felony conviction

[nogsl coach]

can a person with a felony on there record be a referee?they wrote bad checks when they were 22 they are now 34 has a wife and kids,and havent been in trouble since they were 22.they also played semi-professional soccer for 8 years.

[Citiref]

I'm not completely sure, but I don't think so. If I remember correctly, the instructor in my certification class said that if you answer "Yes" on the registration form to the question of "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?", that you just wasted 18 hours of your time. Try contacting the State Referee Administrator listed on your state's website, he'll have a definitive answer.

[peanutgallery83]

Depends on the state and the details of the felony (ie: how long ago, was it violent, sexual-predator-related, etc).

At a minimum, an individual who checks "yes" will most likely be required to provide a separate report regarding the details to the state before they will approve the registration (in addition to what is requested on the actual registration form).

It will raise a red-flag for the state to look into it, but I certainly wouldn't consider it an automatic denial, especially if it was not a felony related to violence.

Contact your State Referee Committee.

[refmike]

This is certainly the case in California North. Don't know about other states.

[nogsl coach]

Found some info from ayso.It says 10 year for drug related,15 for theft related and 20 years for other offences as long as it was not a crime againt a child .

[USSF REF]

As far as I know though any sort of fraud or crime of dishonesty is usually an automatic boot. The tought is the ref could be easily swayed into taking money to throw the game.

[Africa2010]

As far as I know though any sort of fraud or crime of dishonesty is usually an automatic boot. The tought is the ref could be easily swayed into taking money to throw the game.

That's the way that sh*t is; offices and duties that behold themselves to the public trust; usually can not have fraud convictions against them; it's the same for Lawyers and Accountants.

[USSF REF]

That's the way that sh*t is; offices and duties that behold themselves to the public trust; usually can not have fraud convictions against them; it's the same for Lawyers and Accountants.

Ok... I'll stop now.

[nogsl coach]

Well i feel very strongly about this. if an individual has not been in trouble in over 10 years, why cant they have the same chances as others.you should only be able to discriminate against a felon untill they prove that they are rehabilitated.excluding child predators and murderers.there are legitimate reasons some people brake the law .as a child they were taught or stole to eat.maybe it was because of abuse and they were lost.but whatever the reason,if they can stay out of trouble for that long .than who is the better mentor.someone who has had a peachy life,or someone who has fought to make it .because since the were born they were told they would not.not all the kids involved in youth sports have the beavers parents.there is abuse and alcoholism and drugs and who better to help than someone who has been there and felt that.you give hope to the kids who are going through it now .they can say they made it .so i can too.it is kinda like who are you going to listen to the coach who played for 20 years,or the coach who never played.

[shoottv]

The reality is that if you have a felony conviction most states will not let you referee.

If you are serious about wanting to do this you do have an option.

If you have had no run ins with the law for the last decade and the conviction was just for bogus checks with to fraud involved. Go back to the court of record and the local DA and ask about having the conviction set aside. It is not that unusual for it to be granted depending on the jurisdiction. This would allow you to obtain your ref certification. Good luck.

On a personal note, I have no doubt that you are not a danger to my kids or society in general but I have a pretty thin skin when you start saying all the other bad people that drink, smoke dope or whatever. Like I tell my kids because someone did something worse doesn't make what you did OK. I'd be much more sypathetic if you just said I made a mistake and now have to live with the consequences what can I do to remedy the situation.

I sincerely hope you can find a positive resolution because we can always use another good ref.