In The Opinion Of The Referee

Category: New Referees

  • Becoming a Certified USSF Referee

    A primer on the requirements for becoming a certified soccer referee under the auspices of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), including testing requirements.

  • New Refs: Understanding The Required Gear

    Part of being “ready for assignments” is having all of your gear ready to go. Most game assignors don’t want to hear from you until you have all of your gear and ready to be assigned. There are only a few items that are mandated by the US Soccer Federation, but there are several other…

  • New Refs: Recommended Gear

    [box]DISCLOSURE: Referee Resources LLC, the owner of In The Opinion Of The Referee, receives a advertising fee from Amazon.com for products sold through our links. Trust us, it isn’t enough to say something is good if it isn’t. We do not receive referral fees from any other supplier mentioned in this article[/box] Package Deals Many…

  • New Refs: Getting Assigned To Matches

    Assignments generally work one of two ways: each club uses the service of an individual assignor, typically as an independent contractor (rather than as a club employee), or there is a Referee Association responsible for assigning referees to matches across all (or most) clubs in a given area. There is no formula to determine which…

  • New Refs: Preparing For Your First Match

    Now that you have your badge, your gear, and your first assignment, you’re ready to start preparing for your first match.  Beyond the obvious recommendations of reviewing the Laws of the Game and the Guide to Procedures, we can offer some practical advice about what to expect and how to be prepared. Our friends at…

  • New Refs: Referees Are Athletes

    Referees are athletes. This statement may seem counterintuitive at first, but consider this: in higher level games, referees will run as much as a midfielder does. I keep a pedometer in my pocket when I referee and in a 90 minute match I will run anywhere from 3 to 6 miles depending on the game…