Referees
Resources for Professional Development

Getting Started

Thank you to all of our dedicated referees at VESC.

VESC Referees

 

As the VESC is now an independent club, those who are interested in reffing for the VESC must register through E2E with the club.  You are no longer allowed to ref outside of the VESC if you register with the club. Similarly you cannot ref within the VESC if you are registered as a referee with the OSA. Please contact the club  for more information

 

As a referee of the Valley East Soccer Club, we try to our best to uphold the Laws of the Game to the highest degree possible. For most mini-field referees at the VESC, they are just starting out, manning the mini-field games that most players start out on. For those who ref the older games on the bigger fields, they have reffed for the VESC for the majority of their careers, and will hopefully do so for as long as possible.

Our referees have been trained and informed on all FIFA Laws of the Game, and are told to not only uphold these laws, but to teach and guide our players and coaches with respect. We also ask parents, coaches and players to be respectful with our referees as for most of them, this is simply a summer job and by treating them respectfully (and understand they are also learning) they hopefully come back every year.

For any questions on different aspects of reffing, please check out our links to pdfs and videos to understand how to referee the game of soccer. For any other questions, concerns, etc, contact the Club.

 All new information will be updated here and posted on our Facebook page.

Proper Referee Equipment

  • All referees and assistant referees must wear soccer specific cleats or flat running shoes
  • It is highly suggest that cleats are black, however any cleat is acceptable
  • All referees and assistant referees must wear appropriate black or Umbro/Adidas dark blue/black referee soccer socks lifted to just below the knee
  • All referees and assistant referees must wear appropriate black or Umbro/Adidas dark blue/black referee jersey
    • Inara provide jerseys through the VESC
    • Jersey must remain tucked in at all times
  • In cold weather, all referees and assistance referees must grey, dark colour or black sweat pants or long shirts underneath their jerseys
  • No hats can be worn at any time for referees
    • Religious headdresses are acceptable
  • It is highly suggested that referees do not wear glasses, however they are acceptable
  • Referees cannot wear any jewelry of any kind; including but not restricted to earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets
    • Exceptions can be made for instances such as medical bracelets
  • Referees may be required to change jersey colour to the accepted Yellow or Red in instance that is it required
  • The Canada Soccer Association badge must be worn on jersey at all times
  • Assistant referees must bring their own flags, flags do not need to match between the two assistant referees
  • Referees must bring their own whistle, preferably a FOX40, in addition to a card book with obvious Red and Yellow cards
    • Pen and paper is also required in order to keep track of things that occur within a game

 

Inability to follow these rules may result in loss of scheduled games or removal from a game.

VESC Referees - Official DutiesLast Updated: March 2016

Referee Responsibilities

  • All referees scheduled for a game must be ready and prepared at the field 15 minutes prior to the game time
  • All referee scheduled for a game must inspect the field of play for dangerous areas on the pitch in addition to checking all lines painted on the field as well as the netting
  • It is suggested that all referees inform referee in chief or highest ranking official of any issues or questions that may have arose during the game
  • Referee must take control of the game and ensure the assistant referees understand their role within the game in respect to how the referee would like for them to call the game
  • 5-10 minutes before the start of the game, the referee must call captains at the center circle for the program coin toss
    • Referee must provide a ‘pre-game speech’ to ensure the captains of the teams are aware of the laws of the game
    • Referee can then dictate how he or she will call the game, demanding respect from both teams
    • Referee should also remind captains they are responsible for the game
  • Referee will then perform the coin toss, allowing the home team captain to call it in the air, at no time should anything other than a coin be used
    • The winning team of the coin toss will state which side of the field they wish to start on; the losing team will receive the first ball
  • After coin toss, referee must ask for at least 2 playable balls (see FIFA laws) to play the game – the first to be used for the game and the second located between the bench
  • Referee must then officiate the game in accordance to their interpretation of the FIFA laws of the game, ensure respect between themselves, coaches and players at all times
  • Referee must receive of demand to receive the completed game sheet of the game by at least halftime
    • Without the game sheet, the game does not count and referees do not get paid
  • Referee must then submit the game sheet to the ref shack, and fill out all incident, yellow and red card reports before leaving the field of play

 

Assistant Referee (AR)

  • ARs are responsible for putting out or bringing in the corner flag depending on whether or not they are the first or last game of the night
  • ARs are responsible for calling offside, balls exiting the field of play and fouls that they may see in their area in accordance to the FIFA laws of the game
  • ARs are responsible for relaying any issues that arose during the game to the referee so that they me be made aware of any situations
  • ARs are required to sign the game sheet at the end of the game in order to be paid

 

An inability or failure to follow these rules above may result in referee removal of loss of scheduled games.

Policies & FormsLast Updated: May 2019

Other Policies & Procedures

 

The VESC follows the CSA rules on the following:

 

 

 

Development Resources Outside of the VESC

For those seeking to further their careers in soccer outside of the VESC, check out the following links.

 

Forms & Reports