Referees
Refereeing is a demanding but essential part of many sports, including soccer. As such, JPYS supports and trains adults and eligible kids who want to become soccer referees. If you are interested in refereeing, look at the sections below to see which is most appropriate for you:
New Referees
BAYS (travel soccer league) requires that referees be at least 14 years old, be USSF certified, and be registered with the Massachusetts State Referee Committee (MSRC). If you are interested in becoming a referee, please email the JPYS referee assignor, at refs@jpyouthsoccer.org , and review the MSRC Steps to Becoming a Referee.
Transferring Referees
If you are a licensed referee who just moved to Massachusetts from another state or country, and you are interested in refereeing with us, here's what you'll need to do:
Contact your home state's State Referee Administrator (SRA) and inform them that you want to referee in Massachusetts.
Send an email to the Massachusetts SRA (sra@massref.net) letting them know of your arrival. If you want to get assessments to upgrade you will probably need to transfer your registration to Massachusetts.
Send an email to the JPYS referee assignor at refs@jpyouthsoccer.org with the following information:
Your name and the city/town/neighborhood where you are living;
Your age, if you are 22 or younger; otherwise, say you are an adult;
Your current referee grade and years of experience;
When you will be able to start refereeing in Massachusetts (or that are you already available);
Your transportation situation (do you have a car or will you rely on public transit);
A summary of your referee experience, including the highest age group or level of game that you are comfortable working and any experience working in tournaments or league championships; and
A summary of your playing/coaching experience, including if you are still playing/coaching (and for what team/league), and the highest level at which you've played/coached.
Go to the BAYS web site and register as a referee. Under "Primary Organization", select "Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer". If you already have a BAYS account as a coach or administrator, you can use your existing account to register as a referee.
Once all the above steps are completed, you will be contacted by the Referee Assignor with next steps.
Junior Referees
12- and 13-year olds who are not yet eligible to referee for BAYS may take part in the JPYS Junior Referee program. Junior Referees undergo classroom- and field-training, have a chance to practice under the supervision of experienced referees, and then begin gaining their own experience refereeing Campeones (3rd and 4th grade local league) games in JP and acting as Assistant Referees (ARs) in selected travel games. We hope that this program will motivate young referees to continue on to become referees in BAYS or other higher-level programs when they are eligible.
If you are interested in becoming a Junior Referee, please send us an email at refs@jpyouthsoccer.org .
Referee Resources
Massachusetts State Referee Commitee (MSRC) - Registration, training, and assessment for referees in Massachusetts
US Soccer Referee Program - Resources for soccer referees at all levels
Official Sports - Official referee supply store for US Soccer