The Northern Nevada Football Officials Association (NNFOA) has wrapped up their annual Rookie Social event.
People interested in becoming officials in the local football industry were welcomed to the meet n greet to learn more.
You may remember us reporting last year on the football referee shortage. The association says it's in need of more referees for the next football season this fall.
"We have enough varsity officials to cover nine fields," said Mark Jacoby, president of NNFOA. "So, with 32 schools there's 16 games possibly playing on a Friday night that people want to play under the lights, unfortunately we can't do that, so we get schools to cover games on Thursdays and also play their games on Saturdays."
Jacoby says as of right now the current amount of football referees in northern Nevada are 85 compared to southern Nevada which has about 400. Right now, the average salary for a referee is $77 per game. But there could be a possible pay increase of 15% if the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Board of Control were to approve it in their meeting on June 5th.
"Getting a pay increase for the games this upcoming season could be a big factor in recruiting more people," Jacoby explains.
If approved, then the new salary would jump to $95 per game. Regardless of the pay, one former Nevada football player and assistant head coach is looking to be recruited simply for his passion for football.
"I love the game and I just want to stay around the game, Vai Taua tells us. "My passion is football and I just want to stay around the kids and keep trying to grow the game and be a part of the game."
Jacoby says they've lost about 8 officials due to life changes such as retirement, moving, or injuries, "We're hoping we can recruit maybe 8 to 10 new officials and we'll stick around maybe three four more years."
One man who's been an official for nearly 30 years says the best way to learn is straight on the field.
"We train you but really it's trial by fire," said Darren Fleck, crew chief of NNFOA. "You have to get out on a freshman game, work some youth games, and you can't learn to do it unless you're there. I kind of say I'm a teacher and you really can't teach until you have your own classroom."
If you're interested in becoming a football official, you can learn more by clicking here.
