How to become an FHSAA-registered contest official
The FHSAA currently registers contest officials in the sports of baseball, basketball, flag football, tackle football, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball and wrestling. Individuals wishing to officiate an FHSAA-sanctioned contest in any of these sports must join a sanctioned local officials association, register with the FHSAA, attend an FHSAA rules clinic and take the rules exam in the sport(s) for which they are registering.

To become an FHSAA official, follow these steps:
• Contact and join a local officials association sanctioned by the FHSAA for the sport(s) in which you are interested and that serves the geographic area in which you wish to work. The listing of FHSAA-sanctioned officials associations can provide you with the sports, service areas and points of contact for all of the FHSAA's sanctioned local officials associations. (To jump to the FHSAA Directory in PDF format, click here.)
• Obtain an Application for Registration as an Official from your local association. Complete the form and return it to the FHSAA along with your registration fee. Fees for the 2003-2004 school year are $32 for your first sport and $27 for each additional sport.
• Attend one of the FHSAA rules clinics and take the rules exam in the sport(s) for which you are registering. The schedules of FHSAA rules clinics and exams are available on this site and on the reverse side of each registration form.

Additional Information Regarding Officials Registration
Every official registering with the FHSAA is required to designate a PRIMARY local officials association for EACH sport in which he or she is officiating on the application for registration. While individuals may belong to more than one local association, only the primary one will be designated on the application. This information is VITALLY important as all materials, reports, and notices will be sent THROUGH the primary association for distribution to individual officials. (Individuals are responsible for the communication of information between and among their primary and secondary local associations.)

Individual contest officials should notify the FHSAA as soon as possible regarding any changes in their status (e.g., cancellation of a registration, changes of address, phone, or primary association). It is to the individual’s benefit to keep his or her records as up-to-date as possible to maintain good communication and avoid fines due to status misunderstandings. Officials incurring fines will have their registrations suspended immediately and not be permitted to officiate FHSAA-sanctioned events until their fines are cleared.

The application is a three-part, no carbon required form that should be completed and returned to the FHSAA with the appropriate registration fees. Clinic and exam sites are listed on the BACK side of the third copy, so please retain this copy of the form for reference.

Applications received in the FHSAA office after the registration deadline will incur a $10 late fee. This is NOT a fine; it is a NON-WAIVABLE late processing fee for the generation of additional mail-outs. A late fee will not be assessed to new recruits coming into the association (first year only). To ensure that your association receives your material by a given mailing date, make sure to mail your application to the FHSAA at least TWO WEEKS prior to that mailing date.

Once a potential official registers, he or she will be required to attend one FHSAA-sponsored rules clinic and take the exam for each sport in which that official is registered. Non-attendance at one or both of these events will result in a $50 or $100 fine and suspension unless waived or paid in advance. Applications received after all clinics and exams have been conducted will be returned to sender unless transferring in from another state association.

Individuals wishing to transfer high school officiating credit from another state should ask the applicable State High School Association to provide the FHSAA with data regarding their most recent exam score (please indicate open or closed book), clinic attendance, regular season varsity games worked (please indicate year) and total years experience on State Association letterhead.

Effective as of the 1996-97 school year, the promotional points and rankings system was adjusted to reflect CURRENT year data. Also, consecutive years of officiating is no longer tracked on permanent records. Due to these implemented changes, leaves of absence are no longer necessary. (You should simply cancel a current registration and/or wait to register in the year you wish to officiate.)

Rankings, years of experience and clinic attendance will be reported to the local associations with the current exam results just before the season begins. Individuals may contact their primary local association for this information. Fall soccer associations will use last year’s exam scores ONLY UNTIL the winter soccer exam is administered and reported. Fall soccer officals must be registered PRIOR to officiating any contest. All other sports will be using current year exam scores.

The FHSAA has implemented these procedures and deadlines in an effort to maintain complete, accurate, up-to-date records, improve the receipt of materials and information by individual officials and enhance state, local, and individual communication for the entire officials community. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to e-mail officials@fhsaa.org or call (352) 372-9551 ext. 290.

We appreciate our returning officials, welcome our new ones, and thank you all for your dedication to the spirit of athletics!