FAQ: Jr. Referees

I’m a kid! Why on Earth would I want to be a referee?!?!?

Well, assuming you’re already a soccer player, there’s a bunch of reasons:

It teaches you even more about the game. You get to understand why & how referees look at things, which can only help you in your games.

The kids love it! We start you at U7 & U8 games and those 6 & 7 years olds love it when an older kid is refereeing them.

It counts towards your community service requirement. If you’re in high school, this is possibly the most fun way to satisfy that requirement.

Finally, not saying that money talks, but ref enough games and you get a gift card at the end of the season to spend on cool soccer stuff.

How old do I have to be?

12 and older is ideal. Sometimes we have 11 year-olds, but it’s just a question of being confident enough to (occasionally) tell the adults on the sidelines to be quiet :)

How do I choose the games I want to referee?

Same way as the adults. We send out an email to all the referees early in the week with a link to a Google Sheet that allows you to select the game(s) you wish to referee the following Saturday. You don’t have to referee every week, so you can fit the schedule to whatever works for you & your games.

What’s the deal with the adults?

A referee is a referee is a referee, regardless of age. It’s the same training for adults & kids—and in fact, some of our “junior” referees know more about the game than the adults (can I get a “well, duh”?). We just typically prefer you to ref games that are younger than you, but it’s actually not a hard requirement.

Where do I get the referee uniform and equipment?

Once you complete your training, you will be provided with a free uniform (including shirt, shorts, and socks), badge, whistle, stopwatch, and a copy of the Laws of the Game. You provide the shoes.

Do I have to commit to referee a minimum number of games?

No. Nor do you have to commit to refereeing every week. We are happy to have you referee the number of games that works for you, but we suspect that once you get the bug you will want to referee more rather than less.

Sign me up!

Follow the instructions under FAQ for Referees to register/sign up for the training. Here’s the catch—you have to register as a volunteer, you can’t just reuse your player profile. The process is a pain, we know, unfortunately we don’t control it, so if you’re having problems, come to the training and we’ll sort it out. Alternatively email Neil Palmer (Head Ref) or Chris O’Connell (Ref Instructor).

Anything else?

Well, if you really get into this, then eventually you can become an Intermediate Referee. That allows you to cross register with the USSF (United States Soccer Federation). So what? Well that means you can get paid to ref games, which is a darn good money earner if you’re in high school or college ($150 a game I think).