Centre Soccer Association is hosting a Grade 8 Referee course on Saturday, March 25th from 1:00- 5:30pm at the Centre Region Government Building, 2643 Gateway Dr., State College, PA.
Registration & payment is through the PA West Referees site. Please register here: https://wparefs.gameofficials.net/default_entry.cfm
Please direct any questions to Centre Soccer's referee assignor, Kendall Mainzer through our contact form.
Western
PA (WPA) Referee Certification Steps
How do I become a referee?
Throughout the year the State Referee Committee (SRC) and
referees from around the area are asked the question, “How do I become a
referee?” The answer is simple, you need to obtain your background clearances,
attend and successfully complete a referee training program. This program costs
approximately $100. You will also need to pay for background clearances (~$44)
and uniform kit (costs vary).
The Grade 8 (not high school grade) Basic Referee Program
requires you to be 14 years old or older, on or before the start date of the
clinic. This requirement exists due to the Commonwealth of PA’s Child Labor
Laws. We’re sorry, but it is not negotiable or subject to exceptions. Our
system will not let you register if you are not 14 or older. Please remember
that referees’ integrity is their word, so do not falsify your birth date.
Playing experience is desired, but not required. You will
have a better chance of successful completion with a good understanding of the
game.
I am still in secondary school; do
I need a Work Permit?
Yes,
if you are 14-17 and still in secondary/high school you will need to get a Work
Permit. You will get this at your school guidance office and mail a copy to WPA SRC New
Referee c/o Peggy Neason, 82 Lookout Ave, Monongahela, PA 15063.
What Background
Clearances do I need?
Before registering for an entry-level referee course, you must
obtain your background clearances. The PA Child Protective Services Law (Act
153) changed effective January 1, 2015. The change no longer permits
organizations like Western PA Referees to conduct background checks through a
third party provider. We understand that minors (14-17) who want to become
referees that this may seem counterintuitive; however, the Law specifically
requires these clearances. Our associations are lobbying with the State and the
Governor for future changes in the Act.
All background checks must be completed using the provider
designated by the Commonwealth per the requirements of the law. More details
and web links are provided at the end of this document for obtaining these
clearances.
Individuals who are paid to oversee
children/have direct contact with children must provide all of the following
clearances:
1. PA
State Police Criminal Record Check (PATCH)
2. PA
Child Abuse History Clearance
3. FBI
Criminal Background Check
Please Note: The exception to the law provides minor children who are referees
(14-17 year old) may have their parent/guardian attest via notarized affidavit
(https://usys-assets.ae-admin.com/assets/965/15/Volunteer%20Affidavit%20Minorrev.pdf)
that the child has not committed any of the disqualifying crimes.
However, if you are turning 18 years of age during the
year, you will need to submit your FBI Clearance.
How
do I obtain my Background Clearances?
1. PA
State Police Criminal Record Check (PATCH)
·
This background check may be completed online at
https://epatch.state.pa.us/
·
The PATCH background check costs approximately
$8 and requires a credit card for processing.
·
Select “Submit a New Record Check” and accept
the Terms and Conditions
·
Select Reason for a Request as “Employment” and
complete the steps in the process.
·
The results for this check are generally
returned immediately upon application through the internet. Save a copy of this
clearance on your computer and print a copy to be mailed.
2. PA
Child Abuse History Clearance through the PA Department of Human Services
·
The Child Abuse background check costs
approximately $8 and requires a credit card for processing.
·
This background check may be completed online at
https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home
·
If you do not have an individual account, Select
“Create Individual Account” then “Next” and create a Keystone ID to create your
profile.
·
The results for this check are generally
returned within a few minutes or a few days.
o
If you receive it online, save a copy of this
clearance on your computer and print a copy to be mailed.
o
If you receive your clearance via the mail, make
a copy to be mailed. Keep your original.
3. FBI
Criminal Background Check
·
If you are 14-17 years old and not turning 18
this year, you should instead have your parent or guardian complete the Minor
Child Qualification Affidavit, which is available at https://usys-assets.ae-admin.com/assets/965/15/Volunteer%20Affidavit%20Minorrev.pdf.
o This
affidavit must be notarized and attests that you have not committed any of the
disqualifying crimes per Act 153.
o
If you are 18 or
older or will turn 18 this year, you must to obtain a FBI Criminal History
Report.
o Once
you reach 18 years of age, you will need to get the FBI Criminal History
Report.
·
The FBI background check costs approximately
$27.50 and requires a credit card for processing.
·
This background check may be begun online at https://www.pa.cogentid.com/index.htm
·
This link will take you to the page managed by
Cogent for the state of PA to help individuals attain an FBI clearance.
o The
Department of Human Services link is your preferable option if you just
referee USSF.
o If
you referee high school/PIAA as well, please use the Department of Education
version (you will need to affiliate with a school). Otherwise, the PIAA will
not accept it.
·
This background check will require you to go to
a fingerprinting location in PA. Locate a fingerprint location from the web
site, and take the confirmation page with you. The fingerprint scan will
generally take 10-15 minutes.
·
The results of this check are generally returned
within 4 to 10 weeks after your fingerprints have been taken.
·
When you receive your clearance via the mail,
make a copy to be mailed. Keep your original.
Your
background certifications under Act 153 are valid for sixty (60) months or five
(5) years. Once you have all three clearances (or the two clearances and your
notarized minor affidavit), mail those copies WPA SRC New Referee c/o Peggy
Neason, 82 Lookout Ave, Monongahela, PA 15063. We cannot accept emails of
clearance documents.
Registering for a
Clinic
Clinics are requested by the PAWest soccer clubs and
associations several weeks to a month or more in advance. Most of the clinics
occur late January through early March. Occasionally, a clinic may be offered
in July or August, but not every year. A link to the current list of available
clinics can be found on our web site at https://pawest-referee.org/. Keep in mind that the list is
being updated constantly, so keep checking back if you are looking for a
particular location.
In order to register for a clinic, you
will go to our referee registration application using Game Officials, https://wparefs.gameofficials.net.
Once accessing the site, you will choose “New
User?” and follow the instructions to create a new user account, user name
and password.
To register for your clinic,
1.
Go to the Main
Menu
2.
Select
“Courses”
3.
On the next
screen, select “Referee Courses”
4.
You will see a
series of courses offered. Do not choose a course with a little lock symbol
beside the course number. The little lock means the course is full.
5.
You will be
asked to enter information, if you did not complete your personal information
when you first logged in
6.
Please put the
club you want to ref for under “Home Association”. This will enable your
assignor to find you.
7.
You may pay by
credit card or check. There is a drop down box to choose payment method (the
default is credit card). If you wish to instead pay by check, please mail a check payable to WPA State Referee Committee. The check
should be mailed to: WPA SRC New Referee c/o Peggy Neason, 82 Lookout Ave,
Monongahela, PA 15063.
Please complete all of the information
and remember to double check all of your contact information (address, phone
numbers and email address(s)) and to designate a Home Association (typically
your home PAWest soccer club). Your email address is what we will use to
correspond with you for your clinic and additional notifications as a referee.
I’m registered for a
Clinic, What’s Next?
After you have registered for a Grade 8 clinic, your real
work begins. You must successfully complete a number of online sessions of Law
videos and review questions. These modules and you test will take several hours
and they MUST be completed at least
one week BEFORE your on-site clinic,
so plan accordingly. You must complete the test with a score of 70 or better to
pass the course. If you do not complete
the online training portion, you will lose your registration fee.
If
you are having trouble passing the test, please try the following:
1.
Login and go to:
“Confirmed Registrations”
2. Click on your course number “xxxxx”
3. Click on ‘Load Session Tracker”
4. Click on “Session 19 – Grade 8 Test Online”
5. Click on “Review” Attempt X – NOT Start New
Session
6. Click on the Number “YY” – it will show the questions
you missed. You can then go back and look at those slides.
Upon successful completion of the online session you will
attend an on-site clinic hosted by a local Association. The on-site session
includes up to 5 hours of classroom instruction, a field session where you must
demonstrate the lessons learned from the online modules and the classroom.
Please bring a notebook/pad, pencil, eraser and drink/snack with you, along
with a great attitude!
At the completion of the program, you will receive your
United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Referee badge and you will be registered
with Western PA Referees and the USSF as a Grade 8 Referee. As a Grade 8
Referee you will be allowed to referee youth recreational (i.e. In-House) and
competitive (i.e. Sunday Travel and Classic Club) matches. Your contact
information will be shared with the referee assignor for your Home Association
club, though we encourage you to contact them directly to get scheduled for
matches.
How do I find out who
my local assignors are?
You can visit http://www.pawest-soccer.org/referees/assignors/
to find assignors for various soccer clubs and leagues. Contact them directly
in order to be assigned to matches.
What uniform/kit do I
need?
All Western PA referees are expected to
act and to look professional. You will need to obtain a referee uniform and
should begin with a yellow USSF shirt, all-black shorts, three-striped black
socks and black shoes (do not have to be turf or cleated, that’s your
decision). You will need a watch with count-down/up timer, whistle and
yellow/red card wallet. As you complete matches, you can add to your kit (flags,
additional shirts and other accessories). There are a number of local and
national vendors, here are two, www.officiallysports.com
and http://www.officialsports.com/.
We suggest talking with your local club and assignor for additional advice in
getting started.
Our Web Site
Please note that we have a
web site for your use: https://pawest-referee.org/.
You should bookmark this page and watch it frequently for updates from the
State Referee Committee on topics, events and more information!
In addition, this is the
site where you will enter your Game Reports for injuries, cautions and
send-offs (i.e. yellow and red cards) or other match-related incidents (referee
abuse, weather situations, etc.).
Can I get a Course Refund?
All
clinics and courses conducted by the Western PA State Referee Committee (WPA
SRC) that require payment are subject to the following:
·
All fees must
be paid in full before attendance.
·
By confirming
your seat at a recertification or entry level class you are agreeing to the
following cancellation and refund policy:
Cancellation occurred
|
Refund
|
21
days or more prior
|
Full
Refund
|
7-14
days prior
|
Course
fee minus $15 administration charge
|
Less
than 7 days prior
|
No
Refund
|
Failure
to attend
|
No
Refund
|
- Stated date of course determines refund days.
- All written cancellation requests must be sent to
the State Director of Instruction (SDI) at [email protected]
- Transferring to another course is subject to availability and you may transfer
to another course any time before the course start date. To request a
transfer, email the SDI
in advance of your course start date.
- In the event the course is cancelled, a full
refund will be given.
What about next year?
Referees
must take a recertification exam every year. This fall, you will receive
information via email informing you to log into the Game Officials site in
order to complete your referee recertification. Recertification is an annual
process by which you will register for the upcoming year, pay a recertification
fee (usually around $50), and complete a recertification test (online) in order
to receive your USSF badge and book for the next calendar year.
If I have other questions, who can I ask?
You can always email the
State Referee Committee at [email protected].
We are here to help you. And, as always, check out our web site at: https://pawest-referee.org/.