NYS Association of Certified Football Officials

Welcome to the New York State Association of Certified Football Officials Southwestern Chapter website. Our organization of 70 dedicated people officiates high school football games throughout Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties.

We are dedicated to the training and professional development of officials to ensure safety for the players and to uphold the integrity of the game through rules enforcement. We all share a love for the game of football and a desire to support youth athletics.

Anyone with an interest in football who would like to become a football official can join our association once they have met qualification and training requirements. First-year officials will immediately begin officiating youth (pee-wee and midget levels) and sub-varsity (JV) games with the support of experienced officials. Our mentoring program trains prospective officials in the finer points of the game and within three years may lead to full certification and a varsity game schedule.

If you are a military veteran and are interested in becoming an official I encourage you to look into the Battlefields to Ballfields program which provides scholarships to veterans to assist in integrating back into their community through officiating.

Thank you for your interest in our football association,

Barney Lee

Association President