Referee Position Card
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Your spot, your keys and your voice, situation by situation — the white hat's card for a crew of five. You are the white marker on every diagram.
Download the Referee Position Card (PDF, 2 pages) — print at 100% on Letter, two-sided, flip on the long edge.
Built from the OHSAA Gold Book Brief & Concise mechanics for a crew of 5, which follows the NFHS Officials Manual. Associations amend these — check Vermont's guidance before teaching it.
Who's who
| Position | |
|---|---|
| R | Referee (white hat) — you |
| U | Umpire |
| LM | Linesman (H/DJ) |
| LJ | Line Judge |
| BJ | Back Judge |
Run and pass
Snap between the –10 and the +10.
What you do
- 15 yards behind the line, 8 wide of the quarterback at 45°, always on the wide side. You decide which side that is.
- Count A with the Umpire — 11, held two seconds. A's substitutions in and out of the huddle are yours.
- Mark the ball ready after A is behind their line, and on a first down only after the down box is set. Back-pedal to your spot first.
Your keys
- Run — snap · QB · handoff · QB · line play at the point of attack.
- Pass — snap · QB · the opposite tackle · the passer.
- Five-yard cushion on the passer, ten on a rolling quarterback. Yell "ball's away."
- Passer near the line: memorize the spot of release and check beyond-or-behind with the Umpire.
Your spot
| Run | 15 back, 8 wide, wide side. |
| Pass | Same. Keep the cushion if he rolls. |
| Backed up | 8 wide of the QB at 45° on the end line. From the –10 to the –15, 10 wide on the goal line. |
| Hurry-up | Don't move in as far. Tell the centre and QB to wait for your whistle. |
Say it out loud
| To B | Stay off the passer. Stay off the centre. |
| On release | Ball's away. |
| Backward pass | Signal it and yell "back." |
Kicks
Free kick and scrimmage kick.
What you do
- Kickoff: straddle the receivers' goal line in the middle — wide side of a single returner, split two.
- Collect a raised arm from every wing and the Back Judge before you sound the ready. Nobody kicks without 11 and 11.
- Punt: five deep and ten wide of the punter at 45°, wide side. If he's in his own end zone, you're on the end line. Onside alignment is your call if the crew disagrees.
Your keys
- Kickoff — R touching the kick · wind · goal line and touchback · blocks ahead of the runner · clean up behind.
- Punt — snap · the kicker's catch · eligible backs' numbers · blocking by the backs · the kicker.
- Low snap and the kicker's knee. Roughing or running into: stay with him until there's no threat. Five-yard cushion on the kickoff until the goal line is safe.
Your spot
| Kickoff | Straddle the goal line, middle of the field. |
| Onside | Middle of the field, on the goal line. Stay until the ball can't reach it. |
| Punt | Five deep, ten wide of the punter at 45°. |
| Safety kick | Receivers' 20. |
| Touchback | Signal it, then jog upfield sounding your whistle repeatedly. |
After the kick
| Kickoff | Move up watching blocks ahead of and around the runner. Once it's dead, swivel twice and clean up behind. |
| Punt | Jog to the line, stop, watch both teams. Long return: back-pedal to the goal line. |
| Bag | Momentum spot on a catch inside the 5. |
Goal line and place kicks
Snap on or inside the +10 · tee on the field.
What you do
- Goal line: same position as a run or pass — 15 back, 8 wide, wide side.
- Field goal and try: plant-leg side of the kicker, five yards deeper than the holder, ten wide, shoulders at 45°.
- Call the tee and the kicker out loud the second they come on the field, and don't mark the ball ready until the Umpire reaches the end line.
- You do not signal a touchdown or a successful try to the press box.
Your keys
- Place kick — eligible backs and the holder's number · snap · snapper · holder · catch · no fake · rushers · kicker and holder.
- Count "one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two" on the snapper. Direct contact inside two seconds is a foul.
- A blocked kick stays alive — back-pedal, you may be needed at the goal line.
- After a touchdown, watch the players moving toward the sideline.
Your spot
| Goal line | 15 back, 8 wide, wide side. |
| FG / try | Plant-leg side: 5 deeper than the holder, 10 wide, 45°. |
| Backed up | Point at both wings, then at the goal line, and get them to point back. |
| Ball reaches the 10 | No longer backed up — point at yourself, then at the goal line. |
Before the snap
| Tee comes on | Call it to the crew immediately. |
| Ready | Wait for your Umpire to reach the end line. |
| To B | Stay off the centre, the holder and the kicker. |
| After a TD | Ask the captain where he wants it spotted for the try. |
Between downs, clock and fouls
Every down, all night.
What you do
- Flag down: find the first open space and give your preliminary there. Do not walk around looking for a spot.
- The microphone is yours alone. Stand still, face the press box, announce the number, and keep it short.
- The Umpire enforces. You take the preliminary and the announcement.
- Coach conference: meet him at the sideline with the wing present and listen first. You explain the ruling, not the calling official.
Your keys
- One preliminary only for a simple five-yard dead-ball foul — false start, encroachment, delay, illegal substitution.
- Referee dead-ball action first. Penalize the first late hit.
- Check the scoreboard for the right number of timeouts before you mark it ready.
- On a loose ball, stop the clock after two seconds if nobody has signalled possession.
Clock
| Wind | On the ready facing the press box, or with your press-box-side arm when the snap is imminent. |
| Mirror | Wind twice when a wing winds twice. |
| First down | Signal once, immediately. No chopping. |
| Free kick | Caught between the hashes, you signal alone. In a side zone, you and the near wing. |
Housekeeping
| Timeout | Signal twice facing the press box, then point both arms at that team's goal line. |
| Out of timeouts | Two tugs on the steamboat whistle, then point at their goal line. |
| Relay | You're in the triangle on gains of less than about ten yards. |
| End of game | Signal the period, gather the crew, run off together. |
When you work a crew of 4
What changes for you.
- The play clock is yours. Announce five, then verbalize four, three, two, one.
- Half distance, automatic first down and loss of down come to you — that's the Back Judge's job in a crew of 5.
- Kickoff: you're at the receivers' 10 on the press box side, not the goal line in the middle. Your Linesman mirrors you at the 10 opposite.
- Punt: the Umpire goes deep with the returners, so the interior is empty. Widen your own clean-up behind the kick.
- Field goal and try: the wing on your side releases to an upright, so you have less help on the line of scrimmage.