About Us
Did you know?
Since 1980, Lakeshore Football Officials Association has been providing officials for touch football leagues in the Golden Horseshoe Area. We’ve worked many games and tournaments. For all those years, the Touch Flag Program has run parallel to the LFOA Tackle Football Officials Program.
Over the last few years, the Touch RIC and Touch Assignor sharing the administration assistance of the Treasurer have managed the whole Touch/Flag Program. After review from the LFOA Executive and discussions with TFONT, the decision to create separate Touch and Tackle Associations was completed. The change would allow each group to focus their efforts developing officials and their programs.
With a focus on recruitment, retention and rebirth, welcome to the Southern Ontario Touch Football Officials Association (SOTFOA). This association will manage the Touch and Flag Football Officials requirements in the Southern Ontario Area starting December 2007.
Our goal is to provide quality service to our existing clients. We honour those officials who helped establish our program and our respected place in Canadian Touch Football.
Our SOTFOA Executive is made up of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Assignor, Referree in Chief, Clinician and Recruitment Directors ensure the administration of the program. We are registered with Touch Football Ontario. The Constitution and Policy and Procedural Manual will be available soon.
We are looking for old and new officials to join our team. We will work with your availability. If you are interested in the new executive contact me.
Do you believe in the spirit of sportsmanship, the joy of teamwork, and the pride of a job well done? Are you ready to challenge your senses and support the cause? If you said: YES! Please contact me at dougrr4@hotmail.com.
To ensure we can maintain a good quality official to our clients, we need your support.
Thanks
Keep in Touch
Doug Richardson #2
President SOTFOA
History of Refereeing
“Officials\" and other \"intermediaries\" are a part of the history of sports. Officials have been an accepted component of every sport competition on record. The following excerpt dates from the 14th century, “All things are reduced to nothingness and uncertainty without a ruler (official)”.
The word “referee” is an extension of REFER and is defined as follows “to submit to an authority for consideration, help, decision and action.” The one referred to could be anyone appointed or selected by the sport body involved.
The terms of reference applied to “officials” in circles of law have been passed down to “officials” in sport competitions. The latter interpret and apply the “laws” of the game.
England was the first nation to recognize the need for sport “officials.” Their introduction into sport occurred during the early 1800’s when it was accepted that competitions, which were hotly contested, should be under the jurisdiction of a third party.
Some 20 years later, “officials” were introduced into North American sports.
The Role of the Official
The fundamental role of the official is to cause the game to progress smoothly within the rules. As an official, you commit yourself to these two interrelated responsibilities. You must see that the game proceeds as it’s meant to - that is, in accordance with the rules. At the same time, you charge yourself with ensuring that the action proceeds smoothly, with as little interference on your part as possible.
However, this is not to say that rule enforcement should be neglected. The competent official should not only be concerned about penalizing rule infractions, but also preventing rule infractions before they occur.