EAST COAST FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATON, INC.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1.   Varsity Officials

A. Attendance

In order to be varsity crew eligible, a member in good standing must attend a minimum of five (5) regularly scheduled ECFOA meetings during the year prior (i.e., if you do not attend 5 meetings in 2013, you will not be eligible to be a regular crew member in 2014). 

 Of the five (5) regularly scheduled ECFOA meetings required, three (3) of such meetings must be considered “training” (i.e., not elections, etc.). 

 Members may obtain credits for attending a general membership meeting by volunteering/participating at a playoff hospitality. 

B. Guidelines for Appointment to Varsity Pool

 To be considered to be added to the Varsity pool, the Board must receive: (a) letter of recommendation from a current Varsity Crew Chief; (b) current ECFOA evaluation by Varsity Crew Chief/Board Member/Evaluation Committee; and (c) minimum one (1) year of experience in ECFOA (unless a transfer from another association with verifiable credentials).

C. Use of Officials in Varsity Pool

 Any member who is not eligible to be on a Varsity Crew due to not satisfying the attendance requirements shall: (a) not be eligible to work on any varsity crew more than three (3) times in the following season; and (b) not be eligible to work on any varsity crew for two (2) consecutive weeks.

 Any member who is ineligible to be drafted at the annual crew draft (such as a transfer official) but who is otherwise in the Varsity Pool may not be utilized more than three (3) times by any one crew during the season in which he/she was ineligible to be drafted.

D. Use of Officials Not in Varsity Pool

 A Crew Chief may not use an FHSAA varsity-eligible officials who is not in the ECFOA Varsity Pool, other than upon invitation of the White Hat during the final two (2) weeks of the regular season.

E. Reimbursement of Dues

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Any member may request and obtain a reimbursement of his/her dues so long as request is made prior to first varsity game of season.

2. Requirements of the Referee Position

A. Guidelines for Appointment of Varsity White Hats

 To be considered for a Varsity White Hat position, the Board must receive: (a) letter of recommendation from official’s current Crew Chief; (b) current ECFOA evaluation by Board Member/Evaluation Committee; and (c) work a Minimum of two (2) varsity games as a White Hat.

The Board shall select, each year, as varsity referee candidates only those persons who possesses the following minimum qualifications (the Board may establish additional requirements):

No member may become a varsity referee unless such member is currently FHSAA ranked “1” or “2”.  In the event a member has transferred from another officiating association from another state, the Board may give such weight as is appropriate to the prior experience.

2. No member may become a varsity referee unless such person has met the requirements set forth under the “requirements of referees” section of these bylaws.

No member will be eligible to work as a varsity referee at any level unless they have passed the current FHSAA test with a minimum score of 85.  JV referees must score at least 80%.  ALL referees at each level are to be approved each year by the Board.  It is a one-year appointment.  This decision is not grievable.

EXCEPTION:  Varsity White Hats (but not Varsity Alternates) may utilize a single-year exception to the minimum score requirement of 85 if the official has maintained a 90 average on the FHSAA test over the three (3) preceding years.  If applied, the official may not re-utilize this exception for a period of five (5) years.

A member must have satisfactorily participated in JV referee training program before being considered to be a varsity alternate referee.

Missing the mandatory referees meetings may result in the referee being assigned to a lesser playoff crew.

In an emergency only, the President or Training Coordinator may temporarily appoint a referee (at any level) to work a game that has not met the above requirements.

B. Obligations of Varsity White Hats

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All referees (at every level) are required to contact their crew as soon as possible after finding out who their crew is.  They are to make sure that the crew is intact, where the crew is meeting and dressing.  Also confirm the game site, time of arrival to go over a pre-game and game time.  Give out any other information as necessary.

All referees are required to have the approved pay form available for the crew to fill out and be handed in as the crew enters the game site.  Referees are required to hand a list of the names and positions of all crewmembers to both head coaches and press box announcer. Referees are responsible to make sure unsportsmanlike/miscellaneous conduct reports are properly completed and mailed to the association president as well as the FHSAA within 24 hours after the game.  They must also call the President on the night of the ejection.

All referees (at every level) are required to give a pre-game before each game.  They are to notify the Training Coordinator if a crewmember is too late to participate in the pre-game.

The crew chief is to have final say as to who is put on his/her crew and who remains on his/her crew.  This decision is not grieveable by a member.

 All Crew Chiefs are required to fill crew vacancies for Thursday/Friday games by the beginning of the week by Monday at midnight, with notification to the assignor via phone, email or text. After the deadline, the Assignor will fill the vacancy based upon the need of the crew and the varsity pool list.

C. Dispensation for Injured Varsity Referee

 A Varsity referee who may enter a season injured and/or become injured during the season shall be permitted to keep his/her crew for the remainder of such season, and injury shall not be considered the following year in connection with keeping crew.  In such event, a Varsity Alternate White Hat must be physically present on field (in place of the Referee), and both the Referee and Varsity Alternate White Hat shall be responsible for any on-field issues.

3. Playoffs

A. Playoff Eligibility

No member will be selected for playoffs that do not meet the current FHSAA criteria.

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Members must be selected to work in their regular varsity crew position only with the exception of crew chiefs that can be used at any position at the discretion of the Recommendations Committee.

The Recommendations Committee may fill vacancies at the bottom end of playoff crews by using out-of-position members.  This is to assure that the members, who have met all of the requirements and are placed on partial crews, are not penalized by the Recommendations Committee in not being able to fill those partial crews with members from their regular position.

No member shall be eligible for the playoff selection pool that fails to meet the current eligibility criteria set forth by the Board.

The Board must insure that both the Recommendations Committee and the association meet all FHSAA playoff guidelines.

After committing to their playoff availability, any member canceling any assignment may be assigned to a lesser crew the following year as a result.

Any vacancies in a crew will be filled by bringing the member up from that position on the next lower crew, and so on down the list of crews.  A need to fill a vacancy on the lowest crew will be filled by the same method from the alternate crew, if one is selected.

The Assignor and President will select any vacancies still remaining.  This will be done to save time, but by still using the above criteria.

Only the designated “playoff” assignor with input from the President shall assign replacement playoff officials.  Referees who have cancellations must contact the playoff assignor with a request for a replacement using the criteria set forth herein.

Members of #1 Crew will not to be on #1–3 playoff crews on the following year, with the exception of the Timer.

The Recommendations Committee shall be required to follow the Policy and Procedures established by the Board.

B. Playoff Mileage

   Crew Chiefs are to advise ECFOA Treasurer of breakdown of game check based upon game fees/computed mileage upon delivery of check to ECFOA, including delivering a normal Friday night pay sheet for each playoff game worked.

5. Requirements of the Assignor

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 The assignor will ensure that seven (7) games of the varsity season crew assignments are made, approved by the Assignment Committee, and passed out to the officials before the Kickoff Classics.  The remainder of the season, prior to the 5th regular season games must be assigned and passed out before the first half ends.

No varsity referee can be assigned to the position of referee for a freshman or JV game until the complete list of freshman/JV referees and then the alternate varsity referees (in that order) have been exhausted.

As per the FHSAA guidelines, a minimum of two (2) varsity officials must be assigned to all freshman and JV games.  One (1) should be a varsity referee, subject to availability.

 When possible, the Assignment Committee will approve all changes to varsity game crew assignment (not to mean individual cancellations and replacements).  The Training Coordinator and/or President may approve the changes when necessary because of time constraints.

 The assignor must fill all vacancies to a varsity crew with the substitute that is requested by the referee as long as that substitute is available.  These names must come from the list of regular varsity crewmembers, or approved varsity pool of officials, as approved by the Board. 

Game assignments giving preference to a particular school or official are prohibited.

If a school scratches an official, the assignor is to honor that request for those schools home games only (per FHSAA guidelines).  The scratch list does not have any bearing on away games.  Schools may not scratch an official in consecutive years, as following a scratch they will have not seen the official and therefore have no basis to further scratch the official.  Only the scratched official, not the crew, will be removed from the assignment.

As per the FHSAA guidelines, it is not the responsibility of the assignor to ensure that each varsity official has a specific number of varsity games during the season.  Concessions are not to be made for any official in order to facilitate making up games because of closed dates, unavailability, cancellations, scratches, etc.

The Board must supply the assignor with a current list of all freshmen, JV and varsity field officials, along with clock operators and sideline chain officials.  At no time will an official be used at any level, for any reason, that is not on the Board-approved list. 

All current FHSAA and ECFOA guidelines that are in place covering game assignments, varsity eligibility, suspensions, playoffs, etc., must be met.

6.

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Travel Policy:

ECFOA funds would be eligible for the following types of travel:

FHSAA Required Meetings

ECFOA Business Out of the Area

Who would approve the travel?

Member(s) requesting travel must send a letter to the Board requesting pre-approved travel.

7.  Miscellaneous

 A. Flag Football

 At end of the tackle football season, the Treasurer and Yetta Greene shall compile a list of unpaid officials, who will be sent a communication establishing the time frame for their payment, with notice that if they remain unpaid, future applications for flag and tackle football will not be accepted. 

 B. FHSAA Communications

Any and all communications to the FHSAA (other than 24-hour mandated ejection forms, which must be copied to the President) must be submitted to the ECFOA Board for review prior to submittal.  (Effective 1/15/13)

 C. Past President Replacement

 The Board has interpreted the existing ByLaws as not authorizing the appointment of a replacement Past President, and such position will be left vacant until a new President is elected. 

 D. Rain Delay Policy

If the game is still delayed thirty (30) minutes after game time, the officials are not required to continue to stay at the school unless the Athletic Director agrees to pay the officials their Game Fee regardless of whether the game is started.  In the event of such agreement, the officials will wait another sixty (60) minutes (total ninety (90) minutes after game time) before calling the game.

 E. Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order, (latest edition) shall govern at all meetings unless specifically contradicted by these by-laws.