Official (American Football)

Official (American Football)

In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.

During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field. Arena football, high school football, and other levels of football have other officiating systems.

Football officials are commonly referred to as referees, but each position has specific duties and a specific name: referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge, back judge, side judge, and field judge. Because the referee is responsible for the general supervision of the game, the position is sometimes referred to as head referee.