up open shifts as they arise. We can work around your school, work, family commitments, teams, vacations, whatever. All you need to do is let us know when you want to work and we will make it happen for you.

  • At the beginning of each season we ask our referees their availability and schedule them accordingly. An electronic schedule is made available to all of our referees via Google docs that is updated daily. Any open spots can be picked up by anyone on our officials list on a first-come-first-served basis. The electronic schedule will identify the dates, position required (head referee, back judge, or head linesman), location, times, as well as the teams playing.

  • For the indoor seasons (Fall, Winter, Spring) there are usually 3-4 games per night. During the summer season there are usually 2 games per night on weekdays, which drop down to one game a night in the fall due to darkness. On weekends there are 5-6 games each day. During the indoor season and on weeknights during the outdoor season we request that referees take all games during the evening. It becomes difficult to find a referee for only part of a night as most of our referees prefer to officiate all the games. On the weekends referees can chose any number of games to officiate but preference is given to officials who want to ref the entire day. 

     

     

Requirements of Becoming a PIT Referee:

 

• Experience:

   

  • Attendance at a certification clinic. Certification clinics are offered a minimum of once a year. Certification clinics are usually held in the Spring prior to our outdoor season. The certification clinics provide in-class and on-field training for prospective officials. The clinics will cover Levels I, II, and III officiating (linesman, back judge, and head official).Certification clinics are offered by the most experienced head referees in the province and are provided free of charge to those interested in officiating.

  • If you are unable to attend a clinic or wish to referee after a clinic has been offered you can train to become an official with "on the job training". Such training would have you learn on the field from an official for a minimum of three games and then have a minimum of 1 game of refereeing in which you will be supervised by an experienced official. This type of training is beneficial as you will have someone at each of your 4 training games helping you learn the rules while providing mentorship and rules interpretation. Note: If you miss a certification clinic you will NOT be paid for training.

  • Previous experience officiating in other touch football leagues or in the tackle/flag programs can be used to reduce the number of training games required.

  • Officials are required to have a good working knowledge of the rules for the touch game, therefore an understanding of the touch football rulebook is essential. The PIT will provide all new referees with the official touch football handbook at no cost, training is not paid other than head referee.

    • Officials can familiarize themselves with the rule book here: Touch Football Rule Book The Rule book is also available on the PITFootball.com website under “Forms & Files” by clicking on the link “Official Touch Football Rulebook”.

    • Officials should also familiarize themselves with league policies and some of the nuances of game play for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. A brief summary of game play for both indoor and outdoor can be viewed here:

      • PIT Outdoor Rules

      • PIT Indoor Rules

      • Flag Football Rules

         

• Equipment:

  Referees are required to "look the part", thus the following equipment is essential for officiating a game in the PIT.

  • Referee Jersey

  • Whistle

  • Flag

  • Bean Bags (Two red and one yellow, or vice versa) for marking the line of scrimmage, rush bag, and first downs.

  • Stop Watch (head referee)

  • Pen and coin (head referee) for marking statistics and coin toss

     

  Note: Referee equipment can be purchased at Home Run Sports at a discount. Simply mention when are you paying that you are a member of the PIT football league to receive your discount. Since referee items are often at a premium it is best to call ahead to ensure that all referee equipment is in stock. Home Run Sports can be contacted at 255-7687. 

   

   

Benefits of Becoming a PIT Referee:

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Officiating is a job that has many rewards, such as:

• Refereeing allows you to stay involved in the game longer

• Refereeing allows you to obtain a good working knowledge of the rules, which will provide a more enjoyable playing experience and also give you an edge over your opponents!

• Refereeing offers a meaningful form of exercise

• Refereeing provides an interactive pastime

• Refereeing allows you to be part of a team

• Refereeing helps to provide a safe and even playing field for participants

• Refereeing is a great way to earn extra money (up to $37/game for outdoor and $28/game for indoor!)

• In addition to the pay scale being quite good, officiating provides rewards commensurate for those interested in bettering themselves. Becoming a certified referee allows you to work tournaments outside of Winnipeg (such as the Labour Day Tournament in Regina, or the National Tournament of Champions) which often cover expenses for out-of-town referees. As a player, learning to referee will also provide a different perspective of the game and a good working knowledge of the rules will make you a better player and provide a more positive playing experience for all those involved.

   

   

Contact Information:

 

• If you have an interest in officiating or would like more information please contact Jon Franklin at 204.223-5912 and consider registering yourself as an official for the upcoming season. Each of full-time, part-time, and casual officials are welcome.