Wear appropriate uniform and bring appropriate supplies. If the weather is cold, wear jacket underneath referee shirt. In-town Referees – Uniform consists of referee shirt (tucked in), black shorts.
Supplies needed include a whistle, a wristwatch with a stopwatch function, a pad of paper, a pen and a coin (WWPPC). Grade 8 (nothing to do with school grade) Referees (BAYS games) –
USSF referee uniform consisting of a gold or yellow referee shirt (tucked in), solid black shorts, USSF black socks (solid or striped), and predominantly black sneakers or cleats.
Supplies needed include a whistle, a wristwatch with a stopwatch function, a pad of paper, a pen, red and yellow cards, and a coin (WWPPCC).
Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the game.
Inspect the field and goals.
Introduce yourself to the coaches and players and make sure you are at the right game.
BAYS ONLY: Get 2 copies of both teams’ rosters and keep one for yourself and give one to the opposing team. Check-in players using the roster.
Inspect the teams’ uniforms, especially for unsafe cleats or any jewelry. Shirts should be tucked in.
Check for passcards. In-Town and BAYS coaches should have a current MYSA lanyard. BAYS coaches can also use a current BAYS coaches card for this spring only. In the Spring, BAYS games Grade 6 and older in Divisions 1 and 2, and all Grade 12 Divisions require player passcards.
For in-town games only, if you would like assistance on the sidelines, please ask both coaches to get a parent to call out of bounds on the sidelines (one parent on each sideline). If you disagree with a call a parent makes, you can overrule them.
Do a coin toss. Have the visiting team call it. The team that wins the toss chooses the side they want to defend. The other team kicks off.
Start games on time.
Be confident, decisive and enjoy the game!
If a coach is giving you a hard time, remind them of the Zero-Tolerance (ZT) rule. That will usually do the trick. If a coach continues to give you a hard time, follow the Ask, Tell, Dismiss guideline. Referees have the power to eject a coach from the game if he/she can’t follow the Zero-Tolerance rule. If a fan is giving you a hard time, go to the sideline and let both coaches know. The coach who is on the same team as the fan is responsible for talking to the fan and reminding him/her of the Zero-Tolerance rule. See the Zero-Tolerance Guidelines for how to decide a ZT score.
Keep track of goals scored and times scored, serious injuries, yellow or red cards, and Zero-Tolerance violations and include these in your game reports.
Stick around for handshakes after the game.
Complete Game Reports to the appropriate sites within 24 hours of the game.