Arlington Soccer Club

est. 1977 Arlington, MA

Referee Certification

The Arlington Soccer Club is always looking for individuals in 7th grade and up (including adults!) interested in becoming soccer referees.  Games are typically assigned on Saturdays (mornings and afternoons) and Sundays (afternoons) in the fall and spring. There are two types of referees in Arlington.  In-town referees are younger referees who officiate exclusively in-town games; certified Grassroots referees must be at least 14 years of age, and primarily referee BAYS games.

IN-TOWN REFEREE COURSE FOR YOUNGER REFEREES

For younger referees, an in-town course is held annually in the winter for 7th and 8th graders.  The course is jointly run with Lexington and is held in either Arlington or Lexington.  To become an in-town referee, a candidate must be in 7th or 8th grade and age 12 or 13 as of April 1st.  The cost for this course is $10, which includes the in-town referee shirt.  Referees who take this course will referee Grades 2, 3, and 4 in-town games at a rate of $25 per game.  Information about this course, including registration details, will be posted on the website in January, and the course will take place in February or March.  In addition to the referee course, in-town referees are expected to attend a pre-season referee meeting before the start of each season.  Information about these meetings will be posted on the website.

ALL referees must review the Game Assignment and Reporting section for extremely important information regarding how to accept/reject games and report scores.  Game reports must be completed at the appropriate sites in order for the referee to be paid!

 

GRASSROOTS REFEREES AGE 14 AND OLDER

Referees age 14 and older (including adults) must obtain a Grassroots Referee certification.  This is the entry level course needed to referee youth level games – referees with this certification are eligible to referee both BAYS and in-town games for ASC.  See the details below on how to become a Grassroots Referee.

  1. Detailed steps about how to become a Grassroots Referee can be found at this link: https://www.massref.net/becoming-a-referee/steps-to-become-referee/ Please read this very important information so that you do not miss any steps! Set up an account with massref.net and register to take a New Grassroots Referee-Entry Level course and a New Grassroots Referee – Field Session, the latter of which is new in 2021. Please see the course listings and choose any time or place that is convenient before the start of the next season. If the candidate is 14 by April 1, but not by the date of the course, please set up the account as above and then email CourseAdministrator@MassRef.net to register.  Certification is typically for the calendar year; however, courses offered in the summer provide certification for the fall of the current year and all of the following year.   As of 2020, the cost is $115.00.  ASC will reimburse the certification course fee provided the referee has worked at least 15 games total in two consecutive seasons.
  1. New in 2021 are required Supplemental Courses. Check out Video – Help With Supplemental courses for help in finding and completing the courses below which are at the US Soccer Learning Center. Below in bold is who is required to take which courses.
    • [ALL Grassroots Referees] Introduction To Safe and Healthy Playing Environments (Intro to Safety)
      [Free] Supplemental Course in US Soccer Learning Center
    • [Grassroots Referees ages 18+] SafeSport
      [Free] Supplemental Course in US Soccer Learning Center
    • [Grassroots Referees ages 18+] National Background Check
      [$30 for 2 years] Supplemental Course in US Soccer Learning Center
  1. After successfully becoming certified as a Grassroots Referee, go to the BAYS website bays.org and follow the process for Creating a Referee Account, which includes contacting the Arlington Soccer Club Assignor and completing the Online Referee Application. Grassroots Referees have to complete and submit the direct deposit payment forms which can be found at this link: https://bays.org/content/referee-required-pay-forms. Please read all information under the Referee section of the BAYS website.
  1. Email Paul Athanasiadis, ASC’s referee assignor, to let him know that you passed the Grassroots Referee course, registered with BAYS, and would like to referee for ASC.
  1. At the beginning of each season, all referees are expected to attend a pre-season referee meeting. Information about these meetings will be posted on the website.
  1. Certified referees must complete the recertification course annually to maintain their credentials. The recertification requirements have changed for 2022 and multiple, shorter courses are required. Please go to https://www.massref.net/referees/recertification/ to learn about the new requirements for recertification starting in 2022. Grassroots Referee Recertification courses can be found at https://central.massref.net/courseofferings.cfm . There are a lot of steps so please make sure you complete every step in order to be recertified. As of 2022, the cost is $50.00. ASC will reimburse the certification course fee provided the referee has worked at least 15 games total in two consecutive seasons.

ALL referees must review the Game Assignment and Reporting section for extremely important information regarding how to accept/reject games and report scores.  Game reports must be completed at the appropriate sites in order for the referee to be paid!

If you have any questions, please Contact Us.