Legal
Terms of Service
Last updated October 2026 · Applies to the Official mobile app and officialapp.net
These are the terms you agree to by creating an account or using Official. The section that matters most is §5: game pay is between the coach and the official. Official never collects, holds, escrows or guarantees it. Looking for how we handle your data instead? That is the Privacy Policy.
1. Acceptance of terms
By creating an account or using OFFICIAL ("the app"), you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the app.
2. What OFFICIAL is — and isn’t
OFFICIAL is a listing and scheduling platform that connects coaches, teams and leagues who need officials with officials who want games. We are not an officials’ association, an assignor, an employer, an agency, a payment processor, an escrow service, or a party to any agreement you reach with another user. Every game worked through OFFICIAL is an arrangement between the coach and the official — we introduce you and get out of the way.
3. Eligibility & accounts
You must be at least 13 years old and provide accurate information. If you are under 18, you may only use OFFICIAL with the permission of a parent or guardian, who accepts these terms with you and is responsible for your use of it. You are responsible for all activity under your account and for keeping your login secure.
4. Conduct
You agree not to post unlawful, abusive, or fraudulent content, harass other users, or attempt to bypass platform safeguards including the content filter. We may remove content or suspend accounts that violate these terms.
5. Game pay is between coaches and officials
OFFICIAL never collects, holds, escrows, processes, transfers or guarantees game pay. The amount shown on a game is set by the coach who posted it and is paid directly by that coach — or their team, school or league — to the official who works the game, by whatever method the two of them arrange. The pay figures, payouts, earnings totals and histories shown in the app are a record of what has been committed and worked. They are not funds OFFICIAL holds, and not a balance OFFICIAL owes to anyone.
6. If you post a game, you owe the pay
Posting a game at a stated rate is your offer to pay that amount to the official who works it, and officials claim games in reliance on it. You are responsible for paying it in full and on schedule. Not paying may cost you ratings, favourites, or access to the platform — but the debt is yours and the official’s. OFFICIAL does not assume it, guarantee it, insure it, or pay it on your behalf.
7. Pay disputes
Any dispute over whether, when, or how much an official was paid is solely between the coach and the official. OFFICIAL is not a party to it and has no obligation to mediate, investigate, arbitrate, collect, refund or reimburse, and is not liable for any unpaid, late, short or disputed game fee. You may report non-payment to us, and we may act on the reported account at our discretion — that is a platform-integrity measure, not a collections service and not an assumption of liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release OFFICIAL, its owners, staff and contractors from all claims and damages arising out of a dispute with another user, including non-payment.
8. No employment relationship
Officials using OFFICIAL are independent contractors of the coaches, teams and leagues they work for. OFFICIAL does not employ, engage, assign, supervise, train, insure or set the rates of any official; withholds, remits and reports no taxes on game pay; and provides no wages, benefits or workers’ compensation. Each user is responsible for their own taxes, licensing, certification, insurance, and for meeting the requirements of the leagues they work in.
9. What you pay OFFICIAL
The only money OFFICIAL charges is for our own products: Pro and League Pro subscriptions, and anything bought from the OFFICIAL shop. Subscriptions are billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, renew automatically until cancelled, and are managed, cancelled and refunded under those stores’ policies. Prices are shown before purchase. Nothing you pay us is applied to, credited against, or otherwise connected with game pay.
10. Cancellations
Coaches may cancel posted games; staffed officials are notified with the reason. A cancelled game creates no obligation to pay unless the coach and official agreed otherwise between themselves. Repeated late cancellations may affect your standing on the platform.
11. Ratings, certifications & verification
Ratings, reviews, on-time records and certification details are supplied by users. We review certification documents that officials submit, but we do not run background checks, confirm employment or insurance, or vouch for any user. Deciding whether to work with someone — and any check your league requires — is yours to make.
12. Disclaimers
The app is provided "as is." We do not guarantee that games, officials, or pay will be available, accurate or uninterrupted, that any listing is genuine, or that any user will honour what they commit to.
13. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, OFFICIAL is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, nor for any unpaid game fee or other loss arising from another user’s conduct. Our total liability to you on any claim is limited to what you have paid OFFICIAL in the twelve months before it arose.
14. Changes
We may update these terms; continued use after changes constitutes acceptance. Material changes will be surfaced in the app.
15. Contact
Questions about these terms? Reach us through the support form in Help & Support, or at cherry@officialapp.net.
These terms govern your use of OFFICIAL. Questions about them? Reach us through the support form in Help & Support.