Join the World's #1 Newsletter for Officials

Never miss a beat in the officiating world! Get top news, expert advice, product savings, and more every week.

Written by AJ Condon

Being a referee isn’t an easy job, but it’s a necessary position for the completion of youth sports at all levels.

Recently there has been a referee shortage due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a hostile environment that parents, coaches, and players are creating. That results in cancellations and missed opportunities for kids to play the sport they love.

Becoming a referee isn’t a hard process and it allows individuals to help kids develop life lessons and uphold the integrity of sports. However, the toxic environment that has been created makes the industry the opposite of a hot commodity.

At the high school level, signing up to become a referee is as easy as going to their website. They ask you for some basic contact information and to select the sports you are interested in. After that, someone from your local High School Athletic Association will contact you for further instruction.

Lower levels for referees will most likely require some form of class or training to get started, but age requirements are younger. Being high school athletes, students can become a referee of youth sports to make money on the side, give back to the community and also allow their parents to hear first-hand what being a referee is like.

The hope with high school athletes becoming referees is that parents will understand more of what it takes to be a referee. Then, when they go watch their kids at the high school level, they will have more sympathy for the referees on site going forward.

The job is very demanding and takes a lot of pressure the higher you go in the industry. But, it is important for the industry to continue to grow to give kids of all ages the same opportunities of playing sports as long as they want.

The pay for being a referee varies from state to state and sport to sport, but it isn’t uncommon for a starting referee to be making $25-$35 an hour. The higher up you go, and the more qualifications you have, the higher your pay can and will be.

Playing youth sports is very important to a kid’s development in many ways. Staying active, building relationships and teamwork are a few of the positives to take away from sports.

So how can the referee industry become more approachable and appealing for people to get into? Refr Sports is trying to tackle that with its new mobile application.

Refr Sports is creating a modernized system that makes scheduling referees easier for both sports coordinators and referees. The app will allow coordinators to be transparent about time, location, play, and requirements, while referees will be able to clearly see what is needed and how much they will be compensated.

‍

TestimonialS

Hear From Our Users

It just works

"Refr Sports has made things so much easier. The payment process is streamlined, everything is trackable, and officials love the app. Once the word got out, we doubled the number of officials signing up to use the platform. It just works."

Dennis Barela

President | Behind the Flag and Dream Big Officials

Helped me schedule my entire season in less than 2 hours

“The system helped me upload and schedule my entire season in less than 2 hours time! The fee we pay is more than worth it. Switching to Refr has made a night-and-day difference for our organization.”

Megan Jacobson

Head of Operations | Catholic Athletic Association

The best platform I’ve used

"Switching to Refr did not disappoint. They handle everything — from availability and communication to seamless scheduling and payments — for the thousands of games I assign every year. This platform is the place to be."

Adam Bates

President | Florida Officials Association

It has eliminated time spent on payroll

"The billing process has made my officials extremely happy due to the consistency and ability to track it on their phones. It has also saved me a ton of time on the invoicing side and eliminated my time spent on taxes"

Joe Kulas

Assignor | MinnDak Officials Association

I’m telling every assignor I know

"Refr is something you really need to look into. It’s so much easier than the alternatives, and everyone appreciates what you’re doing with payment automation."

Ian Carlson

State Supervisor | Iowa Hockey Officials

Referees get paid directly through the platform

"Referees get paid directly through the platform, relieving me and my sports organizations of the burden of handling payments and tax forms. Once they use it and see how it works, they're so happy and relieved."

Christine Francis

Kansas City Soccer Assignor

Great for tournaments and schools

“I assign softball umpires for several Georgia High School Association chapters and major tournaments, and Refr has been a huge upgrade. It simplifies both my tournament and league season operations—from seamless scheduling to weekly official payments and efficient invoicing and payroll management for all organizations types.”

Dustin Holton

President | Next Level Officials

Genuine interest in serving the officiating community

"Support with Refr is incredible—quick responses, genuine communication, and a real willingness to listen. It’s clear this product is the result of listening to and implementing the advice and needs of assignors like myself."

‍Shelley Russi

Owner | Ref-Ology & Blast Equality Collab

Their customer support is outstanding

“Refr Sports' customer service and app differentiate them from the rest! All of our emails, phone calls, and requests were answered very quickly. Their customer support is outstanding.”