You’ve thought about becoming a volleyball 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 match 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.
Very light physical demands. As the players’ ages and skill levels increase, the speed of competition becomes more challenging. Your concentration level and ability to anticipate must increase as well.

Expect lectures, role—playing, demonstration and exercises on the basic rules, on-court reviews.

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Equipment needed (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) and USA Volleyball:

• Navy blue slacks.
• Navy blue shorts allowable only for tournament play when high temperatures exist.
• Black or dark navy blue leather belt.
• All white leather shoes.
• White crew socks.
• Referee tools: A watch, rulebook, whistle, net measuring device, coin, red & yellow sanction cards.

Estimated cost: $200 if you have shoes. Sometimes, veteran referees have "hand—me—downs" that help new referees get started.

Talk with referees at a match, 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 that 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—$80.

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You can expect to be paid in the range of $8 for youth matches to $40 for competitive high school varsity matches. Many programs offer no pay. Once you are experienced enough to referee college matches, the pay ranges from $80 to $300 per match.
Ask a respected veteran referee to be your mentor. 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.

Annual recertification: The various organizations have different requirements, but most require at least meeting attendance to review any current rule or technique changes. Additional requirements may be a written test with a minimum passing score, payment of fees for the upcoming season and a classroom session for additional in-service training. For more information on volleyball officiating, contact the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO). PAVO is a nationwide organization with approximately 100 local chapters, and is involved with training and certification of high school and collegiate referees.

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Climbing the ladder: 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.

USA Volleyball
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
719/637—8300
http://www.usavolleyball.org/officiat/main.htm

*Upgrading to high school: After working some games, you may feel you have the skills and confidence to work higher level competition. 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 offer 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: Advancement is based on the league or conference. You may start your career in the local junior college league, progress into the NAIA, work an NCAA Division II or Division III conference, advance to a smaller Division I conference and culminate with a major Division I schedule. This progress will probably take several seasons, depending on your geographic area, the number of experienced officials available, and the quantity of matches. Click here for a NCAA college conference directory.

The collegiate national governing bodies:

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 leagues: There are professional leagues in select cities for beach volleyball. Contact the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association or the Association of Volleyball Professionals for information on becoming a referee.

Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP)
330 Washington Blvd., Suite 600
Marina Del Ray, CA 90292
310/577—0775

USA Volleyball
715 South Circle Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80910-1740
719-228-6800
http://www.usavolleyball.com

Professional Association of Volleyball Officials
P.O. Box 780
Oxford, KS 67119
888/791-2074
email: pavo@pavo.org
http://www.pavo.org

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