Easy money, they say.  Reffing at soccer games.

Hmmm.  Ever tried it?

The pay is very nice:  teens can make $12 or $16 or more per game, depending upon the age group and whether it is rec or select level.  Most assignments  include 2 or more games in the same day, usually back-to-back.

There are start-up costs, and a wise parent will help their player budget how to pay for the licensing course and the ref shirt, shorts, socks and shoes. And whistle and flag kit, which includes the infamous red and yellow cards.

Generally an AR (assistant, or sideline ref) can work at any age level game, but the center ref needs to be at least two age levels above the teams playing. This is just common sense anyway.

If a ref is a current soccer player,  scheduling available times to ref can be challenging. This is aggravated by the inevitable make-up dates due to rain or snow or extreme heat.

Like any part-time teenager’s job, the parents will be inconvenienced by driving their ref-child to the fields and back home afterward.  Just goes with the job of parenting a teen, I guess.

Sherlock and Holmes each took the reffing classes when they were around 13 years old. Each bought their own gear (and LOVED flashing the red cards around the house to younger siblings) and were quite gung-ho about the bank accounts they would build.

And each quit after the first year.  Sherlock actually stopped accepting assignments after a half-dozen games.

Why?

Because of the obnoxious, know-it-all parents on the sidelines.  Each of my boys decided that it just wasn’t worth all the grief of being yelled at, or having their center ref yelled at, all through the game. Particularly by parents who probably did not understand soccer (beyond the fact that you have to “Boot it!!”).

Even Holmes, who enjoyed the self-challenge of going through the games without hearing the parents, hung up his whistle after a season.

So when you are at a game and the ref acts like s/he has never even PLAYED soccer before, that might be because real soccer players can’t be bothered with the abuse.

Yell responsibly.