USAFL Umpires Association Committees

	JP	SA	SC	TM	RO	MG	DE	BM	SM	LR
	Prez	VP	Treas	Sec	AFLC	AL-1	AL-2	AL-3	AL-4	Int’l
Executive	Chair	X	X	X
Membership		Chair						X	X
Rules/Laws		Chair			X	X			X
Social Media *			X	Chair		X
Coaching *	Chair	X			X		X
International					X				X	Chair
Tournament *	X			X		X	X
Finance	X		Chair
Merchandise *			Chair				X	X
Legal *		Chair
Women’s Committee	Chair			X				X
Club Support	Chair							X

(*) Notes:

Social Committee includes Liam Dye

Coaching Committee includes Toby Persson (Head Coach – Goals), Steve Butler

Tournament Committee includes Toby Persson as Chair

Merchandise Committee includes Kevin Murray

Legal Committee includes Toby Persson

USAFL Umpires Association

Committees

March 2025

Background

The USAFL Umpires Association (the “UA”) board is capable of creating committees to get work done on behalf of the UA. What follows are the descriptions of the committees, the duties of the committees, the Chair and membership of each committee, and a grid of who is assigned to each committee. Each elected board member is expected to be involved with at least three committees.

The UA Executive Committee is committed to enhancing its deliverables to the UA membership and the USAFL through improved communication, accountability, and clear plans, goals, and objectives. To achieve this quickly, it’s essential that each UA Board member actively contributes to the collective workload, taking ownership of specific responsibilities throughout the year. By accepting their nomination to the UA Board of Directors, it is expected that all Board members approach their roles with dedication and invest the necessary time to be active participants in regular monthly meetings, committee work, and officiating USAFL matches and tournaments.

2025

As we embark on the upcoming year, we will be pursuing various initiatives to strengthen our organization, address areas of improvement, and continue growing football umpiring across the United States and Canada. Should any Board member face challenges related to attendance, reporting, or fulfilling duties, it is their responsibility to inform the UA President and/or the relevant Committee Chair promptly. In such cases, the UA President and/or Committee Chair will arrange for alternative or temporary replacements to maintain project and committee momentum. Throughout the year the UA President will also seek support from our pool of subject matter experts within the UA membership to assist with various tasks and assignments. It is envisioned that these supplemental committee members will help UA leadership and committees efficiently accomplish tasks and achieve our objectives.

COMMITTEES

Membership Committee

Members

Chair: Vice President

Others: at least two other board members

Duties

Set criteria for membership in the UA
Recommend to the board dues for membership in the UA
Maintain membership database
Investigate written allegations against any member of the UA; recommend actions to board

Rules Committee

Members

Chair: One executive officer as appointed by the President

Others: the UA Head Coach (or designee) and at least two other members (not necessarily board members)

Duties

Review the Laws of the AFL
Recommend to the UA board any modifications to the Laws of the AFL to be applied to USAFL sanctioned matches
Maintain and make available any approved modifications to the Laws of the AFL
Provide advice to appropriate entities on how the approved modification to the Laws of the AFL impact USAFL sanctioned matches (for example, as part of a UA-run clinic; provide real-time discussion to the USAFL Coaches Association; provide real-time discussion for a pre-tournament presidents/coaches conference call)
Investigate recommendations for changes to be made in the USAFL adoption or non-adoption of the Laws of the AFL and recommend actions to the USAFL UA board.

Social Media Committee

Members

Chair: One executive committee member selected by the President

Others: At least one At Large board member and other UA Members as appropriate

Duties

Maintain availability of UA website, Instagram, and other social media outlets
Provide current content for visitors
- Upcoming events
- UA contact information
- Tools and materials for umpires and umpire coaches
- Umpire accreditation details
- UA history
Ensure content on related sites (e.g. usafl.com) is current and correct

Coaching Committee

Members

Chair: USAFL UA Head Coach

Others: at least one Advanced Accreditation Field Umpire and one Advanced Accreditation Goal Umpire as chosen by the Head Coach

Duties

Set criteria for all accreditation levels for all umpire disciplines with the mandate to be in compliance with criteria from the AFL
Publish accreditation standards, pathways, and other information to the UA website
Conduct at least one virtual clinic during the season and conduct the Umpire Clinic on the Friday of Nationals
Coach all UA umpires to help improve umpire standards to achieve and maintain accreditation levels
Maintain and improve the online resources for umpires (e.g. written materials, visual aids like game clips)
Provide oral and written feedback (through the observation forms) at USAFL Regional and National tournaments
Provide onboard/welcoming to new UA members

International Committee

Members

Chair: USAFL UA International Liaison

Others: AFL Canada liaison and at least one At Large Board Member

Duties

Liaise with the USAFL International programs
Create and maintain relationships with other umpire associations
Enable USAFL UA umpires to seek opportunities to umpire outside the USA and Canada

Tournament Committee

Members

Chair: USAFL UA Tournament Director

Others: USAFL UA Assistant Tournament director and at least one At Large board member

Duties

The Tournament Director is appointed by the board to be responsible for ensuring that all the USAFL sponsored tournaments (currently Regionals and Nationals) are staffed by UA umpires.

Survey the UA membership at the start of the season to determine which umpires are going to be attending the USAFL sponsored tournaments; this includes any international umpires who may be interested in participating
Communicate details of each tournament to the umpire team (those attending the tournament)
Coordinate the staffing of these tournaments with the USAFL to ensure that the scheduling is appropriate
Work with the UA Head Coach and staff to allocate umpires to appropriately staff all tournament games
Act as the final arbiter of any umpire issues during the tournaments
Work with the USAFL administration to resolve any issues during the tournaments
Work with the USAFL after each tournament such that the umpires are paid as appropriate

Finance Committee

Members

Chair: USAFL UA Treasurer

Others: President and at least one At Large Board Member

Duties

Develop annual budget, report monthly variations from budget
Track and report all expenses and revenues for the UA
Report to the state and the IRS all required reporting documentation
Identify and pursue sponsors for the USAFL UA
Interact with the USAFL Treasurer

Merchandise Committee

Members

Chair: One UA Director

Others: At least one At Large Board Member and other UA Members as appropriate

Duties:

The merchandise director is responsible for ensuring that the UA umpires have appropriate umpire gear for games, including

Orange shirts for umpires at the Candidate and Introductory Certification Level
Green shirts for umpires who have achieved Development or Advanced Accreditation status (first time awardee receives the shirt as an award)
Make additional gear available through the website
Keep the UA website up-to-date with what gear is acceptable for each discipline, including shorts/pants, socks, shoes/runners/boots, hats, sweatbands, etc.

Women’s Association Liaison

Members

Chair: One UA Director

Others: At least one At Large Board Member and other UA Members as appropriate

Duties:

The Women’s Association (“WA”) Liaison is responsible for working with the USAFL WA to develop and grow umpiring opportunities for women in the USAFL.

This includes attending WA meetings and reporting to the board any activities.

Club Support Liaison

The Club Support Liaison is responsible for assisting clubs with making umpiring opportunities available to all USAFL players and coaches, including

Umpire request form (so clubs can request umpires for their games and tournaments)
Umpire clinics – promoting clinics to clubs to develop umpires
Umpire pay for local games and tournaments (helping clubs with mechanisms to compensate umpires for working their games and tournaments)

Legal Committee

Members

Chair: One UA Executive Committee Member

Others: At least one Board Member and other UA Members as appropriate

Duties:

The Legal Representative and Assistant Legal Support are to ensure that all legal aspects of the UA are current and up to date, including

UA bylaws are current and available to anyone who wishes to read them
Ensure that changes to the bylaws are made in accordance with the bylaws and all applicable legislation
Ensure that the UA maintains its active status with NASO (National Association of Sports Officials) and all appropriate individual memberships are maintained as authorized by the board
Coordinate with the USAFL to maintain the USAFL Tribunal Disciplinary Procedures
Maintain a record of all Caution/Ejection forms (yellow and red cards issued by USAFL umpires)