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WisRef NEW Referee In Person/On Field Session
Club or District Hosting Requirements


Clubs and districts are an important part of both NEW referee courses and recertification, by encouraging your
club members to become referees, and by encouraging local referees to recertify on an annual basis.


There are four ways clubs and districts can help in this process, as well as ensuring continued coverage for your
games:
1) Hosting NEW referee courses & field training sessions;
2) encouraging your club members – 13 years old and up – to become referees and maintain registration year
after year through club mailers, email contact, and volunteer requirements;
3) financially incentivizing your club members to become referees and maintaining annual recertification
with registration reimbursement, local game count incentives or bonuses
4) Help reduce abuse & harassment of officials by adding more skilled individuals to the referee pool; and
by removing spectators, coaches or players who behave inappropriately.
We are looking for anyone with a good background in soccer; who are fit, intelligent, courageous and have a
calm demeanor. You can help us find them!! Look through your club rosters and parent contact information, to
target potential candidates and encourage them to get certified!!

To host the in-person & on-field portion of a NEW referee course, the club or district should be prepared to
advertise and promote the clinic and to provide a venue with the following:

  • A classroom which accommodates up to 40 referee candidates
  • Active space, which could be either a gym/field house or indoor soccer court. The active space could
    also be an outdoor field/area – weather permitting – but would also need the indoor area reserved as
    backup due to inclement weather
  • Wi-Fi with internet access (and password, if required)
  • Projector and screen; or multiple large TVs – all to which an instructor can connect with a laptop, with
    instructions for the (A/V) connections as well as access to electrical outlets
  • Restroom access
  • Venue availability for 5 1/2 hours. Ideally from 7:00 AM until 12:30 PM, or from 12:00 PM until 5:30
    PM, (prefer Saturday or Sunday), class times are 4 hours plus instructor setup & clean up time
  • Club or district contact information (phone and email), in order to verify all is in order PRIOR to the
    weekend, including all passwords; it is highly recommended that this contact be at the venue for the
    entire in person/on field portion of the course and could also be a NEW referee candidate
    WisRef requires a minimum of 15 referees in order to hold the in person/on field portion of the NEW referee
    course. A club may wish to sponsor an in-person course of less than 15 referees; or on dates & times that are
    outside the normal instruction windows (Aug; Dec-April). By proceeding through the process, the club or
    district hereby agrees to reimburse WisRef the amount of $300 for any in-person courses held at their request,
    which has less than 15 referees attending or is outside the instruction windows.
  • WisRef will attempt to honor all club or district requests for the in person/on field session of the NEW referee
    course. All clubs or districts who apply will be notified if their request is met or not. Requests in close
    proximity may be combined per the decision of WisRef.