How area football officials are getting into shape ahead of the 2025 season
BLADENBORO, N.C. (WWAY) — To be a sports official, it takes more than having a strong knowledge of the rules and having good vision to see the action.
There are a lot of physical elements to the job as well.
The Southeastern Football Athletics Association holds around ten workout sessions for its officials over the summer.
At West Bladen High School, Regional Supervisor Errol Daniels led the charge to get his crews into shape, feeling it will make them better at calling games.
“I tell them to get credibility with the football players, you have to sometimes simulate what they do,” Daniels said. “We always hear it from the sidelines, ‘the kids work too hard.’ People don’t realize to be an official, you need to be athletic. What happens is some of your motor skills change when you get tired. So I try to push them as much as I can.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
Daniels and many of those he leads come from a military background and some of the drills they go through resemble that type of training.
Frank Johnson is entering his 23rd year as an official and feels it’s important to be able to keep up with the young athletes.
“Got a saying right there, ‘as we get older every year, the players get younger,’” Johnson said. “The main thing is to be in shape, get acclimated to the weather and just be ready for the season. Just give back to the student athletes.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
The association has 40 new members this year, which Daniels says is a very high number.
Among them is John Perusek. Following a career in the army that lasted three decades, he’s ready to take on a new profession.
“The exciting thing for me is the continuity,” Perusek said. “Provide some objectivity and not subjective. Just objective to, ‘hey, this is the standard and we’re going to maintain it.’ A lot of the military members understand that we got to maintain a standard and we want the game to move smoothly.”
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
“People think you can go to Foot Locker, grab the shirt, flag, whistle,” Daniels said. “They don’t see the hard work. People see it from the eyes of a spectator or maybe from a player. But when you’re doing it from an official, you see it from a whole different lens.”
Click here to learn more about becoming an official in any sport. Otherwise, ask your local school’s Athletic Director for more information.
(Photo: Colton Emswiler/WWAY)
