BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The SEC will experiment with wireless communication to officiate some football games this season, a concept used by international soccer referees for several years.
The NCAA football rules committee approved a waiver for the SEC to test the system only for SEC games. The technology could help officials communicate to identify pre-snap reads, become more efficient in enforcing penalties without huddling, and explain rulings better to coaches.
"We see great promise in this," said Steve Shaw, SEC coordinator of officials. "One of the questions is could this be a distraction to the crew? We're going to learn if it is. If it's a distraction, we're not going to use it. My goal is to have a better product of officiating on the field, and I think this is a tool that will help us get there."
Shaw said the SEC will probably purchase two wireless systems -- featuring small microphones on each official's collar and tiny earpieces -- and allow two of its nine crews use them. The preliminary estimated cost: $10,000 apiece.
Instant replay officials will be allowed to only monitor the dialogue on the field, not officiate from the booth on plays that aren't reviewable, Shaw said.
"I think it's going to be a really big advantage for that replay official to know immediately what the call on the field is and what the information is," he said. "We'd never have a situation where the replay guy looked at pass interference and said, 'You need to pick up that flag.'"
There was consideration to tape the officials' dialogue, but the SEC won't allow it, Shaw said. Conversations will be real-time only and not saved or recorded.
Communication rules will have to be created so officials don't talk over each other. When the SEC experimented with the system twice in the spring, Shaw said officials usually went quiet when a flag was thrown and waited to hear what the calling official had to say. Once officials learned of the foul, they could quickly begin enforcing the penalty.
"There is some appeal to it," said Rogers Redding, national supervisor of officials. "I think the management would be part of the issue. How much do you want to use it? One of the challenges would be a big part of officiating is concentration, and you wouldn't want a lot of chit-chat. There would have to be some pretty clear guidelines on when to talk."
Another question is how well officials will hear each other inside loud SEC stadiums.
"Because the technology has the capability of dampening the background noise and only picking up the voices, I think we're going to be OK," Shaw said. "But until you're in a hostile environment on a Saturday night in an SEC stadium, will it really hold up? We're going to find out."
Shaw said another important variable is making sure frequencies are kept clear at stadiums. Encrypted signals will keep the line secure from hackers, but a lot of entities use wireless at SEC games that could cause problems if there's not coordination, Shaw said.
Many SEC stadiums have frequency managers who assign spectrums, such as to television and radio broadcasts and to coaches for wireless headsets. "We have to make sure frequencies we're using are safe to use and not stepping on somebody," Shaw said. "You don't want to find that out at kickoff."
The SEC tried wireless in the spring with European company Vokkero, whose system was used in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup and tested in football by the Alabama High School Athletic Association last year. Shaw said the SEC may pick two manufacturers based on quality and pricing and compare how they perform in 2012.
In order to experiment, the SEC needed a waiver from an NCAA rule prohibiting microphones on any official except the referee. The SEC will report its wireless findings to the football rules committee after the season for other conferences to consider.
"The question is whether conferences want to invest their resources into it," Redding said. "In principle, I think it makes a lot of sense." link: http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d7Y15?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=sec-football
The NCAA football rules committee approved a waiver for the SEC to test the system only for SEC games. The technology could help officials communicate to identify pre-snap reads, become more efficient in enforcing penalties without huddling, and explain rulings better to coaches.
"We see great promise in this," said Steve Shaw, SEC coordinator of officials. "One of the questions is could this be a distraction to the crew? We're going to learn if it is. If it's a distraction, we're not going to use it. My goal is to have a better product of officiating on the field, and I think this is a tool that will help us get there."
Shaw said the SEC will probably purchase two wireless systems -- featuring small microphones on each official's collar and tiny earpieces -- and allow two of its nine crews use them. The preliminary estimated cost: $10,000 apiece.
Instant replay officials will be allowed to only monitor the dialogue on the field, not officiate from the booth on plays that aren't reviewable, Shaw said.
"I think it's going to be a really big advantage for that replay official to know immediately what the call on the field is and what the information is," he said. "We'd never have a situation where the replay guy looked at pass interference and said, 'You need to pick up that flag.'"
There was consideration to tape the officials' dialogue, but the SEC won't allow it, Shaw said. Conversations will be real-time only and not saved or recorded.
Communication rules will have to be created so officials don't talk over each other. When the SEC experimented with the system twice in the spring, Shaw said officials usually went quiet when a flag was thrown and waited to hear what the calling official had to say. Once officials learned of the foul, they could quickly begin enforcing the penalty.
"There is some appeal to it," said Rogers Redding, national supervisor of officials. "I think the management would be part of the issue. How much do you want to use it? One of the challenges would be a big part of officiating is concentration, and you wouldn't want a lot of chit-chat. There would have to be some pretty clear guidelines on when to talk."
Another question is how well officials will hear each other inside loud SEC stadiums.
"Because the technology has the capability of dampening the background noise and only picking up the voices, I think we're going to be OK," Shaw said. "But until you're in a hostile environment on a Saturday night in an SEC stadium, will it really hold up? We're going to find out."
Shaw said another important variable is making sure frequencies are kept clear at stadiums. Encrypted signals will keep the line secure from hackers, but a lot of entities use wireless at SEC games that could cause problems if there's not coordination, Shaw said.
Many SEC stadiums have frequency managers who assign spectrums, such as to television and radio broadcasts and to coaches for wireless headsets. "We have to make sure frequencies we're using are safe to use and not stepping on somebody," Shaw said. "You don't want to find that out at kickoff."
The SEC tried wireless in the spring with European company Vokkero, whose system was used in the 2006 and 2010 World Cup and tested in football by the Alabama High School Athletic Association last year. Shaw said the SEC may pick two manufacturers based on quality and pricing and compare how they perform in 2012.
In order to experiment, the SEC needed a waiver from an NCAA rule prohibiting microphones on any official except the referee. The SEC will report its wireless findings to the football rules committee after the season for other conferences to consider.
"The question is whether conferences want to invest their resources into it," Redding said. "In principle, I think it makes a lot of sense." link: http://bleacherreport.com/tb/d7Y15?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=sec-football
