Hi Soccer Fans!

Are you a teen who loves soccer and wants a part time job? Are you not a teen, but someone who loves soccer, knows the game well, and would like to earn some money? You may want to consider becoming a Florida soccer referee. That's what I recently did and I'm glad that I did it. In my video below I explain how you become a soccer referee and provide some information to point you in the right direction.

You have to be at least 13 to become a soccer referee. I turned 13 this past June, and once I did I set out to become a referee. To become a soccer referee you have to go through a two-part training program. One part is an online course that will take hours to complete, and the second one is several hours of field training. The program teaches you what you need to know in order to ref the games. Once completing the training program you become a certified referee with the United States Soccer Federation.

At my age, I am an assistant referee (AR), or linesman. Once I'm a little older I can move into being a center referee, if I want to. The AR's make less than the center refs, but they also have less pressure. If you have ever been to soccer games you have likely seen how crazy some of the parents can get on the sidelines. Being assistant referee for soccer has been good. It gives me a chance to earn money at my age, and it's in a field that I love. This part time job keeps me around soccer, which is awesome.

The pay per game depends on the age group of those who are playing. You can see the payscale here for GCF soccer games, which shows how much time each period is in the game, how much the AR's make and how much the center referee makes for the game. You can at times referee multiple games in a row, giving you an opportunity to make good money in one day. One one recent weekend, I reffed numerous games and made $130. For a 13 year old, that's really good! I'm putting it all in the bank and saving for a car.

You should know that there is an initial investment you have to pay to become a ref. All together, I spent $200 to become a soccer referee in Floriad. I didn't realize the expenses were that high when I first started the process. But you have to pay for the course, certification, and you have to buy a referee kit. The kit comes with your referee shirt, shorts, socks, flags, bag, etc. But you need more than one color shirt, so you have to buy at least one other color shirt, maybe two. I did get one referee kit free, because they were giving away 300 kits to new refs under the age of 16. Then I purchased the other things that I needed (including black shoes and paying to link my bank account to their payment system). I have made that money back and now all the rest of the money I make is profit. I think the program is a great part time job for those who love soccer! 

To learn more about becoming a soccer referee in Florida, click here.

Enjoy!

Tristan

(Pictured above is me in my soccer referee uniform)