REGINA — As fireworks lit the up the sky and flares of smoke danced above packed stands in Los Angeles, flag football wasn’t just being played, it was being performed. And when the game’s biggest personalities collided in what has been called one of the greatest spectacles in the sport’s history, one Saskatchewan man stood at the center of it all, listening, adjudicating, and steering one of the most unforgettable games of his life.
For Scott Woloshin, manager of officiating development with Football Canada and a Regina native, the recent Fanatics Flag Football Classic on March 21 at BMO Stadium in LA brought roles he’d never imagined, from referee to peacemaker, all under the brightest lights the sport has ever seen.
“This game for sure was … the number one highlight of my career,” Woloshin said. “It’s hard to imagine a game that gets much bigger than this.”
He’s officiated world championships and gold medal matches, but the mixture of elite athletes, entertainment spectacle, and global attention made this one stand out.
“I’ve done world championships … but just the production … the super mega, ultra-millionaire stars … the atmosphere,” he said. “There were fireworks, there was smoke, there were flames … by wide margin, the biggest game I’ve ever been able to officiate.”
What made the experience even more unique was how quickly it came together.
“This tournament was originally supposed to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” Woloshin explained. “I was selected by IFAF [International Federation of American Football] to attend the event there alongside seven other officials across the world.”
With rising tensions in the Middle East, the event was abruptly relocated to Los Angeles, forcing a rapid reorganization not only of logistics, but of the officiating crew itself.
“With the quick shift, the officials used for this tournament were four Americans, two Canadians, one Brazilian, and one Argentinian,” he said. “Unfortunately, our European officials were not able to attend with the turnaround and difficulty obtaining visas.”
Among the Canadian representatives was Quebec official Catherine Piche, joining Woloshin on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
Officiating under a spotlight
The Classic wasn’t just big for spectators. For officials, it posed a unique challenge. Woloshin explained that even professionals from the NFL, though extraordinarily talented, had limited experience with flag football’s intricate rules.
“We have two NFL teams who don’t know the rules of flag too well,” Woloshin said. “Flag football has a lot of small intricacies that players with years of tackle football experience don’t automatically know. That makes it tricky to find the balance between enforcing the rulebook and keeping the game clean, safe and true to the sport.”
He described the challenge of managing contact in a game that is supposed to be no contact, balancing how much officials allow while ensuring the spectacle remained enjoyable and respectable.
“I’m not going to pretend every call was perfect,” he said. “But there’s a real challenge in keeping that balance.”
And when competitive sparks flew like they sometimes do in sport, Woloshin’s instincts kicked in. In one moment captured on camera, he stepped in during a heated exchange involving WWE star Logan Paul and NFL legend Tom Brady.
“I just said, ‘Hey, we’re done,’” he remembered. “I didn’t see Tom spike the ball, which is why Logan reacts the way he does … but my goal was just to break it up.”
By the end of the day, respect prevailed.
“I apologized to Logan for missing it, and we dapped it up,” Woloshin said.
A sport on the rise
Flag football isn’t just a fun exhibition. It is a sport racing toward its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and Woloshin is helping officiating keep pace with that growth.
“Officiating definitely needs to catch up to the level that the sport is growing,” he said. “It’s growing like wildfire. The sport is becoming bigger and people are taking it more seriously.”
Woloshin sits on an international rules committee that is formalizing flag football officiating and training across the globe, a development he sees as essential for the sport’s future.
“We’re going to see stronger officials, stronger training processes … but we have a lot to catch up on,” he said. “And I’m part of the team that helps do that.”
From Regina youth fields to international stage
The path that brought Woloshin from Saskatchewan prairie fields to the biggest stages in flag football began humbly in Regina.
“I started when I was like 14 or 15 in the Regina Youth Flag Football League,” he recalled.
On a rainy day early in his officiating journey, he remembers striving not just to enforce rules, but to make the game fun and understandable.
“I’d tell fans, ‘Hey, we have flag guarding. That’s a five yard penalty,’” he said. “A mom took a photo and sent it to our league director saying, ‘This ref did a great job.’ That note of recognition lit a fire in me.”
That early moment, he said, unknowingly kick-started his career.
Woloshin also credits his early interest in film and media as something that now enriches his officiating work.
“A lot of the training videos and content you see coming out of Football Canada … that’s me combining my film background with officiating,” he said. “I try to give a higher quality product to train officials.”
Saskatchewan’s place in the flag football world
For the province’s football community, Woloshin’s success is more than personal. It is inspirational.
“The inclusion of flag football in the Olympic movement is a tremendous step forward for the sport,” said Mike Thomas, executive director of Football Saskatchewan. “For years, those involved in flag football have understood its value … as a fast, skilled and accessible version of the game.”
Thomas says Woloshin’s prominence shows Saskatchewan can produce world class talent not just on the field, but in officiating.
“Having someone local like Scott is incredibly meaningful for our province,” Thomas said. “It shows young athletes and officials they belong on the biggest stages.”
Thomas believes the Olympic spotlight could transform the sport’s future in Saskatchewan, opening new doors for athletes, coaches and officials alike.
A message for the next generation
Woloshin’s message for young officials and athletes is rooted in opportunity.
“Every sport needs officials,” he said. “No sport is turning away officials to my knowledge. If you want a part time job, you should officiate football.”
He sees officiating as a path that builds confidence, problem solving skills and lifelong involvement in sport.
“You get paid, you get exercise, you get involved in a sport you love,” he said. “What better job?”
Woloshin says he never imagined his career would take him this far.
“I was going to be a film major,” he said. “I stopped officiating for a couple of years while working in the film industry. Then I came back to it.”
He credits early mentors for seeing promise in him and encouraging him to pursue officiating at the national level.
“Those opportunities do exist for officials across the country,” he said. “You can get to national tournaments, travel and represent your province.”
Now that he has seen that journey come full circle, he is riding the wave of a sport that has grown faster than almost anyone expected.
“It’s been great so far,” he said. “And there’s still a lot of work ahead.”
As flag football continues its meteoric rise from backyard games to televised showcases to the Olympic stage, Woloshin’s whistle will likely remain close to the centre of the action.
And if anyone asks how he got there, the answer still traces back to a rainy field in Regina and a young official who decided to care.
“It’s a sport that’s grown like crazy,” he said. “And I’m happy to be a part of it.”
