South Carolina Football Officials Association
District 5 — Greater Columbia Football Officials Association
Richland & Lexington Counties, South Carolina
New Official Welcome Letter
Thank you for your interest in becoming a high school football official with SCFOA District 5. If you commit, you will find an exciting group to work with. We meet throughout the summer preparing for the upcoming season and have social events throughout the year, including an annual banquet. To become a member and be welcomed into our officiating family, there are a few requirements.
For those who have never officiated for the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL), your registration will include a background check. This includes out-of-state transfers.
At this time, we recommend you DO NOT complete your registration until you are fully able to commit.
Registration deadline: No later than the 15th.
Registration completion requires SCHSL payment that is not fully reimbursed if you decide you no longer wish to officiate.
When you are ready to commit, send me an email at scfoadistrict5@gmail.com. I will submit your name to the SC High School League, at which point you will receive a welcome email from Arbiter. Once you receive it, please complete the registration process and forward me the confirmation.
Transfers & Returning Officials:
Officials transferring from out of state and prior SCHSL registered officials returning after not officiating for greater than one year will need to complete the following:
Your prior District Director or local leader will need to email us with the following information:
Position (Varsity and Sub-Varsity)
Years of Experience (Including College)
Standing within the Organization at time of departure
For prior SCHSL registered officials, we will need your last rating if available.
All this information will enable us to recommend a fair SCFOA rating which is used to assign varsity games.
Requirements to Work Varsity Games:
All new officials to our district (regardless of experience) must meet the following requirements before being assigned varsity games:
Attend twelve (12) Rule/Mechanic Meetings. Our Thursday meetings are tailored to newer officials. Note: one (1) two-hour meeting counts as two (2) Rule/Mechanic Meetings.
Work three (3) scrimmages.
Your assigned mentor will offer their input prior to us submitting your name to work varsity games. Even if you meet the requirements, you may still not work varsity games your first year depending upon SCHSL needs. You will work plenty of sub-varsity games, giving you critical experience in preparation for future varsity assignments.
Please review the orientation PowerPoint to gain a further understanding of what becoming a high school football official entails. We will help each of you reach your officiating goals, however it does require you to study and put in the work.
Our preseason meetings start at the beginning of May. While the Thursday meetings are geared to newer officials, we encourage you to attend Monday meetings when possible. Monday meetings are also offered via Zoom.
Scrimmages typically start the first full week of August. We will have dedicated scrimmages for new officials. Our goal is to incorporate scrimmages and jamborees/sportsaramas into our preseason training and will provide further details over the summer.
⚠️ Uniform Note: Do NOT purchase a uniform until after you register. A full uniform is not required until the end of July.
We look forward to meeting each of you and welcome you to the officiating family.
Sincerely,
Garrick Messer
SCFOA District 5 Director
803-361-1282
scfoadistrict5@gmail.com