Ask me about being a FIFA-certified soccer referee

[cognito20]

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+how do you get to be one?

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I started out by taking a required physical education class on soccer officiating when I was in college, to learn the rules and the different systems of officiating. I then contacted my local officiating board (luckily, my family was good friends with the guy who was head of the Elmira board at that time so I was lucky enough to have an "in"), and I underwent 16 hours of additional classroom training, with lectures, demonstrations and exercises on the 17 basic Laws of soccer, at the end of which I took a written exam. After passing the exam, I immediately started working summer games at youth level, and found I had an aptitude for officiating. I started working JV high school games, both boys and girls, that fall season and have worked my way up over the past 14 years. My current rating is the 4th-highest level in existence, National Level (level 4) - the 3 highest are International Panel Candidate (level 3), FIFA International Panel of Assistant Referees (level 2), and FIFA International Panel of Referees (level 1...these are the guys who work the middle in World Cup matches and the like). I am eligible to work MLS games, but I have stuck mostly to NCAA, NJCAA, and the occasional A-League match (I've done a few Rochester Rhinos games since Rochester is within easy driving distance of my home), since it allows me to stay closer to home, and the pay is not near enough where I can just quit my job and work full-time as a referee.

To be a National Referee, you must be at least 18, work the middle at least 100 matches with a minimum of 30 official U-16 and U-19 matches and have at least 25 games experience as an assistant referee. You must complete the National Referee Course, score 90% or better on the National Referee Exam, receive 2 passing assessments in official U-16 and U-19 matches, and pass the AYSO Physical Fitness Test, which consists of a run with both distance and sprint elements. It's been a while since I've taken it so I don't remember the exact requirements, but a reasonably fit person who regularly gets cardiovascular exercise can pass it with a little effort.

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what's the most misunderstood soccer rule?

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Good question. The one that I probably see missed most by lower-level and beginning referees is the part of the offsides rule where it states that it is not on offense in itself to BE in an offside position. You would be surprised how often I have seen players in local high school and youth matches whistled for offsides when they are IN an offside position, but they are not interfering with play, an opponent, or gaining any advantage by being in that position. For some reason, a lot of referees don't grasp the meaning of that rule and don't apply it.

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did you play / if so were you good?

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I did, in my youth. My playing career was inhibited by the fact that my (small) high school did not have a soccer program because the tyrannical football coach/athletic director thought (probably correctly, since he was such a jerk) that some of his football players would quit and play soccer if there was a program started. As a result, I played youth soccer on travel and club teams up through age 17. I was a central defender, and I would say that I was generally one of the better players at my position in my leagues, but not the best. I was at my best on set pieces, since my overwhelming strength in the game was my ability to head the ball...I didn't score many goals, but I'd say about 80-90% of the goals I did score were headers off of corner kicks or free kicks near the penalty area. If I had had the opportunity to play in high school, I probably could have started at a Division II or III school in the US or been a reserve at Division I level. I was nowhere near good enough to have ever gone pro. Basically, I was OK, but nothing special.

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how do you stay in shape for it / what kind of shape do you need to be in?

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Lots of running and cardiovascular work, and when I do I make sure that I incorporate a lot of stopping and starting into it...sometimes I walk, then go to a slow jog, then a fast jog, and then breaking out into a full sprint. One way I get to both watch soccer and get my training in is to watch EPL matches while riding my exercise bike, and follow the referee and mimic his exertion level. When he walks, I go slow. When he sprints, I go all out. It's weird, but it actually makes me feel like I'm part of the game.

As far as the fitness level required....it depends on the level you're working. In the US at the youth through high school levels they're desperate enough for officials where it's not a job requirement to be in great shape (in fact, I wasn't when I started, I have lost over 90 pounds since I started officiating, another side benefit of the job). Plus, the dual and double-dual officiating systems used in the US at lower levels of play, where there are multiple referees each responsible for an area of the pitch, lowers the physical demands as opposed to the diagonal system in use at higher US levels and internationally, where there is only one on-field referee. In fact, I have seen a number of out-of-shape referees at these levels, which HAS to inhibit their performance. I know it did mine that first year or so. One of the reasons that Pierluigi Collina was such a great referee (and you can see this if you watch footage of matches he worked) is that he was in such outstanding physical shape that he could keep up with the players and was frequently standing 2 feet away from the play whenever he called a foul. Players aren't going to argue with you as much if you call them for a foul when you're right on top of them. When a referee is out of position because he's not in shape to keep up with the game, that's when things can get ugly.

I've seen a few NJCAA refs (junior college) who could stand to lose a few pounds, but pretty much anyone NCAA and above is in the proper shape.