California loves high school sports! With over 4500 high schools and 800,000 student athletes, there are thousands of athletic contests taking place every day. To keep their games fair and played within the rules, these athletes need trained, certified referees and umpires. But how do you become a referee in California and where do you find referee training?
The organization which oversees high school athletics is called the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). If you want to become a referee for basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse or volleyball or an umpire for baseball, softball or field hockey, you ultimately answer to the CIF. Although this organization does not train sports officials, it sets many of the standards which must be followed.
For example, to be able to work high school sports in California, prospective referees must participate in a minimum of 18 hours of classroom training. This insures that the person wearing the stripes has a complete understanding of the rules and how to apply them. New officials must also learn how to position themselves on the court or field as well as how to communicate using proper signals.
Referee Training in California
For officiating purposes, the state of California is broken into ten distinct sections. Each section contains several official’s associations which must be accredited by the CIF. It is these local associations which recruit, train and certify officials to work high school games throughout the state.
Associations hold meetings during the season to help officials with new rules, unique situations and points of emphasis. They also mentor new members to become better officials and advise them on how to secure game assignments.
Becoming an Official in California
To become a high school sports official in California, start by visiting the CIF home page. From there, click on “CIF Sections” and select the section which best describes your area of the state. Click on that section and go to their home page.
Once there, look for a menu of associations and choose the one in the area that you live.
Once you find your local association, go to their website and look information about new official registration and training opportunities. Many of these associations train officials in more than one sport. So if you decide to referee or umpire many sports, you need only join a single association.
If the section page does not contain a list the associations, here is another option. From the CIF home page, click “Officials” and select “accredited associations” from the navigation menu. This will give you a list of all of the associations which train and certify new officials in California.
Here is the link to the California Interscholastic Federation.
How to Become a California Soccer Referee
If you would like to become a youth soccer or adult soccer referee in California, keep this in mind. The state is divided into a north and south section. Within each section, there are soccer associations which train and certify officials.
Since there is no age requirement, soccer officiating is a great opportunity for younger officials to earn a little money while learning the responsibilities that go along with being a referee. As a general rule, new referees work only games of players of their own age or younger.
If you live in central or northern California, you should contact the California North Referee Administration. Within the southern part of the state, contact Cal South.
