I'm sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but what are the physical fitness requirements to be a top level ref? Are there certain lengths one must be able to run to be a higher grade ref?
Full details in the Referee Admin Handbook on pg. 25. In general they are not too restrictive. All involve the 12 minute run, covering distances from 1800 m. to 2700 m. depending upon age and grade; 50 m. dash, 9.5 - 9 s.; and 200 m. dash, 40 s. - 32 s. I have seen statements that 3 Km is expected for the 12 min. run from WC FIFA referees.
becoming a Ref If you are interested in becoming a ref, the best thing to do is to start by finding out what leagues are in your area, and then finding out what affiliation they are. The best way to cover yourself is to goto a USSF (United States Soccer Federation) referee clinic. The best way to find out where a clinic is near you is to goto your state sponsored website. Example, the TSSA (Tennessee State Soccer Association) is http://www.tn-soccer.org. Most of these state sites are www.(state abbreviation) - (dash) soccer.org. If you become USSF Certified then you can referee in about any league you what. USSF, USYSA, AYSO, it doesn't matter. The USSF is recognized around the world. I have been a AYSO referee since 1989, and USSF certified since 2000. I enjoy it so much, but have injured my ankles and i'm getting to the point where i can't run like i once did. Hopefully i'll be teaching soon. A really good site to check out to learn alot is http://www.asktheref.com. See ya
Fitness Requirements The Nat'ls need to run the 200m and the 50m sprints twice. And the ones who are doing MLS games must run 3200m (~6min mile). I think the tests have been made easier over the last years. When I first took it you had to do a staggered run (5m-10m-15m-20m-25m). And the required times are not that difficult to meet, even for old guys like me (almost 50). I ran the NISOA fitness test a week ago after running line on a very competitive college game and still managed to get 2500m for the 12min run. The requirement to make 1800m for a Gr07 at my age works out to being just an 10:40 pace. And NISOA requirements for college are similar but they assign points to each event and you must get at least 8pts to pass. They have four events instead of just three (they add a 4x10m run where you run backwards 10m, then forward 10m, then switch backward & forward again; and instead of just a 200m they have you run a 3x60m--sprint 60m, turn and sprint back to the start, and then turn and sprint the final 60m--which is more difficult than the 200m)
ref What is appreciated by teams and there fans is a ref who really tries to do a great job. Many youth leagues struggle to get conscientious and competent refs. They notice if you are there early and help with the nets or explain the rules.
Re: Fitness Requirements Where do you get this information? It is true that fitness is being more closely scrutinized, and that USSF wants it's top referees running 3000m+ and not just hitting the bare minimum of 2700m, but how do you arrive at the 3200m figure? Also, it's not just nationals that do the 50m/200m sprints twice. The same sprint test, along with a 12 minute run, is run for all officials at the various regional professional clinics.
Re: Re: Fitness Requirements I'll need to check with a couple of ref friends who are nat'l's and work as ARs for MLS games but that is what I recall from previous conversations. And as for the 50m/200m runs, 07s-05s only have to run each of them once. As an instructor I have run the fitness tests as well as participated in them multiple times and we only do a 200m run once and a 50m run once. Only the Nat's are required to run them each twice. Steve
Re: Re: Re: Fitness Requirements For upgrade and maintenance, that might be true. But for the regional professional clinics, the same test is run for the state referees and others that is run for the national referees.
To become a USSF certified referee, you must complete an entry level course. The easiest way to find out about them is to ask the center ref after the game about becoming a ref. I'm sure you'll get the information you need on the clinics in your local area. AYSO, Collegiate, and High School games have their own sanctioning bodies. Again, ask a local ref. Don't expect to be invited to qualify for HS or College games until you've had some experience with the recreational and competitive youth games. Hope that helps.
ref If you want to be a ref and must wait for a course than attend local games and download the rules and advice to ref notes from USSOCCER.com. The guys at ASKTHEREF.COM and the Carosi website provide lots of helpful advice. Having a veteran ref as a mentor will also speed along learning some of the inticacies. Help out as a linesman.
In line with the last post...and in a shameless plug, visit http://soccer-referee.us. You'll find many articles from some very good authors. We have many plans for growth of the sitte over the next year (we've only been open for about two weeks). Try it, you'll (probably) like it. Mike "Skipper" Goblet Administrator http://soccer-referee.us skipper@soccer-referee.us
Commenting specifically about the statement that I've bolded... Not always true. In our association, we recruit referees out of the adult leagues to become high school referees. We encourage them to get their USSF license over the coming winter, because they get more hands on training, instruction, mentoring, etc. But it's not a requirement. With the explosion of high school soccer, we don't have enough qualified adult referees for all the high school games.
When I saw lather's statement, I had the same thoughts as kevb. I recently recertified as a NF (high school) referee. Just like the rest of the newbies, I attended a field clinic before the season. In my group were two baseball umpires. One of them had seen two soccer games in his life (and those were GU12). Neither of them had a clue what to look for amongst the 22 bodies flying around the pitch. Heaven help their assignor.
We get those too -- mainly overweight softball guys looking for something to do in the fall. They get weeded out quickly. Try recruiting referees out of your adult leagues -- the better ones -- I'm talking a Div 1 Amateur league. They already know the game and the know a foul when they see it. It's easy to learn the rules / laws on restarts, etc. But foul recognition and man/match management is what takes the most experience to learn. They'll already have a good handle on foul recognition.
Jim! Go to the Urbana Park District Jim! It's Dan from U of I. The Urbana Park District was advertising for refs and I did 1-4th graders for a couple seasons. Talk to them, no experience necessary. It's not like playing soccer at all and you'll basically get a baptism by fire when you get out there. Nothing prepares you for actual reffing, just get out there and do it. Start w/the youngest age group and work your way up. I'm not a particularly good ref because I'm not progressing I keep getting young kids and that's cool, I don't really love it so I'm not too concerned. I just do it for the heck of it and $. It's a workout too. later, dan
Confidence Open Mind Dedication All else will come in time, but you must always have these three things to become a better referee. They work for me
Thanks to nsa, we have links to USSF documentation - Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game Guide to Procedures For Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials See also: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78684
I've been thinking about becoming a ref. I have a question. How much flexibilty do you have in terms of scheduling? I'm a college student and while I wouldn't expect refereeing to conflict with my school schedule I usually end up having extracurricular commitments as well as stuff outside of school and some part-time work. Am I going to be expected to be able to make matches at certain times or will there be enough flexibilty in terms of number of games going on (I live in the New Orleans area, a fairly decent sized city) that I can schedule refereeing around my other commitments? It's not really a problem of having the time, as most of the time I'm free, it's just a matter of worrying about conflicts between stuff. And what would be the workload in a ref's typical week?
Flexibility is definitely a plus for refereeing. - Talk to referees or other contacts and find out who schedules referee class and who the local assignors are for the leagues in your area. - Take the initial USSF test and become a level 8 referee. - Contact the local assignors and let them know your experience level and your availability and phone numbers. You'll probably want to start as an AR and your first centers should probably be youth, unless you have played at the adult level. - Talk to the other referees before, during (halftime), and after games, and ask for suggestions. - Don't take games you can't do. If a conflict comes up, get a sub and/or call the assignor immediately. I frequently take weeks and weekends off. I usually do one or two games a week. Sometimes I'll do tournaments and get in four or five. Younger refs can work all weekend. The biggest thing is to communicate with the assignors. Edit: NO, the biggest thing is to have fun and enjoy. Take all comments from fans and coaches with a grain of salt. Communication is next.
You make your own schedule, but rookie referees are for the most part limited to weekend youth games until they get a year or so of experience.
Every league does things differently. For example, the local youth league schedules Saturday matches as follows: 9 AM G10; 10:15 B10; 11:30 G12; 1 PM B12; 2:30 G14; 4:00 B14. A neighboring league has their G12 and G14 play in the AM, B12 and B14 in the PM, G/B10 throughout the day (I think). I used to do two morning games in the other league, then two or three locally in the afternoon. As IASocFan said, flexibility is a key to getting assignments. Also, advance planning. I hear complaints from teenagers about their lack of assignments. When I ask about their availability, they do not want to commit more than a day in advance. Some assignors will schedule an entire season prior to the first game. If you don't block out availability, then you won't get games. And if you offer availability and then refuse too many games, you will not be asked again. A typical week? This Fall, with high school games, I'm on the pitch 5-7 days for 8-15 games a week. In the Spring, probably only weekends for 4-8 games a week. In the summer that falls to three evenings for three games a week. I don't do indoor soccer, but some of the folks I know that do will work 3-5 times a week for 6-15 games. I could work as few as 1 or 2 games a week, but that won't pay for the uniforms.
ref responsibilities Refereeing is fairly convenient for a college student. Have your course work over by 2 pm. Try to break in to high school games. Work youth league from 9-5 on weekends. Study be willing and reliable and it can work for you. But you need to have a passion and do your homework. Find a mentor and be well groomed. As Ref Fleisher from Cal says it's the best seat in the house. If your waiting to take a cert. course go to the websites and learn from experienced veterans. It was a godsend for me. good luck!
After reading this thread, I'm glad that I am considering becoming a referee(probably just for high school though). I've been around the HS game long enough as a public address announcer, and I have met a lot of our area HS referees to help me get started. Plus, I can always refer to this thread.
I would strongly suggest working a few younger aged games just to get the mechanics of it down before doing HS games.