East Side Soccer hires multiple referees to officiate on Saturday mornings for the ESS Recreation program (fall and spring).

Preference is given to current and past ESS players who have taken an East Side Soccer Referee Training or who are WNYSRA certified referees (see more details below).

The WNYSRA entry level referee course is only offered in the early part of the year (January-April in 2024), so it is important that you take the course in early 2024 even if you don't want to referee until Fall 2024.

Referees officiate in 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8 recreation games. Refs must be two years /grades older than the players in the game they are officiating for. While the age requirement for certification is only 13, refs who are at least 15 will be eligible to ref for a greater number of games.

Contact ESS_ref@eastsidesoccer.org for information or if interested in reffing.

May 5, 2024 – Barry Park Field House

1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Rain or Shine

Cost: $ 25 (for referees who have not taken WNYSRA course)

Recommended for new and existing ESS Referees

As part of the ESS referee development program, ESS has organized a dedicated half day training to prepare participants to referee in the ESS recreation league. The training will cover the rules of the game, specific ESS league rules and the ESS code of conduct, and procedures for being assigned to ESS Games.

Please note that the dedicated ESS training will only qualify an individual to referee for East Side Soccer – it will not contribute to US Soccer Federation (USSF) certification.

Why a dedicated course?

Many ESS referees are new to refereeing and wish to gain experience in a familiar league setting. Through the dedicated course, ESS can offer specific training that referees need to understand the necessary practical elements of refereeing, while offering specific guidance on ESS league specific rules, reducing time spent on information that is not relevant to ESS rec league referees, and minimizing costs to participants.

The WNYSRA entry level referee course is a required step to becoming a USSF- certified referee. It is only offered in the early part of the year (January-April in 2024), so it is important that you take the course in early 2024 even if you don't want to referee until Fall 2024.

WNYSRA Certification involves taking a referee certification course and obtaining a risk management pass. Annual recertification is required. You can learn more about the process at the WNYSRA website.

You can see the complete requirements (including fees) and listing of entry level courses here. The courses fill up quickly. Participants in the course must be at least 13 years of age.