he season has ended, and it's time to go on to the next sport — or just take a break. Time to put the uniform in storage and let those little injuries heal.

So, when is the next time you think about football?

For some number of officials, the next time football crosses their minds may be just before the first game next season. But is that the way you should do it? I asked a player before his last game when he started preparing for this season: In August? He quickly corrected me and said it was June. And what he did not verbalize was the number of hours spent in the gym lifting weights, running, and just keeping in shape during the winter months.

Why should any official wait until the week or the day before his first game to prepare?

With all due respect to my colleagues in the other sports, football has the most complicated set of rules and requires more physical demands on the body than any other sport. Before you other sport officials throw tomatoes, think about football that runs through weather from the hottest to some of the coldest, outdoors in all kinds of weather, with some of the fastest athletes in the world, with well-built bodies padded by pounds of protective material. On top of that, there are numerous rules that require extensive knowledge.

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