Since this is my first writing assignment for SCSoccer.com, I thought that I would start by talking about the nuances of getting involved with youth soccer from a refereeing perspective. Some people go into refereeing to better understand the game, others go into it because their children are either playing or want to referee so the parents get involved. Here in the north, we have AYSO, and many parents become the coach and the referee for their children’s games. The reasons may all vary as to why we get involved, but lately there has been a shortage of referees. I will try to explain some of the process to hopefully get more people interested in starting their refereeing careers.
There are those of us that no longer play competitive soccer, but want to contribute back to the game that we dearly love. But before you go running onto the pitch with your whistle in hand, there are a few things that you need to take into consideration. First, if you are looking to become a USSF certified referee, you must attend a two-day entry-level clinic. This requires sixteen hours of training to become a certified referee, and the fees approach $60 to $65. You then have to take an exam and pass with a score of 75%. This is not an open book test like the SC High School League gives.
For high school games, you need to contact your states’ high school league to figure out when the required training is. You then pay your fee, go take the open booked test, and you are ready to go for the next year. (And you wonder why some of the referees are not the best for high school games) Usually you have to attend a rules interpretation meeting, and attend a clinic. These beginner courses do not cover everything that you will see on the field, but they are good to open your eyes to the major rules. You would be wise to become certified under the USSF before you start doing high school games. I have seen many new high school referees that just plain scare me with their knowledge, or lack there of the rules.
It is very important to think about why you want to become a referee. If you are going into it for the money, you are choosing the wrong hobby. The money will not make up for the abuse you take as a referee, the weather you have to referee in, the traveling that you have to do to get to the games, and the constant training and rules interpretation clinics that you have attend. You better have a deep seeded love for the game, and the idea that you are there to provide a better quality of referee to make the game of soccer better.
Many people stress the negative side to refereeing, but there are many positives. It allows you to still be involved in a game that you love. You are also running around getting exercise while doing something that you enjoy. I have always thought that the camaraderie among good officials makes tournaments and games fun. There are many people that I referee with that make the games we do together enjoyable. A good refereeing team makes a game much easier to manage if everyone knows what they are doing. As we all know, a good referee can make all the difference in a game. A referee that knows how to control the game, yet seems to blend into the pitch is what we are all looking for. In order to get this good, you must continue to examine your refereeing style and make changes to become better. It is an ever-evolving process.