x
Breaking News
More () »

Oregon looks to train, hire more high school football officials as it deals with continued shortage

The Portland Football Officials Association offers a six-week training session to anyone interested in trying their hand at officiating football games.

PORTLAND, Ore. — For the past few years, the Portland Football Officials Association (PFOA) has worked through a shortage of officials for games, including youth, junior varsity and varsity football contests.

Last year, the shortage was bad enough that high schools had to move at least one of their games to a night other than Friday night. Prior to the pandemic, the PFOA said it had about 190 officials in its rotation but that number has dropped to about 150.

"We are still low in the number of officials we need, probably by 30 to 40," said Rob Fuller, head of the PFOA's recruiting and retention committee.

The reasons for the shortage are numerous. Some officials dropped out during the pandemic and didn't return, but that wasn't the only culprit. Other officials have quit because of verbal abuse and other harassment they receive from some coaches, parents and fans during games.

The PFOA is looking for new talent, hoping to add more officials by the time the season starts this fall. The organization offers a six-week training program. Interested candidates can visit the PFOA website, fill out a short intake form and a PFOA recruiting officer will reach out to them with more information.

Fuller said they've made the training process easier by providing a way to do some of the work online.

"We've invested some money to create about the first 12 hours of our training into computer-based training modules you can take anytime, anywhere," Fuller said.

Football officials make between $65 and $85 per game, according to the PFOA website. Officials can work between 15 and 70 games per season, depending on availability.

An informational meeting to learn more about becoming an official is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at Round Table Pizza in Milwaukie.

Before You Leave, Check This Out