The West Coast Officials Association (WCOA) is based in Tampa, Florida and is a premiere officials association for the sports of basketball, football and flag football in Hillsborough and Pasco counties! We have well over 400 members who are active at the professional, collegiate, high school and youth levels.

You may join by clicking on the “Join Us” link found on the home page. Officiating experience is helpful, but not essential, for we have some of the best training and mentoring programs in the state. Depending on your officiating experience, you will be placed at an appropriate level to either begin or continue officiating your sport. Our officials are active participants in several state wide tournaments and our football, flag football and basketball crews are selected each year to officiate in FHSAA state playoff contests. New officials are needed in all sports, so please register today and a board member of that specific sport will personally contact you.
We officiate football, flag football and basketball in Hillsborough and Pasco counties at the varsity, JV, freshman, middle school and youth levels and have activities and games that run virtually all year long.

The Purposes Of The WCOA are:

1) To establish and maintain an organization that will promote through its actions, attitude and leadership of its members:
• High ethical standards
• Exceptional sportsmanship
• Respect and encouragement of fair play
• Cooperation and understanding among officials, athletic directors, coaches, players and spectators for the rules, regulations and policies adopted by the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations (NFHS), the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), Hillsborough County Public Schools or any other governing bodies.

2) To sponsor, coordinate and promote programs that will provide training and continuing education to officials to improve their:
• Knowledge of the rules
• Positioning and mechanics
• Game management skills
• Judgment and understanding of officiating philosophies
• Conditioning
• Opportunities for advancement
• Ability to be well-trained and unbiased officials to serve the student athletes and organizations in the region

3) To recruit, encourage and provide an equal opportunity for a diverse membership that is reflective of the community the WCOA serves. This encompasses but is not limited to the assignment of contests, opportunities for advancement, ratings and selection to leadership positions regardless of gender, race, national origin, age, religion, sexual orientation or disability.

4) To collect dues from its membership to support the furtherance of WCOA objectives and prudently expend all funds received and disburse the net interest and other earnings that may be received in the satisfaction of its operating expenditures and expenses in support of meritorious projects which may further the association’s objectives. The WCOA will operate exclusively in any manner for the promotion of social welfare and in accordance with guidelines to qualify as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended or under corresponding provision of any subsequent federal tax laws.

5) To perform all other acts, carry on and conduct all other activities necessary or useful in connection with or incidental to the accomplishment of any of the purposes set forth herein to the full extent of the laws of the State of Florida, while disseminating the aims and activities of the WCOA to the general public in a manner intended to evoke community involvement and support.

“Every call you make half the people are very happy, and half the people are very angry. So you have to kind of learn how to tune that out.”

Greg Kaiser, VP – Football