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Escalon rec staff: flag‑football surveys positive, referee training to be expanded after inconsistent reports
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Summary
Staff reported generally positive coach and parent survey results for the 2026 flag‑football season (coaches: 8 responses, 4.13/5; parents: 39 responses, 4.33/5) and said a contractor, Red Sports, piloted referee training; staff proposed additional training and pocket rule cards to address inconsistency concerns.
Recreation staff reported on Feb. 11 that the city’s end‑of‑season surveys for flag football returned generally favorable ratings and flagged referee inconsistency as an area for improvement.
Staff said coaches gave the season an overall score of 4.13 out of 5 from eight responses, and parents provided 39 responses with an overall score of 4.33 out of 5. "We had 8 responses with a overall experience of 4.13 out of 5," Recreation staff said, and "for the parent survey, we had 39 responses… overall experience of 4.33 out of 5." Staff also highlighted a dashboard prepared by Yvette that summarizes comments and helps priorities for improvement.
The commission discussed recurring concerns raised through the surveys, including referee inconsistency. Staff described the city’s junior‑referee program—high‑school referees trained in recent seasons—and said the city piloted a contractor‑led training with Red Sports for flag football that included a one‑day classroom course and on‑field training. "Flag Football was actually the first season where we had our professional contractor, Red Sports, actually train them for us," staff said, adding the pilot included classroom and on‑field elements.
Staff said they plan to continue emphasizing referee training and to explore more in‑depth courses or licensing for referees, and suggested creating pocket‑sized cards with penalties and key rules for referees to reference during games.
Commissioners and staff also discussed age‑grouping challenges and the administrative impacts of creating smaller divisions (more teams, fields and referees). Staff said they are monitoring registration trends and will consider separate divisions when enrollment supports it.
Next steps: staff will pursue enhanced referee training, prepare quick‑reference materials for referees and continue monitoring enrollment to inform possible future age‑division splits.
