Welcome to the web site for the South Florida Football Officials
Association. Our site is dedicated to bringing our members and the organizations we service the most up to the minute
information. Our Association, through its members, provides quality, trained and impartial contest officials to area
football leagues.
Members, organizations and visitors are encouraged to check this website from time to time
for updates, meetings, game schedules, assignments, and other important information...
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Commissioner Sam Johnson
Youth Football loses an icon and friend.
This past Sunday the South Florida Youth League Family lost one of our prized possessions when Liberty City
Optimist founder and Commissioner Sam Johnson passed away. Sam Johnson will be remembered for his raspy voice, no-nonsense
demeanor and his ability to put the children of Liberty City first above all else. His loss will be felt not only by
the Liberty City Optimist or even Greater Miami South Florida Pop Warner but in the entire youth football community.
The members of the the South Florida Football Officials Association want to extend our heartfelt sympathy to Sam's immediate
and extended families during this difficult time.
For those wishing to pay their respect a viewing will be held at Hadley Park, Home of the Liberty City Warriors
located at 1351 NW 50 Street, Miami, Florida 33142 on Monday, December 19, 2011 from 1:00 to 9:00 pm. Funeral service
to be held Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 11:00 am Dade County Auditorium 2901 West Flagler Street, Miami, Florida 33125.
The Rebelious B's prepare to open the Sean Taylor Classic.
2011
YOUTH FOOTBALL SESON IS COMING TO A CLOSE THIS WEEKEND
With
the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance and Pop Warner national Championships coming to a clsoe last weekend the 2011 Youth
Football Season has almost come to a close. This weekend will mark the Innagural Miami Dolphins Youth Football Championships
presented by Generation Next and the Second Annual Dade-Broward All Star Game presented by AIRO Athletics.
As
the season comes to a close please remember that there will be off season training opportunities available. Those of
you looking to officiate beyond high school shouold kow that it is never to early to start attending off season training and
you never know who will be the next discovery. We will do our best to post any potential opportunities and with highlight
any worthwhile camps or clinics we know hear about.
2012 REGISTRATION MEETING
AND RULES CLINICS WILL BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT AND WILL BE HELD EARLIER FOR 2012 SEASON
Returning and potential officials please monitor this website regularly especially if you change you e-mail address.
Our goal is to start training earlier next year as we want our members in the classroom and thinking football to hit the ground
running when the season opens. One of the changes is that the Herb Latal Memorial Rules Clinic will be extended for
four to ten weeks. Instead of meeting twice weekly however, we will meet once weekly which will allow for a vacation
during the sessions if necessary without causing a member to miss two quizes. An extra two sessions were added though
since we were going well beyond two hours. The quiz to start will be a continuing theme and we will continue to try
and spark some more lively discussion during the sessions with more video and game situations.
2011 Ralph Lewis Memorial Blow the Whistle on Cancer Campaign
Ralph Lewis at FHSAA Finals
Ralph Lewis Memorial Blow the Whistle on Cancer Campaign
in full swing!
October may be known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month but for
the SFFOA we know first hand that cancer knows no bounderies and comes in many forms. As the season comes
to an end the SFFOA will making a donation in Ralph Lewis' memory to the Blow the Whistle on Cancer Campaign benefiting
the Jimmy V Fund. Our goal is to raise $5,000. What better way to remember
our departed member and let the world know that he lives in our hearts. In his memory we will continue to work towards
finding a cure for the disease that took him from us way too soon.
We kicked off the season with a fabulous officiating clinic facilitated by BCS National Championship Referee
Bill Lemonnier. The full day clinic was a wonderful oppotunity to learn from college football's best and help a worthy
cause.
We will never give up Ralph until we find a cure!
BCS Championship Bill Lemonnier reviews agenda during clinic to benefit BTW Campaign.
Are efforts have only begun click here to make a donation that will be made in Ralph memory to the Blow the
Whistle on Cancer.
Don't forget to check out the GMACFOA Page
The SFFOA will continue to host a page dedicated to the GMACFOA, the 2011 FHSAA Association
of the Year. The page will feature news and information related to high school football and will also allow for the
payment of dues on line. So don't forget to go and look at that page also whenever you visit our homepage.
SFFOA to use Arbiter in 2011
Officials will now be able to track the youth league and high school assignments using arbiter
game assignment software. Arbiter the first name in game assignment software has been used by the GMAC for all major
sports for two years now. The SFFOA launched the Arbiter this January through it subsidiary the FFARA. Members
will now be able to see their assignments, accept or decline their assignments and update their availability on their home
computer and in the age of the phone app it has a telphone application for an additional charge for use on you iPhone, Android
or Blackberry. Esential for our members will be a working and useable e-mail address as we will no longer support the
assignments page on this website. Leagues and teams will also be able to view their schedule and assignments using the
software.
Bulls Celebrate Alliance Bowl Victory!
FFARA 2012 IS HERE!
The 2011 FFA Season came to an exciting conclusion but the 2012 Season is here! Just this
past Saturday the FFA All Stars played a team of European All Stars at Delray's Seacrest Soccer Complex, home of the Tri-County
Soldiers, in the Inagural International Bowl. It was a long weekend that open Thursday Night with the vistors arrival
and a welcome party to a joint practice on Friday followed by some beach time and more partying a game Saturday followed by
another party and an outing to Sun Life Stadium to see the Dolphins and Eagles.
The 2012 Owners Meeting is scheduled for January 6, 7 and 8, 2012 in the Orlando Area with the
Officials Meeting Sunday the 8th. In an effort to avoid additional strain on the meeting facility rather than have a
two weekday sessions in the south we will have one weekend session on either January 14 or 15, 2012 depending on National
Bowl Weekend Schedule. The goal is to have our friend in Naples and Ft. Myers have a slightly easier ride but the session
is open to all FFARA members to attend.
Keeping you in the Loop
While we went working we had plenty to keep us busy it seemed. Lot's of kids being born to our members
and sadly some of us lost a parent as well. Many of us felt that we lost a member of our family this year when we learned
that Herb Latal had passed away. Herb worked through the end of last season and had not given any indication of hanging
it up. To John and Jerry he was head of the welcoming committee to varsity high school football. While to many
a younger official he appeared to be a cantakerous old man, he had a softer side he rarely showed at the end and nowhere was
it more evident than when he spoke about his wife Rita whom he had lost a couple of years before. Herb will be missed,
but not forgotten.
We try to send out an e-mail sharing the good news or expressing our sorrow whenever we now something.
Please let us know when there is something worth sharing so we can keep others in the loop.
Off season trainning or clinics
can pay off!
Officials if you have any plans to advance to the next level or are really serious about just getting
better, make it a point to go to at least one off season camp or clinic. A camp or clinic with a field component is
a great way to have someone at a higher level evaluate your skills and offer contructive feedback to help you improve.
As pictured below it is not all field and class work we do have some time to get to know each other and some others from higher
levels and other parts of the state or country. A word of caution though, go with an open mind and while there is a
chance that you may be discovered and get an opportunity to work at a higher level, the most important reason you are there
is to get better!
This past off season SFFOA/FFARA member Mike Brown attended his second or third Gulf South Conference
Officials Clinic and got notice and was placed of the alternate officials list for the 2011 season. The Gulf South is
a top quality Division 2 Conference sometimes referred to as "the SEC of Division 2." Mike will eventually move into
a regular official assigned to a crew or even move up to Division 1. Mike will still be around plenty for now and we
wish him nothing but the best.
Mike Brown
SFFOA Members at NFLRA Clinic
SFFOA now on Facebook!
Trying to stay up with the times can be difficult for some of us old dogs but we try. Reports
were that some young pup is helping us out in this endeavor. We'll be on twitter in a year or two! LOL
Proud Members Since 2005
Click to Open NASO Website
Upcoming Meetings:
Meeting
Date / Time
Location
Registration and
Information
TBA
So. Miami High School
OUR WEBSITE SPONSOR
OFFICIAL BANK OF THE SFFOA
SUPPORT ALL OUR SPONSORS! Members don't forget that you can also support Mario the Baker
and BB&T who through their contributions keep membership dues down. Just click on the link(s) above for
the location nearest to you. On Friday Nights there is always a big table set up for us after our games at Mario's on
Bird Road where Owner/Manager Stefano Siragusa extends a warm welcome.
HOW ARE WE DOING? Comments and suggestions are welcomed from any source. Our goal is to make this
Association the best that it can be. Your input is needed in order to make this a reality. E-mail comments to
us at
