Here’s How to Become a Soccer Referee

We’ve all watched sporting events and witnessed the terrible decisions made by the officials. It happens in boxing, basketball, F1, MMA, and none more so than in soccer matches. Although the role of the referee may look easy when watching television, it is one of the most challenging roles in soccer.

The referees are often blamed by fans and subject to extreme pressure to make the right call. But, if you’re brave enough and have the leadership qualities, then you can enter the world of officiating soccer matches.

There are many levels of officiating, from lower league matches to the biggest football games in the world, such as the Premier League, Major League Soccer, or even international soccer tournaments. These levels are where sports betting mostly take place. People will be making bets with real money or finding a good deal on a matching bonus offer or a no deposit bonus. Let’s look in detail next at how you can become a soccer referee.

To become a soccer referee or assistant referee, you must complete the right courses to gain the required qualifications. Each soccer organization requires different certifications, so it depends on which governing body runs the soccer matches where you want to apply to become a referee.

You will need a qualification regardless of what level you are refereeing at, whether amateur or pro. Unless of course, you are picking up low-level games, kid’s soccer games, or friendly & fun matchups. However, even those games that do not require qualification can still get quite intense. It is best to have a good depth of understanding of the game before stepping into any referee role.

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The role of the referee also has a lot of impact on the sports betting companies and bet makers. The bets  placed on long shot sports betting odds can happen in an instant with the call you make on the field, whether a good call or a bad one. You will see reviews of your top-level games and it will happen in real-time as people love to interact on mobile sports betting sites. Things get very serious with real money betting but that shouldn’t be your focus as a referee, as you only work on yourself and focus on the game in front of you.

How do you Become a Referee in the MLS?

In the United States, you will need to complete certification from the US Soccer Federation (USSF) to become a referee in Major League Soccer (MLS). The MLS is the men’s professional soccer league, which is top-level for the men’s sport in the United States. To get to a level where you officiate games in the MLS, you need to get to a level where you are given the opportunity to officiate state tournaments. You get there by progressing through the ranks by having good performances, then US Soccer representatives will nominate top referees to officiate bigger and more important competitions.

Once you are at the state tournaments, the high powers will be taking notice and the best referees are put forward for regional championships and high-level amateur games.

The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is the governing body responsible for overseeing and managing the referees for the professional soccer leagues in the US and Canada.

How do you Become a FIFA Referee? 

FIFA referees in America need to receive certification from the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), an organization developed by the US Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer to produce world-class referees.

The process is relatively straightforward, and you must achieve up to 9 levels of progression before you are deemed competent for a FIFA referee role. The lowest level is Grade 9, but most people skip over this as

Fifa referee during a game.

you are deemed Grade 9 competent once you are 15 years of age. In Grade 8 to 7, you will be officiating local youth games or be an assistant referee in amateur soccer games.

From Grade 6 to 5, you will be a state-level referee or an assistant referee at professional league games. Then you reach the professional leagues at Grade 4 to 3 where you’ve become experienced enough for national refereeing roles. The next stop is Grade 2, assistant referee to international matches and FIFA games. Finally Grade 1, you’ve become a FIFA referee!

Going up each Grade has detailed rules but to keep it simple, you will need to pass a certification and knowledge test, officiate games, pass a fitness test, and be recommended for promotion. It is not easy to become a FIFA referee, and out of the 80,000 USA referees, only 28 are currently active at Grade 1.

How Old do you Have to be to Become a Referee?

The age of being a referee will vary from organization to organization and the Professional Referee Organization lists Grade 9 to 8 without any age minimum on the rulebook. Only in Grade 7 at youth games does a referee need to be at least 17 years old. The lowest level of adult professional league referees must be at Grade 4 and the minimum age is 23.

It is quite interesting that the minimum age for Grade 1 FIFA referees is only 25 years old, which means only 2 years of adult leagues to the top tier of soccer for the fastest progressing referees.

What Skills Do You Need to Have to Be a Referee?

Being a referee shows great character and requires you to have lots of skill to make a success of it. The role itself is a lot of pressure, quick decision making, physically demanding, and much more. You need to have people skills in abundance too, such as the ability to remain calm in stressful situations.

Not to mention also being able to accept criticism from fans, players, and the press. You must be able to keep a high level of concentration for the entire match and utilize all the information during the game to ensure you are on top of all the players. Being a referee at any level is a great thing to have on your resume because it shows you hold all these skills and qualities that most companies would look for in an employee. The only thing you can’t do is give a colleague a red card.

What is a Soccer Referee’s Salary?

A referee’s salary is rather low until you make it to the elite level. Of course, most people pursue refereeing as a part-time hobby or a side career. At lower levels, you might be given $30-$70 per game while at Major League Soccer a referee will earn from $255 to $875 per game.

How much can a soccer referee earn?

The top-level earners make around $55,000 a year. The MLS salaries pale in comparison to European  referees though, for example the Premier League is around $75,000 per year with a $2,000 per match fee.

However, all these referee salaries are nothing compared to the richest soccer stars sharing the field with them. Must be fun to have complete authority over the highest paid athletes in the world.

Both players and referees are contractually obligated to refrain from soccer sports betting as there is the possibility of match-fixing, where your actions can influence the outcome of a game and therefore the bet you placed. This is illegal, but you can find many soccer players who like some poker action or head to a casino for the slots and VIP treatment.