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Be the Referee: Other Football Changes
September 7, 2017
This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl discusses a few final football rules in the final of a three-part series on changes in the sport for this fall.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Other Football Rules Changes - Listen
Today in our final segment of a three-part series on the football rules changes for the 2017 season, we’re going to be looking at three items:
• On passing plays, pass interference will no longer be called when the defender is simply face guarding the receiver with no contact.
• In the final two minutes of a half, the team accepting a penalty will now have the option of restarting the game clock with the snap of the ball, rather than the referee’s ready-for-play signal.
• This is the second year of an experiment in Michigan with a 40- second play clock, which starts shortly after a play is over, replacing the 25-second play clock which was always started by the referee marking the ball ready for play.
Past editions
August 31: Pop-Up Onside Kicks - Listen
August 24: Blindside Blocks - Listen
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Be the Referee: Switching Sides
By
Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials
September 6, 2022
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Switching Sides - Listen
In volleyball, a rules modification that came about during COVID has been instated as a permanent change - with overwhelming support from coaches and officials.
Previously, teams would switch sides after each set, sometimes creating a traffic jam as players and coaches move benches from side to side. Unless there is a clear competitive advantage, there is no switching now. Coaches like having a dedicated home bench and the improved pace of the match.
Things that would necessitate teams switching would be less serving room on one end of the court, a window on one side with the sun shining in, or an overhead obstruction on one end.
It’s up to the official to determine if an advantage exists and if teams will switch at the end of each set – or stay on the same side for the entirety of the match.
Previous Editions:
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change - Listen