Most referees start out their referee career as either a Grade 8 or Grade 9 referee. The USSF Referee Program is designed to allow individuals to advance, or “upgrade”, from these entry levels all the way up to Grade 1, International and World Cup status.
As an entry level referee you will most likely receive assignments to work mainly as an Assistant Referee or as a Referee for younger, less competitive games until you have acquired much needed game experience and understanding. After working a number of games, you may feel you have the skills and confidence to be entrusted to work at higher levels of competition and have a desire to upgrade to the next level. Are you ready?
Why upgrade?
Just as there are numerous reasons and motivations in becoming a referee, the benefits and incentives of upgrading are just as various and specific to each individual.
- You will never know how good you are until you challenge yourself to become better. Upgrading provides opportunities for higher-level and allows you to referee players who are more skillful. As you upgrade, you will be given the opportunity to travel to other parts of the state, other states, or even internationally. For those with the desire and learned skills and abilities, you can even work your way up to the professional level, working MLS and possibly even World Cup matches.
- It is important to remember that officiating at the same level all the time, does not help you grow as an official. The higher your grade level, the more variety of games you'll have opportunity for. I remember working a WPSL match Wednesday evening - as Referee, a PDL (Professional Development League) match on Friday night - as junior AR, and a Red Bulls Reserve home game Saturday evening- as junior AR.
- As your experience broadens, so does your network of referee friends and “family". Upgrading provides opportunity to work with more experienced referees who are also working the more competitive matches. The more levels of play you officiate, the more friendships you'll form. In addition, coaches, players, and fans will come to recognize and respect your style and you'll enjoy the game more.
- The upgrading process will make you better at what you do on and off the field. You will receive advanced training and classroom instruction including a greater variety of referee related topics going beyond the laws of the game to include player, coach, and referee psychology, aspects of the "spirit" of the game, people management techniques, etc. In addition you’ll participate in physical fitness tests, assessments, and interact with a greater number of experienced referees. This will also allow you to give back to other referees, especially new ones, as you’re able to share that knowledge and experience to help others.
- Referees who do not upgrade could referee for years without getting any objective observations on their performance. Upgrading give referees an opportunity to receive much needed feedback from assessors and higher level referees. If you do not get this and do not try to improve, you could develop a number of bad habits that are difficult to break. If you stay at Grade 8 or 9, the only feedback you could receive is from parents who think they know more than you do.
Throughout my referee career I have been assessed over two hundred (200) times, last year alone I was assessed fifteen (15) times and eight (8) of those times by a National Assessor. To help you understand how assessments work, below, you'll find a sixteen (16) point "Performance Expectations for Advancement" for grade 8 referees looking to upgrade.
1. Professionalism (your first chance to make an impression)
a. Contact your Referee Crew before the game
b. Whole team arrives at least 30 minutes early
c. Clean correct uniform, not worn out
d. Inspect the field and deal with any issues
e. Pre-game conference – stress what you all will do to work as a team
f. Address both teams and coaches formally
Game Start
2. Be in charge - not overbearing, but be there when the game/situation call for it
3. Deal with Serious Foul Play and Violent Conduct - older ages - Caution or strong warning is not dealing
4. Be 10-15 yards from the ball, anticipate where you should be next and get there
5. Maintain an angle on the ball so that you can see both the ball and you AR
6. Prevent player frustration - be in tune with what is happening, deal with or prevent what you can
7. Protect all players - not just the stars, not just the keeper
8. Get 10 yards on all formal kicks - always!
9. Protect the ball - this means don't let play restart until you are ready - substitutions, injuries, cards, distance if necessary
10. Be aware of key periods, game changes (score, time, etc.) - every major event (score, 2nd half, O/T), can bring a whole new game, while time remaining, etc. can alter game intensity. "Anybody can referee the 1st half, now the 2nd half is where the problems start, and the last fifteen (15) minutes of the match is what separates the referees from the wannabes"
11. Eliminate trash talk - have none of it, is dissent or disruptive. Leads to major problems
12. Have no tolerance for calculated dissent - from players or the bench
13. Be sharp on crew teamwork - upon arrival, inspection, game start, game, half time, after game. Lots of communication & show all participants that you are a team
14. Enjoy the game, the referee crew, the whole experience – and show it!
Game End
15. Take care of the paperwork, each member of the crew individually inspects the paperwork for errors
16. Continue to conduct your appearance and behavior in a professional manner until you are gone from the site.
The official USSF Expectations for Referee Performance by Grade Level
The following is a list of “Performance Expectations” for referees based upon grade level. Assessors will use this as a guideline when evaluating referees at various grade levels in determining their overall performance.Grade 8: Entry Level Referee
The referee is expected to demonstrate the following skills:
• Has an elementary knowledge of the game.
• Recognizes obvious fouls and misconduct but may not recognize subtle fouls, such as persistent infringement and tactical fouls.
• Keeps his assistant referees (AR’s) in view while running the diagonal system of control but often has a diagonal that is rigid and rarely does the referee go wide or deep into the corners or enter the penalty area when the game demands it. Does not recognize the need for a flexible diagonal.
• Has basic fitness but often runs at a constant pace or walks and doesn’t demonstrate sprinting to recover from deep positions, when required.
• Gives a basic pre-game briefing which usually focuses on mechanics and signals for proper communication.
• Main focus is on fouls and lacks the personality to manage players when the game demands it.
• The referee is in proper uniform and gives a good first impression upon arriving at the pitch.
• Applies the Laws of the Game as written with little or no understanding of the Spirit of the Game.
• Deals with violent conduct and serious foul play for game control but lacks the experience to always recognize when they occur.
• Generally ignores coaches and doesn’t have the courage or understanding to ensure they behave and are not abusive.
Grade 7: Referee – Intermediate level
Referee is expected to demonstrate the following skills in addition to those found in a Grade 8:
• Demonstrates fitness to run a flexible diagonal for the entire game and always keep the AR in view.
• Has a work rate that varies from a jog, to light sprint, to a full out sprint when the game demands it.
• Has a firm grasp of the Laws of the Game and understands when to invoke the Spirit of the Game vs. the Letter of the Law while managing the game and the players.
• Demonstrates some personality in managing players and uses some preventative mechanics to avoid problems during the match.
• Demonstrates self confidence in decisions and is willing to be approached by players who have questions.
• Demonstrates a strong presence with the use of the whistle, appearance, and body language.
• Demonstrates the proper use of advantage.
• Demonstrates foul recognition and foul discrimination.
• Makes good use of cards for game control and demonstrates good card mechanics.
• Makes effective use of assistance given by AR’s on offside, and misconduct.
• Often ignores dissent rather than deal with it.
If you are interested in upgrading let your assignor know that you have a desire to advance as soon as you can. He or she will then be able to work with you and offer you game assignments that will assist you in meeting those requirements.
REMEMBER: You are responsible for monitoring the number and level 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.
Once you are close to meeting the game count requirements and because of the complexity of upgrading, it is strongly recommended that you contact and work with the State Referee Administrator and State Director of Assessment to ensure you satisfy all requirements.
If I can help you in any way feel free to email me
Good Luck.!
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