Referee In Training Program
If you have played soccer for Wellesley and are entering the 9th grade you will receive a letter in mid August inviting you to a referee-in-training clinic in September in Wellesley. The referee clinic will introduce you to the rules of soccer. You will then be assigned to referee with a mentor (certified referee) the 3rd grade 6v6 recreational teams. You will be given a uniform - a black shirt/socks and a whistle. You must provide your own watch. Games are held on Saturdays (girls in the AM, boys in the PM) at the Sprague Field Complex.
Referee Certification
To become an "official" referee you must take a course offered by the MSRC (Massachusetts State Referee Committee). The course which most youth take is called a Grade 9 license (which has nothing to do with your grade in school). This is a one day course. These courses are not held in Wellesley, but several are in surrounding towns. You can find a list of courses/dates by going to the MSRC web site (www.massref.net). Grade 9 referees are licensed to referee 6v6 and 8v8 games as well as be Assistant Referees for 11v11 games. This Grade 9 license serves most high school referees very well. If you take this course and become a certified referee, the Wellesley United Soccer Club will reimburse you for the course cost.
Moving Up to 11v11 Games
To be assigned to referee the 11v11 games you must take the Grade 8 course offered by the MSRC. This course requires 16 hours of classroom time which is broken down into several days. Our experience is that older referees - 12th graders or adults - have the skill and confidence needed to referee these older players. If you have your grade 9 license you could sign up for the 'Bridge' course which only requires 8 hours of classroom time. Again, just visit the MSRC web site (www.massref.net) to sign up for the training courses and then let us know as soon as you're available to referee!
Questions? Contact our Referee Coordinator and Field Scheduler Judi Lucarelli
