So you’ve thought about becoming a women’s or men’s lacrosse official and need a place to get started.

Find out about the local officials association (men’s officials) or local umpires board (women’s umpires/officials) in your area. An officiating association or board is a group of officials who attend scheduled meetings to discuss rules, mechanics and philosophy. They are a great way for new officials to learn from veteran officials. Contact your local officials association or board directly.

U.S. Lacrosse is the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse, promoting the sport and inspiring and supporting the participation of players, coaches and officials across the country. Your local U.S. Lacrosse Chapter organization will be able to direct you to your association or board. Visit www.uslacrosse.org for a list of women’s umpire board contacts and chapter contact information (for men’s officiating associations). You can also contact the U.S. Lacrosse Men’s or Women’s Division Officials Council through the following e-mail addresses: officials@uslacrosse.org (men’s) or umpires@uslacrosse.org (women’s).

U.S. Lacrosse
National Headquarters
113 West University Parkway
Baltimore, MD 21210-3300
410.235.6882
410.366.6735 (fax)
www.uslacrosse.org
info@uslacrosse.org

You can also attend a game in your area and ask the officials what association they belong to and whom to contact for information. The association or board will be a valuable resource for training, obtaining games and getting to know members of the officiating community.

Attend meetings. At those meetings, many of which are held before the season starts, you can ask questions about rules, mechanics and positioning. Those sessions will be a foundation to get you started properly.

Expect high physical demands, keeping in mind that it is a great way to stay fit. As the players’ ages increase and the competitive levels increase, the physical demands rise. You may run several miles throughout the course of a game. You may be expected to do several games in a day.

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Expect lectures, demonstration, exercises and both a written and on-field evaluation. Fees for association or board dues and/or U.S. Lacrosse training materials vary by location and the items included in the training package.

Needed by all officials:

• One-inch vertically striped black/white shirt with black collar and cuffs (short or long sleeves)
• One-inch vertically striped black/white jacket if mandated by inclement weather
• Black accessories (shoes/cleats, hat or visor, turtleneck or undershirt, whistle, etc.)
• Tools: Use a bag, preferably black, to carry uniform, a rulebook, the appropriate gold penalty flags, a black whistle, a small tape measure, pen or pencil, paper and a coin

For Women's Lacrosse Officials only:

• Black kilt (shorts or slacks for men)
• Additional tools: Green, yellow and red warning cards

For Men's Lacrosse Officials only:

• White Bermuda-length shorts or black nylon pants
• Additional tools: Men’s officials use a pocket scorecard

Many websites carry the needed items bundled in a package at a discounted price, which can average under $100 for the just basics, including shirt and tools. Estimated cost for complete package, including everything down to shoes and a bag: uniform $200 - $300, tools $60 - $70

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You may need to pay annual dues to your local officials’ association or board which can help you become an official and join U.S. Lacrosse. Your U.S. Lacrosse membership includes many useful items such as insurance and a rulebook. Certain officiating clinics or resource materials may require an additional fee.
Fees vary widely by region of the country and by levels of play. Youth leagues generally pay around $25 per game, most high schools are in the $50-$70 range and college officials receive from $100-$200 per game depending on the level of play. Professional men’s lacrosse officials receive $200 and up per game.
Ask a respected veteran referee or umpire to be your mentor if one is not assigned to you. That mentor will help answer your questions and provide crucial support. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about situations and rules. The more you talk about officiating, the more you will learn about it.

You will need to attend an annual meeting/clinic to go over any rule changes. Additional requirements may be a written test with a minimum passing score, an on-field evaluation, payment of fees for the upcoming season and a classroom session for additional in-service training. That will vary by level of officiating and local association or board requirements.

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Here’s the path for starting and continuing your officiating career:

* The youth level: This is a great place to get started. U.S. Lacrosse training will enable even those who are new to lacrosse and/or officiating to gain the knowledge and skills to step onto the field with confidence. Contact your local officials association or board, which can train you and help you make contacts to get games.

* Upgrading: After working some games, you may feel you have the skills and confidence to work higher level competition. Being observed and evaluated by a trained observer will provide you with valuable feedback.

After you have gained experience and confidence by working a minimum number of games, you may be eligible to apply for upgrading. The higher level will allow you to work more competitive games and earn higher fees. Additional training and on-field evaluations, passing tests at a higher score level, earning a higher rating and even peer recommendations may be conditions of moving to the next level - but your local association or board and your peers are available to help you make the transition smoothly.

* Upgrading to the High School level: Though skilled and experienced officials are desperately needed for youth lacrosse, youth officials may decide to progress to or add to their youth schedules the high school level after solid experience at the beginning levels of the game. Your local officials association or board will have information regarding requirements, such as a minimum amount of experience and/or a higher rating, for officiating high school games in your state.

Another organization involved with high school officiating is the National Federation of State High School Associations, the nation’s governing body for high school athletics. NFHS writes the rules for boys’ high school lacrosse and endorses the U.S. Lacrosse-written rules for girls’ and women’s lacrosse. You may also contact them for information on your state association.

National Federation of State High School Associations
690 Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.972.6900
www.nfhs.org

* Upgrading to the College level: In the women’s game, ratings indicate proficiency and the level at which you are certified to umpire. All ratings are through U.S. Lacrosse and membership in the local board. The "District" and "National" umpire ratings certify umpires to do college level play. As an umpire becomes more proficient, field rating opportunities are available within the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Division Officials Council structure. Regions, which are a cluster of local boards, provide opportunities for earning a District rating. That rating indicates an official is capable of doing lower levels of collegiate play. The U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Division National Tournament is the event for the National umpire to earn a rating and provide service to the highest level of the game. An "International" rating requires affiliation with the IFWLA (International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Association) to earn the designation to do international competition.

In the men’s game, moving up to the college level is based largely on coaches’ ratings and recommendations. Extensive high school varsity and playoff experience is needed, and successful experience with the three-referee system and at the U.S. Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates level (formal college club) paves the way for doing college varsity games. To be considered for a varsity college official position, an application is submitted to the U.S. Lacrosse Collegiate Officials Committee (COC), along with two recommendations and a vita. The ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Association) manages varsity college game scheduling for COC officials and U.S. Lacrosse directly manages the scheduling of officials to MDIA (Men’s Division Intercollegiate Associates) games.

U.S. Lacrosse selects its international officials from the college pool based on skill and experience.

The collegiate national governing bodies:

U.S. Lacrosse Men’s or Women’s Division Officials Council
National Headquarters
113 West University Parkway
Baltimore, MD 21210-3300
410.235.6882
410.366.6735 (fax)
www.uslacrosse.org
officials@uslacrosse.org (men’s) or umpires@uslacrosse.org (women’s)

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
6201 College Blvd.
Overland Park, KS 66211
913.339.1906
www.ncaa.org

Eastern College Athletic Association (ECAC)
1311 Craigville Beach Road
P.O. Box 3
Centerville, Massachusetts 02632
508.771.5060
www.ecac.org

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
6120 S. Yale Ave. #1450
Tulsa, OK 74136
www.naia.org

National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
P.O. Box 7305
Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7305
www.njcaa.org

National Small College Athletic Association
113 E. Bow St.
Franklin, NH 03235

* Professional league: High-level college varsity officials are asked to officiate for the professional indoor (National Lacrosse League) and outdoor (Major League Lacrosse) men’s lacrosse.

At this time there is no women’s professional lacrosse.

Major League Lacrosse (men’s pro: outdoor)

One Harmon Plaza
3rd Floor
Secaucus, NJ 07094
201.325.0800
www.majorleaguelacrosse.com

National Lacrosse League (men’s pro: indoor)
1212 Avenue of the Americas-5th Floor
New York, NY 10036
917.510.9200
www.nll.com

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