The decline in on\u002Dfield officials is an issue facing many sports in Canada, but football feels it more than others because of sheer numbers.
“We just strung it together,” said Enger. “If we’d had one of the elite teams, the Dinos or Golden Bears, having to host a playoff game on that date, we would have been totally screwed because they eat up about 10 refs for their experience.D Day this year is Nov. 12, and Enger jokes that everybody wants to play their games at 1 p.m. That’s no longer an option.
For instance, rather than spreading three playoff games over three communities on the same day, one central venue will instead host a triple-header. That’s an immediate fix. Longer term, there has to be intense focus on referee recruitment and retention. To that end, Football Alberta spent $30,000 — six times its usual budget — on officials development this year. Much of it went to cover the expenses of rural officials traveling to Edmonton and Calgary to work several games on a weekend.
“The pandemic hit so many people in so many areas. People stopped doing things because they were told and not everybody came back. So you’ve got a little bit of that,” said Enger. “We’re making mistakes all over the place during games, and the refs make maybe one or two. Having said that, I’m a coach, and when I get a call that’s not going my way I’m biting my tongue until it almost bleeds. But that’s where it needs to start. We have got to limit abuse on the refs.
It’s an issue facing many sports in Canada, but football feels it more than others because of sheer numbers. At the recreational level, baseball and slowpitch games can be officiated by one umpire; soccer requires a referee and two people to call lines, two on-ice officials can handle a hockey game. But tackle football is a different beast, requiring on-field crews of four to seven and at least two moving the yardage markers.
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