Choose the sport within a sport, become a soccer referee

What sport…
    Keeps you right on the ball?
    Entertains right around the world?
    Offers fun training and career opportunities too?

People who love soccer can help the game by becoming a referee. If there were no referees, there would be no game.

Refereeing is…
    Responsible
    Challenging
    Satisfying

It will give you…
    Enjoyment
    Exercise
    Commitment
    New Friends
    Communication skills
    Decision making skills under mental and physical pressure
    Increased confidence
    People-management skills

Coming to the end of your playing career?
Already involved in running amateur or youth soccer?
Want to try something different?

Become a referee, NOW!

And here are the common excuses for not becoming a referee.

I don’t know enough about the game
Don’t worry…you will be given comprehensive training and you will know more about the Laws of the Game than almost anyone.

I don’t have time
The initial commitment is only to attend the training course. You can then referee to suit your own schedule.

I’m not the right kind of person
Yes you are. Would you want games refereed by someone who is not as good as you?

I’d look silly in that uniform
Well you can wear black or yellow or red or…

I’d be embarrassed
Everyone makes mistakes (even those refereeing for years.) The important thing is to approach the job with enthusiasm and enjoyment, because this will be passed on to the players and managers.

I’m a woman - I never see them referee
Wrong. We have quite a few women qualified as referees - and they are great. We could use more.

I don’t care
Well here it is, if you don’t care about the quality, safety or enjoyment of soccer then you have come up with the correct excuse and we no longer have to ask why, because you can’t be a referee, and that is that.

However, if this last excuse doesn’t apply to you (and we hope it doesn’t), then we badly need you.

You’ll never be able to watch any major sport quite the same way again.

If you still don’t think you’re the right kind of person for this job you took the time to read this whole page, which means you care and that means you are exactly the right kind of person.