Benefits to being a referee.
· Environment: Being a referee gives you the opportunity to work outside in a fun, active environment.
· Money: While pay differs by state, Higher level referees generally make between $20-$30 per match and referee approximately 2-4 matches per weekend. This means you could pay off your course fee in your first weekend on the field! The average Youth Soccer Referee Salary in Missouri can make $31,537 a year. The top salary in Youth is $47,369.
· Job opportunities: There is a referee shortage in many states nationwide. There is significant demand for qualified referees so during soccer season there are typically lots of opportunities for people with their referee license to referee matches nearby.
· Flexibility: While the more games you referee, the more games you’ll get assigned, refereeing offers the flexibility for you to determine a schedule that fits with your lifestyle. Class conflicts? No problem. Have a heavy work load this semester? No worries. There are no minimums to the number of matches your required to referee.
· Future growth: Refereeing is a lifelong skill that you can develop and grow over time. If you enjoy being a ref for lower-level games, you can continue your training and work your way up to higher profile (higher paying) matches. While it takes a lot of work, commitment, and practice if you stick with it, you could even become a professional referee one day. A World Cup referees gets $70k per tournament as a flat fee, and a $3k bonus for every game they complete. The assistant referees get $25k and a $2k game bonus.
· Help kids: Refereeing is an opportunity to positively impact kids in your community. Kids often look up to referees as role models and fewer referees mean fewer opportunities for kids to get outside and play. More referees create more opportunities for kids to get active and enjoy the game they love.