Officials
Welcome to the new and improved Football Canada database for officials! This will be your stop for training materials, rulebooks, and so much more. Please create an account if you haven't done so, and start looking around!
Not sure what how to use this portal? Check out this quick guide: Officials Portal - How To Use
September 20, 2024 - Edmonton, Alberta
On Friday, September 20th, Sharon Airey made USports history becoming the first amateur female official to Head Referee a USports game.
Last year, CFL official, Emily Clarke, became the first female to Head Referee a USports game, and Sharon is following suit. Let's get to know one of our superstar officials, shall we?
Sharon is a passionate football official who’s been part of the game since 2007. She got her start in U11 football when her dad volunteered her to officiate a game. From that moment, she embraced the role. As of 2019, she's been officiating at the USports level working as a line of scrimmage official, Umpire, and most recently, Referee.
One of her favorite parts of officiating is the camaraderie with fellow officials. Having worked with some for nearly 20 years, she considers it a privilege to be part of a trusted crew that not only gets the job done but also shares the joy of the game. Watching players grow from U11-to-university is another special aspect, but it's the officiating friendships that make the experience truly unforgettable.
To women who are thinking about getting into officiating football, she says don’t be intimidated! While recognizing the barrier to entry may seem insurmountable and standing out and doing something new is a challenge, she goes on to say, "It truly is easy to start. What you'll find if you reach out to your local association is a group of people who are happy to have you, want to teach you, and will help you along your way. If you have interest and the will to try, officiating can be for you."
And for a fun memory? She recalls a road trip to Saskatoon for a PFC game where her backseat storytelling skills earned her a ban from sitting near the same officials on the next trip.
Photos: @adrien.b.photography
September 19, 2024 - Moncton, New Brunswick
The NBFOA recently celbrated the career of longtime official, Jim Fowler, during one of their high school football events. Check out these fancy uniforms! Jim was recently on the Football Canada Board of Directors and Rules Committees and served on both groups extremely well. It's hard to catch him without a smile on his face. Way to go, Jim!
July 26, 2024 - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Football Canada has announced that Owen Nagy and Kristin Robson will be representing Canada in Finland August 25th - 30th for the World Flag Football Championships hosted by IFAF.
Both officials are also representing Football Manitoba- a testament to the time and development that their province has put into their officials. Best of luck Owen and Kristin!
July 16 - 22, 2024 - Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Switching to the Eastern side of Canada, the U16 Eastern Challenge took place in Antigonish. Officials from each participating team as well as, for the first time in a long time, an official from PEI (Nicholas DesRoche) was selected to join the ranks. The Referee-in-Chiefs for this tournament were Kevin Mickleboro and John Brenton. Congratulations on the selection, and for a very well-run tournament!
July 5 - 14, 2024 - Regina, Saskatchewan
Following the U16 Western Challenge, the Football Canada Cup immediately followed with officials from 8 different provinces being represented. Brendan Dolan, from the Calgary FOA, and Allan Laird from Regina were the Referee-in-Chiefs. The intensity ramped up at this tournament and these officials put out amazing performances throughout. Kudos to all the officials who helped make this event a success!
July 1 - 7, 2024 - Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina kicked off the first of many tackle football events this summer with the U16 Western Challenge. John Ross and Frank White from Regina took over the Referee-in-Chief duties for this tournament. The below photo is the crew for the gold medal game that took place on July 6th. Congratulations to all the officials who were selected for this tournament!
July 2, 2024 - Tournament Vlog from an officials point of view
Curious as to what it takes to officiate at the national level and what the experience is like? Scott Woloshin vlogged his journey leading up to and during the 2024 Senior Flag Nationals in Kamloops. Check out his video series on our YouTube channel HERE.
April 13-14, 2024 - Fredericton, New Brunswick
A GREAT turnout in Fredericton, New Brunswick this weekend as they hosted a Level 1 in-person flag clinic. Lead by Master Official Developer, John MacDonald, the group was taught about the basics of what it means to be an official alongside the essential rules and mechanics to be proficient in their new careers as Zebras!
March 1-2, 2024, Red Deer, Alberta
Football Alberta had it’s second officials conference in Red Deer Alberta. It was another great conference with a level 2 clinic at the same time. Topics were; The Usport/PFC experience, Communicating with coaches, Watching film and how to learn from it, What rookie camp in the CFL is like and the journey there, Time with CFL coach Mark Kilam and New rules and rule discussion. Of course the Friday night social was a big hit! Thank you to all the officials, presenters, Football Alberta staff, some executives and especially The Honorable Lois Mitchell former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta for her support. Looking forward to the next one.
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