Referee training and mentoring
To become a referee, you must take one of the courses offered by the Massachusetts State Referee Committee. The course to train Recreational Referees will take about 8 hours. You can find a list of courses by going to the MSRC web site (www.massref.net). Additionally, read the tab "Becoming a Referee", as well as go to the tab "Course Schedules"
The license classes provide new referees with a working knowledge of the rules (referred to as the “Laws of the Game”). To give new referees some help with the practical aspects of being a referee and managing game situations, the WSC will offer mentoring. Unlike players, who get to practice in between games, referees only get better by working games. Therefore the WSC has “referee coaches” who watch referees work games and can answer questions and give tips. Our goal is to have all our referees be comfortable with their early assignments and constantly improve to earn the way to work up to ever more demanding games.
Recertification
A referee’s license is good for only one year. To remain an active referee and earn the next year’s badge all referees are required to attend a recertification clinic. These take about 4 hours and are offered both online and in person. The schedule for recertification classes is posted on the MSRC web site (www.massref.net) and the registration is done over the web.