The One Percent
Meet Heather Lee, a football official from North Platte, Nebraska
Pick any Saturday or Sunday during the football season, and chances are you will see a ponytail coming out of the back of one of the game official's hats. Sarah Thomas is a recognizable face as the first full-time female official in the NFL (and the first to work a Super Bowl). And just a few weeks ago, LaShell Nelson, the first black woman to referee Big Ten football, was a side judge on the Nebraska-Illinois matchup.
Nebraska’s One Percent
If you get lucky, you might also spot a female reffing under the Friday night lights on a gridiron around our state. There aren’t many out there–in fact, only one percent of registered football officials in Nebraska are female.
Heather Lee is one of them and kicks off our series on The One Percent.
“I’m a huge football fan. When my boys were done playing, I still wanted to be a part of it.”
Heather is the one percent - the senior member of the group of six females refereeing football in Nebraska this year (compared to the nearly 600 male registered football officials in our state).
She is in her third year and started officiating when her youngest son graduated from high school.
A friend of her husband is a football official, and he was able to get her connected.
“I watched him ref many of my son’s games, so I asked him about it,” Heather said. He told her there were plenty of spots open to fill. “When you realize there are so few officials, period, let alone female officials, it’s really easy to get into it.”
He talked with his crew and indeed found a place for her. She then registered with the NSAA, got her rule books, took her NSAA test, and watched a rules meeting. Once this was complete, her crew chief provided her with a schedule of games.
She worked a varsity game in her first year.
“My first year was humbling. It’s a lot more complicated on the field than it is watching from the stands. The varsity game is quicker and more intense than the lower-level games. There are the lights, more fans, the cheering, the bands.”
A varsity football officiating crew comprises five positions: referee, umpire, linesman, line judge, and back judge. Heather started as an umpire but has worked hard to learn the other positions.
“It’s a big learning process because you get good at one of the positions and then they will put you in another position. The goal would be to learn them all well enough to step in on a Friday night and help out.”
Heather says her crew mates have been exceedingly helpful.
“I don’t know if I just got lucky with these guys because they are always willing to teach. They will say, ‘Make sure you’re on it, these coaches are going to watch’. They give me directions so I don’t look like a fool.”
Her crew mates are also helpful before and after her games.
“Their constructive criticism means more than the coach chirping in your ear. And I will say, the feedback from coaches is helpful in that I can bring it to the guys and ask if it’s something I need to work on.”
Heather has around ten games on her schedule this year, and most of them are sub-varsity games.
“I like JV games because everyone is learning on those fields. It makes it a little more forgiving when you’re new. This helps when you forget to give yourself some grace.”
Heather encourages anyone who wants to get started to contact Nate Neuhaus.
“Just ask. Nate will answer any questions you have. You have to have some football knowledge going in, but there is also training available–camps and videos are out there if you want to learn.”
Watch Heather talk about how to start officiating football, how she has learned the craft, and her motivation for getting in the game.
Next up on The One Percent series: Kelli Kaps. Stay tuned.
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