Become A Referee
How do I become a referee?
How much does it cost to become a referee?
What is the difference between the entry grades and what are the clinics like?
What is a Grade 9?
What is a Grade 8?
I would like to Register as a Grade 9 Referee and select a clinic.
I would like to Register as a Grade 8 Referee and select a clinic.
Once I pass the clinic and register, how do I get games?
How do I become a referee?
Some important points:
- While some previous playing, coaching or officiating experience is always helpful, no experience is required to become a soccer referee.
- There are no age requirements for the entry level Grades. There are age restrictions for advanced grades.
To become a certified referee, there are a few easy steps everyone must go through:
- You must attend a mandatory classroom training session. These "Entry Level Clinics" are offered in many locations around the state each year, most often during the summer and fall months.
- There are two entry points to becoming a referee:
- Recreational Referee - Grade 9 – Recreational Referee
- Referee - Grade 8
- At the conclusion of the instructional classes a written examination will be given to all who have completed the course.
- A clinic fee is charged for taking the clinic. It is $30.00
- Once you successfully completed the course and examination, you may register through STSR with U.S. Soccer. The U.S. Soccer referee registration fee is $50 for Grade 9 or Grade 8.
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How much does it cost to become a referee?
There are two types of fees (Clinic Fee and USSF/STSR) and the referee uniform cost.
Clinic Fee |
The clinic fee is $30 for entry level clinics. You pay this fee when you register for a clinic. |
Registration Fee(USSF & STSR) |
The USSF/STSR yearly registration fee is:
Grade 9 Referee - $50.00
Grade 8 Referee - $50.00
You pay this registration fee when you register for a clinic.
The USSF/STSR registration year is January 1 through December 31. |
Uniform Cost |
Soccer Referee uniforms can be obtained from online referee supply stores or from your local soccer equipment store.
There is usually a referee "starter kit" that can be purchased which includes socks, shorts, shirt, whistle, flags, velcro patch and a game report book for about $60.
You should purchase this before you officiate your first game. |
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What is the difference between the entry grades and what are the clinics like?
There are two entry grade levels - Grade 9 and Grade 8. They are described below. Read the description carefully and decide which one you would like to take.
Grade 9: Recreational Referee
- Grade 9 is an excellent starting point in a referee’s career and is often well suited to younger candidates, or candidates with little or no soccer experience.
- The Grade 9 referee can officiate U-14 (under age 14) and younger youth matches. They can referee (center) U-14 or younger recreational (in-club or U-9, U-10) matches or can be an Assistant Referee on any U-14 match (upper division or recreational).
- Grade 9 referees usually do not need to travel out of the area and the U-14 or younger game restriction is usually not a limiting factor in the first year of refereeing, since new referees will be assigned younger matches until they develop the skills and experience to move into higher level matches.
There are no age restrictions to attend this class however we recommend an age of 11 or older, although some candidates experienced with soccer do well at age 9 or 10.
About the Grade 9 Clinic
- The Grade 9 Recreational Referee clinic is an 8-hour course. It is usually offered as a single day course or may be split into 2 half-day sessions.
- The course is comprehensive, however the focus is on assistant refereeing and some refereeing (center) skills required for Under 14 or younger youth recreational matches.
- The test is a 50 question multiple choice test and is not as difficult as the Grade 8 Test. A passing grade of 76 is required. If the referee candidate does not achieve this score, the candidate may retake the test at a future date, without having to retake the clinic
Advancement - Grade 9 to Grade 8
- When wishing to upgrade from a Grade 9 to the more advanced Grade 8 level of referee, an 8-hour Bridge course may be taken, without the requirement to take the 16-hour Grade 8 Entry Level Clinic. There is no minimum time in Grade 9 required before bridging to Grade 8.
Cost Factors - Grade 9
| Referee Registration Fee |
$ 50.00 |
Clinic Fee |
$ 30.00 |
TOTAL Expense* |
$ 80.00 |
*Uniform costs are not included in these figures.
Register and Select Grade 9 Clinic
I would like to register as a Grade 9 Recreational Referee and select a Grade 9 Recreational Referee Clinic to attend.
You will be requested to enter your personal information, or verify your Personal Information. Then you will see a Clinic Reservation page. You will need to scan down the left side and find the "click here" to continue registration and click on it, if no clinics are listed. You will then need to select Referee Grade 9. Press Submit, then click on "Reserve" to reserve the clinic. Then proceed to the "Checkout" section on the right to pay the fees. Do not attempt to checkout before you have reserved a clinic. You are not registered in the clinic until the fees are paid.
Click here to register and select a clinic for Grade 9.
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Grade 8 - Referee
- The Grade 8 Referee is a fully qualified soccer official who can act as a Referee on youth games of all sizes and ages and Assistant Referee on all youth games and selected adult games.
- They will usually start with the younger age groups and advance based on experience and skill. This advancement is normally accompanied by advancement in grade as well.
- There are no age restrictions to attend this class however we recommend at least an age of 13, although some candidates experienced with soccer do fine at age 11 or 12.
About the Grade 8 Clinic
- The Grade 8 Referee clinic (often called the Entry Level Clinic) is a 16-hour course. It is usually offered as either a weekend course (Saturday and Sunday) or weekday courses (3-5 weekday nights) or a combination (Friday night, Saturday, Sunday afternoon).
- The clinic is designed to train referees in the skills necessary for managing and conducting all youth level matches. Candidates are required to attend all sessions to be eligible to take the written examination; if a session is missed at one clinic, it may be taken at another clinic.
- Normally, several different instructors will teach during the clinic. The course is comprehensive, and covers everything from the size of the ball to who calls the coin toss before overtime. Besides just covering the Laws of the Game, the course also covers the history of soccer and refereeing, the structure of organized (FIFA) soccer, why the Laws were made in the first place, and how the referee should apply and enforce the Laws.
- A 100 question multiple-choice written test at the 9th school grade reading level is administered during the clinic and the candidate is required to make a score of 75 to pass. If the referee candidate does not achieve this score, the candidate may retake the test at a future date, without having to retake the clinic
- There are no age restrictions to attend this class however we recommend at least and age of 13, although some candidates experienced with soccer do fine at age 11 or 12.
Cost Factors - Grade 8
Referee Registration fee |
$ 50.00 |
Clinic Fee |
$ 30.00 |
TOTAL Expense* |
$ 80.00 |
*Uniform costs are not included in these figures.
Register and Select Grade 8 Clinic
I would like to register as a Grade 9 Recreational Referee and select a Grade 9 Recreational Referee Clinic to attend.
You will be requested to enter your personal information, or verify your Personal Information. Then you will see a Clinic Reservation page. You will need to scan down the left side and find the "click here" to continue registration and click on it, if no clinics are listed. You will then need to select Referee Grade 8. Press Submit, then click on "Reserve" to reserve the clinic. Then proceed to the "Checkout" section on the right to pay the fees. Do not attempt to checkout before you have reserved a clinic. You are not registered in the clinic until the fees are paid.
Click here to register and select a clinic for Grade 8.
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Once I pass the clinic and register, how do I get games?
Congratulations on becoming a referee! Now you want to start doing games. Here's a few steps that will help you get scheduled for a game:
- Contact the referee coordinator for your soccer club or league.
- Contact an assignor in your area to let them know your schedule and availability. The district Directors for your area can be found here and
assist you in contact local area assignors.
South Texas Soccer Referees
110 N. I35, Suite 315 #408
Round Rock, Texas 78681
713-518-1948
713-518-1963 Fax
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