General Information

You become a referee by attending and successfully completing a referee training course. U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) authorized two entry-level referee certifications: Recreational Referee Grade 9 and Referee Grade 8. However, Referee Grade 8 entry level is the most popular. With this in mind, we posted an Entry Level Referee Test below on this page.

To obtain more information about becoming a soccer referee, join our Referee Forum and ask our fellow referees for advice.

Here is some additional information and the specific certification criteria for the two entry-level referee positions:

State Associations Links

Please contact your state referee association for information about how to enroll in a USSF referee course. You may refer to the section below for information about State Referee Association in your area.

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Information For New Referees

Once you successfully complete a referee course and register with the USSF, you will receive your badge and will need to get appropriate referee gear, including a soccer referee uniform, soccer referee flags, referee cards, whistle, watch and shoes.

Referee Uniforms & Referee Packages:

USSF approved five different colors of jerseys for its referees, including gold, black, blue, green and red. You should eventually purchase all five colors (you want to be able to change your jersey in the event one of the teams wears similar colors) but the gold referee jersey is considered standard and this is the one you should buy first.

*New Style* USSF Uniforms