![\"Arlington](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FTW_TheColonyvsSeguinhsfb3.JPG\" "\\"Arlington")
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Arlington Seguin head coach Joe Gordon talks with an official to clarify a safety call during the first half of a UIL football game between The Colony and Arlington Seguin at Galspie Field in Arlington on Sept. 25, 2025.<\/p>\n
Bob Booth<\/p>\n
Special to the Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
Fort Worth Football Officials President Brian Simpson said more Fort Worth area Friday night high school football games could move to Thursday if FWFO membership doesn\u2019t improve.<\/p>\n
Texas has dealt with an officials shortage to varying degrees in recent years, and it\u2019s starting to affect the Fort Worth area. The Star-Telegram met with Simpson for a Q&A to discuss potential consequences, key problems for officials and more.<\/p>\n
The following interview is edited for clarity and length.<\/p>\n
How bad is the football officiating shortage right now?<\/p>\n
Texas Association of sports officials and the football chapters across the state, we\u2019ve been talking about a shortage for several years now. It\u2019s mainly been in the rural areas. We haven\u2019t had so much of a problem in the Metroplex. We started noticing the shortage last year and definitely this year.<\/p>\n
What are some of the potential consequences you might see due to having less manpower available?<\/p>\n
Because the game today, even at the high school level, and especially at the 5A and 6A level \u2014 it\u2019s so fast. We\u2019ve moved to seven officials. To contrast that, in college they have nine. What one of the consequences might be is, instead of having seven officials on the field, we might have to back down to five, like we had as I was coming up the ranks. Another consequence is, we talk about Texas Friday night football, and Friday night lights. More and more games are probably going to have to be moved to Thursdays or Saturdays.<\/p>\n
Do you think people are hesitant to officiate because they may sometimes see a lack of respect, especially from fans?<\/p>\n
I think so, especially with this newer generation. The younger guys tend to look at things as far as a return on investment, and quite frankly, they\u2019ll tell me officiating is just not worth my time. High school football officials, whether you\u2019re doing a varsity game or a junior high game \u2014 you don\u2019t get paid a lot of money, you\u2019re not going to get rich officiating football.<\/p>\n
How satisfying is the work, though? To work with a group that wants to give back to the sport?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very satisfying. I\u2019m about to start my 29th season, and the longer I\u2019ve done it, the more I\u2019ve appreciated just what it means to give back to the game. Being an official, being on the field, giving back, being a good example \u2014 an adult role model for these boys out on the football field is very satisfying.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the most challenging aspect of getting through a week and making sure everything is taken care of?<\/p>\n
Well, it\u2019s just the numbers and the availability. Our chapter, the Fort Worth Chapter of Football Officials, we\u2019ve got a little over 500 officials. Pretty much the same number as last year. I had truly expected our numbers to grow. That\u2019s typical when the economy is down to slightly down as it is now, you\u2019ll see more people coming out to maybe pick up a little extra income, but that didn\u2019t really happen this year.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just making sure that we have qualified officials, not just first and second year guys, but guys with some experience that can handle the level of game that we\u2019re trying to assign them to. Making sure they\u2019re available, because this is just a part-time gig. Oftentimes, a person\u2019s real job or family obligations will get in the way.<\/p>\n
And then making sure that they can get to the location, because the FWFO, we go as far north as the Red River up near Lindsay and Muenster. We go as far west as Aledo and Brock. And with the Dallas chapter, we kind of meet up in the middle. There\u2019s kind of an invisible jagged line that runs between Dallas and Fort Worth that we hit upon when we head east. So, we\u2019ve got a big swath of territory to cover, and sometimes it\u2019s difficult to get people to all these locations.<\/p>\n
If someone was on the fence about becoming an official. What would your message be to them to convince them it\u2019s worth it?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a good question. I would tell them that if you look at the grand scheme of things, and if you\u2019re a football fan, if you love football like I do, you\u2019ll be good for it. We need officials, and quite frankly, the game can\u2019t go on without us. Just know that by participating as a football official, you\u2019re helping the game continue. You\u2019re helping to make sure that kids have the opportunity to play just like you did when you were coming up in school.<\/p>\n
The resistance I\u2019ll get is people saying, \u2018I don\u2019t want to receive that level of criticism and scrutiny.\u2019 And I explained to them that it\u2019s a mindset. When you put on the uniform, the striped shirt, you\u2019ve automatically put yourself into a category where you\u2019re going to be criticized. And as I explained to younger officials, they\u2019re not yelling at you, they\u2019re yelling at your clothes. It\u2019s just part of the territory.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just giving back, but just the fraternity of guys that you meet. I\u2019ve been doing this almost 30 years. And so I\u2019ve got lifelong friends that I\u2019ve had through football officiating, that I\u2019ve had now for decades, and we\u2019ve shared weddings, births, graduations, you name it. It\u2019s a special fraternity that we\u2019re part of.<\/p>\n
Is there anything else that we haven\u2019t talked about yet that you think the public should know about?<\/p>\n
Some people think that officials are looking at games through a certain lens, or they\u2019re biased, and quite frankly, there couldn\u2019t be anything further from the truth. We go out there and nobody is a harsher critic on officials than themselves. If we make a mistake \u2014 we\u2019re human, and we do make mistakes \u2014 it hurts us more than it hurts anyone. When we do make those mistakes, we\u2019re always anxious to get back on the field, and get back on the horse, and learn from it.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s probably no bigger football fans than us football officials. Most of us got involved in football officiating because we were such fanatics for the game, and we can\u2019t get enough of it. I wish that the public knew that. When you see those guys in striped shirts, you\u2019re looking at a fellow football fan. It\u2019s just someone that decided they cared about the game so much, they had to get involved. They needed to be on the field.<\/p>\n
Those interested in becoming a football official<\/a> can email FWFO\u2019s recruit team (cast@fwfo.org).<\/p>\n