1. Judgment: A good official is not someone that sees everything and throws a flag for every violation they see. A good official is one that sees a violation but can determine which ones need to be penalized.
2. Rules knowledge: A good official will know the rules. The NFL, college, high school, and recreation league games all have differences in their rules. An official must know the rules and any published rule interpretations for the level they are working.
3. Appearance/Fitness: There are two major issues with your appearance and fitness. First, if you look fit and look the part of a good official then the coaches and players are more likely to respect your ability to officiate the game. Second, a good official can easily cover 3 to 5 miles in a game. You owe it to the players, the coaches and, more importantly, your fellow officials to ensure that you are able to handle your duties and cover your areas of responsibilities.

Several other factors to that make someone a good official include the knowledge of field mechanics and positioning, communication skills, good “people” skills, the ability to take criticism, game experience, and the willingness to learn from others.