You’ve thought about becoming a soccer official and need a place to get started.

Find out about the local officials associations in your area. An officiating association is a group of officials who meet periodically to discuss rules, mechanics and philosophy. They are a great way for new officials to learn from veteran officials.

Attend a game in your area and ask the referees what association they belong to and whom to contact for information. The association will be a valuable pool of resources for training, obtaining games and getting to know the officiating community.

Attend association meetings. At those meetings, some 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.

Approximately 16 hours. Expect lectures, demonstration and exercises on the 17 basic Laws of the Game. If you only want to work small—sided youth games, there are specific training courses which may be shorter. There is a small fee for initial training, usually around $15.

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• Polished, black athletic shoes; cleated or flat—bottomed.
• Special socks with three white bands.
• Black shorts.
• A specialized black shirt with white collars and cuffs, short—sleeves or long—sleeves.
• Referee tools: A watch, whistle, pencil, note paper, coin, red card, yellow card and a set of assistant referee flags.
• Estimated cost: $200 if you have soccer shoes. Sometimes, veteran referees have "hand—me—downs" that help new referees get started.

There are alternate red and gold jerseys available when colors clash with the competing teams. There are variations in patterns and shades, so discuss your purchase with a veteran referee to ensure you buy an authorized shirt.

Talk with referees at a game, contact the athletic department of a local high school or contact your local recreation department. They will be able to give you the name of the state governing body for high school athletics. You will be expected to complete a registration form for affiliation with a national, statewide or local association. Often there will be a fee that must be paid with this registration which goes toward additional officiating training and insurance. Often, with your state association fee, you will be provided rulebooks and other materials. The fees range from $10—$50.

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The different organizations have different requirements, but most require at least attendance at a meeting to go over any current rule changes. Additional requirements may be a written test with a minimum passing score, a physical test with distance and sprint elements, payment of fees for the upcoming season and a classroom session for additional inservice training of up to five hours.

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

*The youth level: Many referees start at that level. Contact your local recreation department leaders. Your local association should also help you make contacts to get games.

United States Soccer Federation (USSF)
1801-1811 South Prairie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60616
312/808-1300
fax: 312/808-1301
http://www.ussoccer.com/home/default.sps

Soccer Association for Youth (SAY)
4050 Executive Park Drive, Suite 100
Cincinnati, OH 45241
800/233-7291
fax: 513/769-0500
http://www.saysoccer.org/
e-mail: sayusa@aol.com

Soccer in the Streets (SITS)
149 McDonough Street, Suite 270
Jonesboro, GA 30236
770/477-0354
fax: 770/478-1862
http://www.sits.org/

American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO)
12501 South Isis Avenue
Hawthorne CA 90250
800/872-2976
fax: 310/643-5310
http://www.soccer.org

*Upgrading: After working some games, you may feel you have the skills and confidence to work higher level competition. Many associations will allow upgrading in the middle of the season after you have shown a trained observer you are ready to make the leap. That observation, evaluation or assessment will provide you with valuable feedback.

After you have worked the minimum number of games, you can apply for upgrading. The higher level will allow you to work more competitive games and earn higher fees. Important note: You are responsible for monitoring the number of games you have worked in the past. You will need to show some documentation when you apply for the upgrade, so keep accurate records: game date, opposing teams, referee partners, age bracket, etc.

*Upgrading to high school: The requirements vary state by state. You may have to keep a record of your games, earning points for each game whistled. You may automatically move up if you attend a rules meeting and submit a written test. Contact your state association for registration information.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the nation’s governing body for high school athletics. Contact the NFHS for rulebooks, rule changes and information on your state association.

NFHS
P.O. Box 690
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317/972-6900

In most cases, state associations can put you in contact with a local officials association. NASO has more than 4,000 local officials associations in our database. Local officials associations assign games, many times offers mentoring programs and assist in training. You may Contact Us for a local association near you.

High school athletic directors, association assigners and other officials will help you get games. Attend local officiating camps and clinics. They are focused on helping umpires learn and improve.

*Upgrading to college: There are two categories: referee and national referee. Advancement within each category is based on the league or conference. When first trying to enter a particular college conference, talk with referees who are currently in the conference. They can give you valuable information, such as the conference commissioner and officiating camps to attend. College athletic directors or sports information directors can also be helpful. Click here for a NCAA college conference directory.

The National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) is the primary association of collegiate soccer officiating. It is the organization responsible for improving the quality of college officiating in the U.S. NISOA represents around 5,500 officials and provides officials for most college conferences. Click here for more information about NISOA.

You may start your career in the NAIA, work an NCAA Division III conference, advance to a Division II schedule, then on to a smaller Division I conference and culminate with a major Division I schedule. Attendance at the NISOA camp in Elizabeth, Pa., is a requirement to upgrade to become a National Referee, after a recommendation by your local chapter.

National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA)
541 Woodview Drive
Longwood, FL 32779
http://www.nisoa.com

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222
317/917-6222
http://www.ncaa.org/

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
23500 W. 105th Street
P.O. Box 1325
Olathe, KS 66051-1325
913/791-0044
http://www.naia.org

National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)
P.O. Box 7305
Colorado Springs, CO 80933- 7305
719/590-9788
http://www.njcaa.org

*Professional league: To referee in the professional ranks, you must progress through the USSF system: Referee 2 (grade 8), Referee 1 (7), State Referee 2 (6), State Referee 1 (5), National Referee (4), International Panel candidate (3), FIFA International Panel of Assistant Referees (2) and FIFA International Panel of Referees (1). Referees for Major League Soccer matches are selected from grades 1-4.

United States Soccer Federation (USSF)
1801—1811 South Prairie Avenue
Chicago, IL 60616
312/808—1300
fax: 312/808—1301
http://www.ussoccer.com/home/default.sps

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