Referee Basics

Mount Pearl Soccer Association is always looking for referees for our summer season.

*Information provided in partnership with the Newfoundland Soccer Association. 

Why Become a Referee?

• Understand the laws and the game better; whether you are a player, coach, or spectator understanding the laws of the game, and understanding the referee’s view of the game will improve your knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the game.

• Keep fit; referees have to work hard to be in the best position to make their decisions. At a high level referees run over 10 km in a game! Lower levels are less demanding for fitness but at any level, refereeing is a great workout!

• Learn important life skills; along with knowing the laws and running hard, referees need to be good at managing people. The skills learned as a referee - at any age - are useful in many other aspects of your life.

• Earn money; refereeing pays! For younger referees who do a lot of games, refereeing can even act as a summer job; for all referees, match fees more than cover your expenses, plus leave a little extra.

• Give back to the game; if you play soccer, or used to play soccer, refereeing is a great way of giving back to the game you love. For older players, it is a way of extending your active involvement in the game for many years after age and fitness call a halt on your playing career. You still have a lot to offer, and refereeing is a great way to do this.

Is Experience Needed?

No! While previous soccer experience is an advantage to becoming a referee, it is not necessary. You'll gain plenty of knowledge through your referee course and experience during your first few games at a younger age level! The NLSA (Newfoundland Soccer Association) takes great care in making sure you feel confident and able with the material. 

What Will I Need?

The basic equipment for our referees is as follows: 

• Whistle 
• Set of Referee Cards 
• Watch
• Cleats 
• Black Shorts
• Black Socks 

Mount Pearl Soccer Association will provide you with a MPSA referee shirt, or you are more than welcome to purchase an official one through the NLSA. 

What Do the Summer Hours Look Like?

Our summer programs run from Monday - Thursday every week in July and August. Referees with MPSA will be working with our Club League Program (ages 6+) which runs from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm each night. As well, our referees are also scheduled to work Metro Program (ages 7 - 11) Tournaments that we host at our facilities. 

We are flexible in the hours you are looking to work, and we will assign you to games on a monthly basis based on your availability. Whether this means being assigned to one game each night (1 hour) or only being scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays, etc. We want to work with you!