Officials shortage causes need for some football games on Thursdays, Saturdays

Along with everything else these days, there’s a shortage of football officials. That’s why Webb City is playing at Carl Junction this Thursday.

Josh Farley, the Joplin Football Officials Association assistant assigner of crews to officiate games, says there aren’t enough crews to have more than 29 games on Friday nights in the Joplin/Springfield area.

There are 11 crews in the Joplin association and 18 crews in the Springfield association. The Springfield association normally has 19 crews but is short a crew this year.

At some point, every team is asked to play a game on a Thursday night or a Saturday.

The limit on Friday night games actually started last year, when Neosho, for example, played a Saturday game. Because the Wildcats took their non-Friday-night game last year, all their games can be on a Friday night this year.

Webb City Athletic Director John Roderique says Webb City and Carl Junction agreed to play their game this year on a Thursday to avoid having to play another game farther away on a Thursday or possibly a Saturday. “Nobody made us move the game. It was our choice,” Roderqiue says. 

In the past, Farley says the officials associations were able to make up a crew two or three times a year but weren’t able to this year.

“We’re always recruiting, trying to get more to do it (officiate),” says Farley, who when not in black-and-white stripes is the operator of the Center Creek 201 Wastewater Treatment Plant in Webb City.

As the assistant assigner for the Joplin association, he helped schedule four officials for each of the 316 games to be played locally this season, including Saturday youth football games.

To inquire about becoming an official for any sport, contact Farley at jua_farley@yahoo.com.