What does the NVFOA Training Program consist of?

The NVFOA training program begins each year in June and runs through the end of the season in mid-November.

• Prior to the season starting, trainees meet generally twice a week for approximately 2 - 2 ½ hours. One half of this instruction is devoted to rules study and rules interpretations. The second half is spent going over field mechanics and positioning on the field. Occasionally evening classes will be spent on the football field going over mechanics. In addition, there will be a few Saturday morning on-field sessions designed to provide more in depth field training.
• A couple of weeks prior to the season, all trainees will be assigned to work at numerous scrimmages and team practices. During these sessions, the trainee will get to work side-by-side with an experienced official who will provide them with one-on-one instruction.
• After the season starts, trainees will learn primarily through their game experiences and their interaction with experienced officials. Training classes will continue to be held once a week to review game situations and to answer questions that may arise.
• If you are a first year trainee you will focus on learning 4-man mechanics while 2nd year trainees and Transfer officials will fine tune their 4-man mechanics and will begin learning the 5-man mechanics they will use on varsity games. See the most recent training schedule by clicking on the Training Program link above.