The world’s most popular sport, soccer continues to grow in popularity in the USA. And with players becoming involved at such a young age, the need for good soccer referees has never been stronger.
Should you decide to become a high school soccer referee, keep this in mind. Soccer is a sport where the players are constantly on the move. And soccer referees are as well.
In a game where players can run up to six miles, soccer officials must maintain good physical conditioning to keep pace with play and maintain a good view of the action.
Soccer Referee Training
Soccer referee training starts at an early age. The United States Soccer Federation has training programs for younger boys and girls that want to officiate youth soccer. In fact there is no age minimum for young officials to begin reffing soccer, as long as they are not working games of players older than themselves.
To become certified, young officials must pass a written rules exam and complete a minimum number of training hours. Requirements vary from state to state. Here is more information about becoming a USSF soccer referee.
Once soccer referees advance to the high school level, the rules of administering the game change. High school soccer games are played by NFHS rules. The USSF uses FIFA rules to govern their games.
Many states require that certified high school soccer officials be USSF certified Grade 8 before taking their NFHS rules exam. Soccer is the only major high school sport that requires this type of prior certification of its referees.
For more information about becoming a high school soccer referee, go to the choose a state page and select your state from the map at the bottom of the page. Here you will find a link to the website of the organization that oversees high school sports within your state. This website should contain the information you need to get started.
In most cases, after passing the NFHS rules exam, you will be expected to join a board of officials. This board may be or a local group organized to assist referees with their ongoing training. Or it may be a single, statewide board which works with all soccer officials across the entire state. Information about board membership should be available on your state’s web site.
Soccer Referee Uniform and Equipment
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- Black shoes
- Black socks with three white stripes at the top
- Black shorts
- Uniform shirt (long and short sleeved)
- Black belt
- Fox 40 whistle with lanyard
- Stop watch
- Red and yellow cards
