The coin toss is the first visible and formal chance to make everyone comfortable the game will be fairly administered.
Associations and other authorities have adapted their own modifications to the ceremony, but what follows is the template for a high school crew of five.
The coin toss is normally conducted in the center of the field three minutes before the game. The toss may be held at an earlier time off the field if both coaches agree or if the state association mandates a different time. In such a case, the results may be simulated in the center of the field three minutes before the game.
The umpire goes to the non-press box sideline and the referee to the opposite sideline. The speaking captains (those who will give options for their teams) should be positioned so they are closest to the referee when the group meets in the center of the field.
The umpire and referee escort the captains to the middle of the field, positioned so their backs are to their own sidelines.
The referee may either face the scoreboard or have his back to it during the toss. When they reach the center of the field, the referee and umpire will be across from each other. The back judge remains on the hashmark on the side of the field with the chains; the line judge assumes a similar position on the opposite side. The linesman remains on the sideline with the chains. If each team is using its own game balls, the back judge and line judge should each have an approved game ball from the team on their sideline.
Players who are not involved in the toss should be kept out of the area between the top of the numbers on both sides of the field.
The captains are asked to introduce themselves to each other. It is preferable to have the captains remove their helmets for ease of communication. The referee introduces him or herself and the umpire. There should be no extraneous discourse from the referee, such as rules reviews, warnings or mention of rivalries.
The referee should allow all captains to view both sides of the coin, identifying which side is heads and which is tails. The visiting captain is instructed to call heads or tails before the coin is flipped. The umpire repeats the choice loudly enough for all to hear.
If the referee chooses to catch the coin, it is not turned over. If the coin is dropped, the toss should be repeated. The referee may choose to have the coin hit the ground. A coin will sometimes fall unevenly on a grass field; consider catching it if the field does not have artificial turf.
Determining and Signaling the Winner
Once the winner is determined, the winner is offered the choices in the following order: defer, receive or defend a goal. Note the omission of “kick.” Kick is a valid choice, but one which, most likely, will get both the captain and the officials in trouble. If the captain was told to pick “kick,” he will pick it, regardless of whether it is offered.
If the choice is to defer, the referee immediately faces the press box, taps the shoulder of the deferring captain and signals the deferral.
To avoid a potential error and acknowledge the obvious choice of the captain who lost the toss, the referee should say to the deferring captain, “They will receive. Which way do you want to kick?”
If the winner of the coin toss does not defer, no signal is immediately given.
When the final selections are made, the captains are asked to put their backs to the goalline their team will defend and the referee gives the appropriate signals while on the press box side of all the captains.
If the choice is to kick or receive, only the first selection is signaled. If the choice is to defend a goal, two signals are given: pointing both arms toward the goalline being defended, followed by the appropriate signal for the other captain.
If at any time during the toss the referee errs or gives incorrect information (for instance, giving the wrong team an option), the umpire should speak up immediately.
When the toss is completed, the other officials join the referee and umpire in the center of the field and record the results of the toss. All officials simultaneously move to their kickoff positions.
Second-Half Choices
It is recommended that as the teams are leaving the field at the end of the first half, the linesman and line judge obtain the second-half choices from the respective head coaches. The choices are communicated to the opposing teams when they return to the field before the second half.
Overtime Procedure
Overtime procedure. If overtime is necessary, the officials wait for the three-minute intermission to end. The referee and umpire go to their respective sidelines and once again escort the captains to the center of the field while the other officials assume the same positions as for the pregame toss.
The coin toss is repeated with the visiting team again calling it. When the winner is determined, the options are explained. The winner may not defer, but may choose offense, defense or the goal to be used.
If a penalty from the end of regulation time is to be enforced at the start of overtime, it is crucial for the referee to explain the ramifications before the winning captain makes his choice.
When the selections are completed, the captains of the team on offense are asked to face the goalline in the direction their team will advance and the opposing captains stand with their backs to that goalline. The referee then taps the shoulder of the captain of the team that won the toss and gives the first down signal in the appropriate direction.
