by Tim Enger,  Football Alberta
From the Spring 2009 Football Alberta Newsletter

So, what does it take to put on a football game? Do you know? Does anyone? I’m not talking about the on-field stuff.We’ve got coaches, officials and player clinics galore out there right now so if you don’t know your stuff in that regard you can sure pick it up in a hurry. No, I’m talking about beyond the players, officials and coaches and the X’s and O’s. Who else do you need to put on a game? Who are the “Others” necessary to get the job done right and where do they do their job best? Recently, two new artificial turf facilities have been built in the Edmonton area.While they are a gift from God considering our crazy weather and short growing season, they lack a very important part of the puzzle when it comes to actually being able to put on a football game properly.  They don’t have a Press Box.Now, you might be thinking:“Press Box? Why would anyone need a Press Box? No media covers our games on a regular basis.That would be a waste of money.” Now, if that indeed is your train of thought you are not alone as is evidenced by the creation of the above mentioned new facilities with no Press Box. However, if you know why these new stadiums need a Press Box, grab a gold star and head to the front of the class. The answer is simple – it’s where the “Others” work during games.

Let’s keep things in perspective in that at the youngest level of the game – Atom –you certainly can get away with just a field with lines on it and a minimum number of referees who can time the game from their wrist watches. However, even at the Pee-Wee level where Provincial play begins, and especially every level higher than that you need most if not all of the “Others” to make your game go and a proper place for them to do their job.Let’s review who the “Others” are:

The Timer:
Football is a rigorously timed game with many starts and stops and many reasons for the clock to either be running or stopped. In the final minutes of a half or a game in a close contest it is critical for the coaches and players to know how much time is left as many a game has been won or lost due to poor clock management.The advent of score clocks has been in vogue for over 100 years so there really is no reason not to have one at your stadium or field if you want to really host a game properly. But who is keeping the time? Believe it or not the head referee is actually the head timekeeper for the game as well. However, he keeps time by signally time in and out with arm motions; it’s up to someone else to turn the clock on and off on the basis of his movements. And that person is the Timer! So why does he need a press box? Well for one thing he needs to have an unobstructed view of the officials during the game to properly pick-up the arm signals.True he can function from the sideline if he has to, but if you’re at all concerned about proper timing it’s best to get him away from the action where he can clearly see the officials and not be ducking out of the way of flying bodies or peeking around other people on the sidelines or field. The person you select to do this should be as neutral as possible. Cheering for the old home team can be an unbelievable distraction for a Timer and in a close contest this person’s focus needs to be squarely on the head referee – not the play on the field. In one famous case a Timer had to be ejected from a Provincial game for screaming at the referees when his team fell behind. Not pretty.A great candidate for this job is a former official. Their on-field days may be behind them but they know the rules of the game backwards and forwards and still may wish to contribute. The late Frank Bryson in Calgary was a stellar example of this. No timing issues ever took place when Frank was at the helm.You may also need to have an Assistant Timer to work with your Timer as in most cases the clock switch is attached to a box that will also let you record the score and down and distance etc. which may be too much for one person to handle when concentration on-field is critical for the timer. Remember that football scoring is anywhere between 1 and 8 points (with the exception of 4 and 5) on any given play so doing the math and recording it properly shouldn’t be left up to someone keeping the time.Again, a Press Box is not a luxury for this “Other” when you consider that the Timer has a critical job to do and needs a place to do it that is raised above the field and in the teeth of a late October evening wind is a little shelter too much to ask. The Assistant Timer or Scorekeeper could use a non-weather dependent environment to record the score on paper as well.Every hockey arena in the world has a box for the timer and all these guys have to do is listen for a whistle.

Public Address Announcer:
Okay, maybe this is a bit much for local games, but more and more teams are having people announce over a loudspeaker or stereo system during games. In what used to be only done in playoffs is now common place in a lot of locations across Alberta. However, there are good announcers and,well…. Now I will freely admit to bias in this area since I do quite a bit of P.A. at games and have my own opinions, however the rule of thumb that is the bible for all football announcers across North America is that they are there to inform – not entertain or be cheerleaders.A good public address announcer will give you; down, distance, yard line, ball handler,tackler, gain or loss, plus any special situations such as turnovers and penalties.It really helps if this person has a good grasp of the game and can recognize the referee’s arm signals indicating penalties, plus what happens during a safety touch,etc. If you have special announcements or 50/50 draws this person can be of great assistance. Now, I’m not saying there is no room for humour or home team boosting but this person should really pick their spots and not try to be Mr. Funnyman or Captain Homer all the time. When some well meaning parent picks up the mike at his son’s bantam game and hits the audience with “Two minutes for mamboing!” when the referee signals an illegal procedure penalty, or “That’s MY boy!” when his son makes a big play, it’s time to find someone else. Especially if they’re trying to be Jerry Seinfeld on every play. Down, distance, ball carrier, gain/loss, and tackler please! A good Public Address Announcer will also recognize special situations when they happen and can prevent problems from occurring. In blowout games he can stop announcing the score after it hits a 30 point differential in the second half. This lessens the effect. If the game has been particularly contentious and there have been a few controversial calls by the officials,a good P.A. guy will make announcement to put unruly fans back in the stands if they are crowding the sideline with cat calls to the referees, and/or allow the referees to depart the field unmolested.You may think this may never happen but it happens more than you think and a“Voice from God” moment lets someone who may be considering doing something rash know that at least he is being watched and hopefully will think twice. A good addition to this “Other” is a spotter.Even without the stand-up routine from the P.A. Announcer those five basic items to pick out on any given play are hard. There is a lot of math to do as well, especially in special team situations. A good spotter can provide player numbers and do the math quickly, dividing the labour with the announcer, allowing him or her to speak smoothly and confidently after each play. Try doing the math on a punt that is kicked over the 55 yard line and returned back over it as well.Perhaps your club or team does not care about too much detail and are happy enough just to have down, distance and players names being announced. Fine but remember the Golden Rule: inform, don’t try to entertain. This isn’t professional wrestling and the team will win or lose on it’s own without you cheering for them. And, oh yeah, about the Press Box. If you want to do all of the above, including the math, you’re going to need to seat theP.A. crew in a location where they can actually see the players, yard lines and ball position. Perches from the end zone are tolerable if you’re okay with the information getting a little light when the ball is in the other end. Plus, they will need a space to place paper in front of them since their mind reading abilities are the same as yours and mine. They will need rosters of the teams and a place to do the math. Again, is a sheltered spot too much to ask since it would be nice if those pieces of paper weren’t getting whipped up by the wind or ruined in the rain? Finally, in regards to the Public Address Announcer, give this person a break. He didn’t wake up in the morning planning all day long to pronounce your son’s name wrong. You would be surprised at the attitude people cop when you get Geogislav Zychflugencychyn wrong. A simple “Excuse me sir, it’s Z-eye-ch-FLUGen-sish-en” will do, not railing on the P.A.guy for insulting your family for generations to come. Even “Smyth” (Smith orSm-eye-th) can set off a confrontation.Where did common courtesy go? And coaches, for the love of God I have no idea why an alphabetical roster is EVER necessary. It is an absolutely useless piece of paper to be turned in to a Public Address Announcer. People say it’s to help parents identify their sons and daughters quickly when simple turning around and seeing what number the kid is wearing in the backseat of the station wagon on the way to the game will do. Numerical please! Kreskin isn’t doing your game over the p.a. so only numerical rosters should ever be submitted to the person behind the mike.

Statistics:
We are at a time in Alberta where amateur football is drawing a lot of interest.Rankings, Provincials, and big games at all levels have created a minor buzz on the media side of things. However, being the media they want facts and hard numbers to keep them interested and you’d better be prepared to supply them.“Johnny had a big day” isn’t enough to satisfy them. “Johnny ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns” is. Okay, so how do we figure out how far Johnny ran for? In many respects, football has WAY too much to keep statistics on. A CFL stats crew goes 10-12 people deep at home games looking after everything from yardage to time of possession. And they better get it right since coaches and media hungrily devour their reports when they are compiled at the end of games. You may not need that much detail but personals statistics are what people are looking for. The five basic categories such as rushing yards/carries, passing yards/attempts/completions, receiving yards/catches, tackles/sacks made and turnovers will fill up a stats sheet quite nicely. And it’s not hard too. The yardage part of it is cold hard facts. What is the distance the ball traveled from Point A to Point B and who got it there? Was the pass completed or not? Who made the tackle or interception? A two person crew at a local game can usually handle this task and its best if they are just as neutral as you hope the Timer and Public Address Announcer are. Not because they would fudge stats in favour of the home team but because they need to PAY ATTENTION to every play and cheering gets in the way of that. Oh, and the Press Box. Same deal as theP.A. announcer. There will be paper involved and it would be nice if it would sit still during a game and the stats crews could function without gloves since Albertaisn’t know for its warm, calm, dry evenings in the fall.

Videographer:
I’m not much of a film guy myself, but I know people who are – lots of them.Some coaches are such film junkies I’mamazed they find time for anything else –like eating. Anyways, the videoing or filming of games gets more important each year and many leagues in the province have contracts with individuals or companies to record and distribute game film. The question is – what kind of game film would you like? Careful with the volunteer dads for this “Other”. It takes more than just owning a video camera to qualify for this job. Good, professionally done game film shows you everything. It is shot from a perch high enough so that you can see the movements of all the players on the field. And that’s the kicker. It is not a close-up of the line – it’s a wide angle, we can see everything shot from above. The person you get to film must have a steady hand, no fear of heights and again be neutral enough to focus on the job at hand.Where can you get the best location for this shot? Ummm, a Press Box? Bingo! Again, if you have a perch in the end zone it’s not too bad for video provided it’s high enough to see both offense and defense but the usual choice of all Videographer’s is high above mid-field. If you expect that your videographer will be able to give you a decent look from Row 8 of 12 an eight row high bleacher you’re in for a disappointing experience and sadly that is all you will get from a stadium without a PressBox.Keep in mind there is more to filming a game than just preparing for the next game. What about the top flight player you have who might want to put a recruiting video together? I’ve seen situations where outstanding players are lost in the system because the best video they can put together on themselves comes from a worms-eye-view angle. We’re not in the business of sending kids to programs outside Alberta but if you have a player who really deserves a look from the nirvana that is Division I football in theU.S. then you owe it to him to get decent game film for him to show. If Pete Carroll needs to know about him, by all means send him film. But always know that he and his colleagues will toss out any film that isn’t professionally done from the right height.Finally, here’s a group not necessarily interested in shelter for games. These are a hardy bunch who will climb light poles in blizzards to do the job right. Give them an indoor room in a press box and they will open the window. However, a sheltered spot would be a nice touch but proper height at mid-field is imperative. Otherwise it’s just home movies.

Spotter Coaches:
Sometimes it’s tough to convince an assistant coach to spend the game away from the sideline, up in the booth as a spotter. Everybody loves the atmosphere of the sideline.However, proper use of the “eye-in-the-sky” during game can make the difference between winning and losing. I won’t get into what the conversation should be between spotters coaches and the bench – that’s up to you. What I will say is that they need a place to go and do their work as much as any Timer or P.A. Announcer.You’ve probably seen brief shots of spotter coaches booths during CFL or NFL game. Three to six guys with paper galore jammed into a small space, headsets askew. You don’t need that kind of overkill at the lower levels (although people have tried), but like some of the “Others” you do need a place where you can write on a piece of paper without it being blown or rained away, high enough to make a difference and at midfield. It’s high comedy sometimes to see small clutches of coaches huddled on row 8 in the far corners of inadequate bleachers with a marginally better view than those coaches on the sidelines whispering into their walkie talkie to try to keep their conversations away from the fans next to them.Down and distance is the most critical piece of information passed between the spotter coaches booth and the sideline and that is very difficult to ascertain unless you are perched high above mid-field in a Press Box. If the game your working doesn’t have one then you are best not to waste you time with the spotter coach. So there you have it. There are “Others” associated with your game whether you know it or not and they would like to do a good job for their team as well. Press Boxes are expensive items – no doubt. The unfortunate name doesn’t help either when trying to convince people they are necessary but sadly nobody knows what you are talking about if you call it a “Working Box”. They can range from the top of the line ones at McMahon and Commonwealth to the tree-fort models that dot the land at several rural high schools. However, they, like the “Others” do serve a purpose and are important to consider if you want your sport to be considered important in your community. If you have one now or get one in the future it’s VERY important to note that they are considered places of work – not luxury suites. There is nothing worse than some volleyball coach from High School X claiming squatters rights on a seat in the Press Box during a playoff game to avoid the cold. Unless you have a job to do as described above, you probably shouldn’t be up there or risk proving those who consider a Press Box a luxury correct.We all know that hockey is the top dog in our country and you would be hard pressed to find an indoor arena anywhere in Canada that doesn’t have exactly what you need to put on a game at any level. Why shouldn’t football? Why do we accept less? Both the Alberta Schools Athletic Association and Football Alberta have standards for stadiums to host Provincial level competition and they include having most of the Others involved. Don’t be put in a situation of getting a new or upgraded stadium without the necessities to host a Provincial game, especially if your team qualifies to host one.Anyway, the good news is that of those two new fields we spoke of earlier in the article at least one of them is looking at rectifying the problem of no Press Box as soon as next year. Hopefully, this article will go along way to helping out those cities or towns that are getting upgraded stadiums to make sure they get everything necessary to do a game right the first time – and that includes a Press Box! Know what your sport needs and don’t be shy in asking for it.