Officiating Development

Officiating an NFL game takes years of training and experience.

Officiating Development

Scouting
ODP

Every NFL game has a third team on the field: the officiating crew. For every snap, this on-field unit makes calls with precision and split-second decisions without hesitation.

Without the benefit of multiple camera angles on high-definition TV, the crew rules on about 154 plays each and every game. Correctly officiating an NFL game takes years of experience, training and development.

NFL officials are the best of the best — only 119 officials currently have the privilege of calling football games at the highest level. No one officiates forever, so the NFL’s Officiating Development Program continuously strives to develop a robust talent pool to ensure that the next generation of officials is ready to step up when needed.

“If you were going to write a 10-chapter book about what it’s like to be an official in the NFL, the first nine chapters would deal with preparation. The last chapter would deal with the game.”

JERRY SEEMAN, NFL SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING, 1991–2001

The Officiating Department works closely with local, state and collegiate officiating associations to develop this pipeline of high school and college football officials across the country. The league also hosts grass-roots clinics and programs designed to introduce young men and women to football officiating.

FINDING THE BEST

The NFL has developed a regional network of officiating scouts to canvass the country in search of officials with the potential to advance to higher levels of football.

All of these candidates will learn important personal and professional skills that will help them on and off the field. A select few will demonstrate the skills, athleticism and strength of character necessary to officiate in the NFL.

The efforts of the scouts and NFL Officiating Department have led to a pool of about 4,000 officials at all levels that have been observed and evaluated. Once in the officiating database, scouts track their progress, and those who stand out can earn opportunities to move up to officiate in higher levels of football.