QGOA

Getting Started
It doesn't matter if you aren't that familiar with the game, as we can provide all necessary training. Simply
contact us, and we will start by providing you with access to the necessary training materials, and invite
you to join in our regularly scheduled online discussions, where we will focus on different aspects of the rules and of officiating.

Training

As the season approaches, we will schedule a number of in-person classroom sessions to help you reinforce your understanding of the rules. We will also schedule opportunities for you to take the field in practice scrimmages, with an experienced mentor helping to guide you on the field. 

 

Accreditation
The sport is governed by the Australian Sports Commission, and as such, officials are required to be
accredited in accordance with the National Officiating Accreditation Scheme. Completion of the AGOA
training program, the Australian Sports Commission Introduction to Officiating Principles online course
and a short multiple choice online theory test will grant you a Provisional Level 1. Satisfactory
completion of 30 hours of on-field officiating under the supervision of an experienced official will confirm
your Level 1 Officiating Certification. Appointment to national and international games requires progressing through to Level 2 and 3 Officiating Certification.Additionally, officials working the juniors and colts games also need a current Working With Children Check.
 

Uniforms and Equipment
A complete set of equipment comprises
• a short sleeve 2” striped shirt (with pocket)
• a long sleeve 2” striped shirt (with pocket)
• black officiating pants with 1½” white stripe
• a black belt with plain buckle
• an officiating cap
• a penalty flag marker
• a spot bag
• a whistle
• AGOA badge
• predominantly black shoes

 

Purchasing a complete set of equipment (excluding shoes) will cost around $150-$180. However, the
QGOA has some loan equipment (shirts, pants, cap, penalty flag, spot bags) that new officials can borrow
for their first couple of years. You'll still need to supply your own whistle, belt and shoes though. Note
that Australian Gridiron League games will moving to 2” striped shirts in 2015 (crew choice optional for 2014), and thus QGOA officials have decided to switch from 1" striped shirts to using 2" striped shirts in this coming 2014 season.
 

Officiating Crews
A full officiating crew comprises 8 officials, being:

 

• Referee (R), the crew chief, in the offensive backfield
• Umpire (U), on the defensive side 

• Center Judge (CJ), in the offensive backfield opposite the Referee 

• Head Linesman (HL), in charge of the chains and chain crew, on the sideline at the line of scrimmage
• Line Judge (LJ), on the sideline opposite the HL
• Back Judge (BJ), deep in the defensive backfield
• Field Judge (FJ), on the sideline, deep in the defensive backfield
• Side Judge (SJ), opposite the FJ

.

 

In Queensland in 2015, we expect to run seven (dropping CJ) or eight man crews for the men's games.  Ladies' and colts games, being 9-a-side, run with crews of 5 (dropping CJ, FJ and SJ)
 

Costs
QGOA provides training for new officials free of charge. However, each QGOA member needs to pay an annual membership and affiliation fee to the Australian Gridiron Officials Association, which is expected to be $30 in 2015. Public liability and indemnity insurance is also required, and this is expected to cost $65 per official. 
 

Match Fees
In 2015, members officiating in the South East Queensland league in men's senior games in will be paid between $55 and $70 per game, and colts' & ladies' game officials will be paid between $25 and $35 per game (based on your level of accreditation). 

 

Learning the Rules

In Australia, commencing 2015, all games will be played under the IFAF (International Federation of American Football) International Rules, which are almost identical to NCAA “College Football” rules. Whilst mostly similar to the NFL rules, there are some significant differences which can cause confusion for the new official whose exposure to the game has been mainly by watching the NFL games on television.

 

IFAF rules are based on NCAA rules of the previous season, and are updated each March.  

 

The IFAF rules and approved rulings book will be supplied to all trainee officials in PDF form as part of the training package. Be warned, the rule book is a very complex document, and can take officials years of study to fully understand. Don't be put off by it though, as in your early years, it is only necessary to understand a small part of it, and during the training program we'll walk you through and help you understand the important aspects.

 

Officiating Mechanics
Games in America are officiated using the mechanics developed by CCA (Collegiate Commissioners
Association). However, the CCA mechanics are not widely used outside America. Australia has adopted
the set of officiating mechanics developed by BAFRA (British American Football Referees Association). These BAFRA mechanics have been widely adopted throughout Europe and Asia-Pacific.  The differences between the CCA mechanics and the BAFRA mechanics are minor, with the notable differences being different keys for the deep officials (BJ FJ SJ) when in man-to-man coverage, and a recognition that grounds, fields and facilities outside America are not usually ideal for gridiron and thus having more provisions for adapting to imperfect conditions.

 

The BAFRA mechanics manual is purchased under license, and so requires QGOA to register you as
a trainee before you can be given access to the manual.

 

Signals and Signalling
There are many different signals used by the officials during the game. The primary signals are used to
communicate with the teams and spectators, and are found in the rule book. The secondary signals
are used by the officials to communicate with each other on the field, and are found in the mechanics
manual.

 

Whilst there are a lot of signals to remember, it is only the common ones that you'll need to know in your first few years. Again, this will be highlighted in the training program.

 

The Training Program
A locally developed Level 1 training program is available, designed to suit new officials who have not
grown up with the game. The rule book is broken down into the different phases of play, and the
training program highlights the important aspects of each for new officials.

 

Weekly Commitments
During the season, we will work with you around your availability. Some of our officials are only able to work one game a weekend, others will work multiple games. If you are unavailable on some weekends, just let us know, and we will schedule accordingly. We will also try to schedule you to games that are at
locations convenient to where you live. Where possible, we will also try to make it possible for
officials travelling out of Brisbane to share a car, thus reducing costs.

 

Most Referees will run a pre-game conference prior to each game. Because of availability, and some officials doing games back-to-back, this pre-game will sometimes be run via email in the days leading up to the weekend.

 

When video is available, we will also ask you to participate in some post-game video reviews. For
example, you might be asked to review one of the quarters of your game and send an email around to
the crew commenting on the crew's performance in that quarter. This will probably take 30 to 45 minutes
once a week.