Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:Here's how to climb the ladder:

Start your path to upgrade to regional ref as soon as posible. Getting to that level will open more doors, first at State Cups, and then at big tournaments. MLS Next national tournaments are where you really need to end up to be really noticed.

Take any mentoring opportunity you can get along the way...any big tournament should have some.

Obviously, on a week to week basis, ref the highest levels you can. Even as a grasroots ref, you should be able to get MLS Next assignments.

And for the person asking if it's possible to do this full time...only if you're a top level national ref hired by PRO, the USSF Pro Ref Organization. And even among the 100 or so PRO refs, only about 30 are full time.

DH is in his mid 30s, says he’ll grind like hell to reach PRO before he turns 45. Is he daydreaming or should I be supportive despite the fact I’m lonely at home?

For reaching PRO? I'm sorry, but unless he's already a National Referee, he's daydreaming. They focus on developing younger referees, so they can have longer careers at the top.

No exceptions if talent is there?

Look, I'm never going to say that he has zero chance, but it's as close as it gets to that, no matter how good he is.
Again, what level is he at now? Regional at least? You have to be a Regional Ref for at least two years before they'll even consider someone for National.
It's HARD getting to National Ref level these days. Back when I started, they were a dime a dozen, then they changed the program to only move the best and most promising refs up to National. There are lots of ref that apply, and they're selcted based on both talent and potential. There are plenty of fantastic 20-somethings trying to get to that level, and it makes more sense to bring those ref up, so by the time they make it to PRO, they're still young enough to have a decade or more on top.

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:Here's how to climb the ladder:

Start your path to upgrade to regional ref as soon as posible. Getting to that level will open more doors, first at State Cups, and then at big tournaments. MLS Next national tournaments are where you really need to end up to be really noticed.

Take any mentoring opportunity you can get along the way...any big tournament should have some.

Obviously, on a week to week basis, ref the highest levels you can. Even as a grasroots ref, you should be able to get MLS Next assignments.

And for the person asking if it's possible to do this full time...only if you're a top level national ref hired by PRO, the USSF Pro Ref Organization. And even among the 100 or so PRO refs, only about 30 are full time.

DH is in his mid 30s, says he’ll grind like hell to reach PRO before he turns 45. Is he daydreaming or should I be supportive despite the fact I’m lonely at home?

For reaching PRO? I'm sorry, but unless he's already a National Referee, he's daydreaming. They focus on developing younger referees, so they can have longer careers at the top.

No exceptions if talent is there?

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:Here's how to climb the ladder:

Start your path to upgrade to regional ref as soon as posible. Getting to that level will open more doors, first at State Cups, and then at big tournaments. MLS Next national tournaments are where you really need to end up to be really noticed.

Take any mentoring opportunity you can get along the way...any big tournament should have some.

Obviously, on a week to week basis, ref the highest levels you can. Even as a grasroots ref, you should be able to get MLS Next assignments.

And for the person asking if it's possible to do this full time...only if you're a top level national ref hired by PRO, the USSF Pro Ref Organization. And even among the 100 or so PRO refs, only about 30 are full time.

DH is in his mid 30s, says he’ll grind like hell to reach PRO before he turns 45. Is he daydreaming or should I be supportive despite the fact I’m lonely at home?

For reaching PRO? I'm sorry, but unless he's already a National Referee, he's daydreaming. They focus on developing younger referees, so they can have longer careers at the top.

SoccerRef wrote:Here's how to climb the ladder:

Start your path to upgrade to regional ref as soon as posible. Getting to that level will open more doors, first at State Cups, and then at big tournaments. MLS Next national tournaments are where you really need to end up to be really noticed.

Take any mentoring opportunity you can get along the way...any big tournament should have some.

Obviously, on a week to week basis, ref the highest levels you can. Even as a grasroots ref, you should be able to get MLS Next assignments.

And for the person asking if it's possible to do this full time...only if you're a top level national ref hired by PRO, the USSF Pro Ref Organization. And even among the 100 or so PRO refs, only about 30 are full time.

DH is in his mid 30s, says he’ll grind like hell to reach PRO before he turns 45. Is he daydreaming or should I be supportive despite the fact I’m lonely at home?

Here's how to climb the ladder:

Start your path to upgrade to regional ref as soon as posible. Getting to that level will open more doors, first at State Cups, and then at big tournaments. MLS Next national tournaments are where you really need to end up to be really noticed.

Take any mentoring opportunity you can get along the way...any big tournament should have some.

Obviously, on a week to week basis, ref the highest levels you can. Even as a grasroots ref, you should be able to get MLS Next assignments.

And for the person asking if it's possible to do this full time...only if you're a top level national ref hired by PRO, the USSF Pro Ref Organization. And even among the 100 or so PRO refs, only about 30 are full time.

Anonymous wrote:What’s better? Doing mls flex tournaments or state cups hoping to be selected for the National events? I was told be a senior referee that they bring certified pros to those events but I dont see the appeal of a state cup final vs mls academy type youth games

Those two things are not in the same ballpark. MLS Flex tournaments maintain a high level, with some mentoring / review. The level at VA state cup is not super high. Matches are either weeknights for play-in games, often with assignors sending them out relatively last minute, or at the big events at Publix in Fredericksburg, where they need a ton of referees all at the same time, when other leagues are playing on the same weekend. So referee supply is low.

Just pick up lots of matches, like others have said, and it will work itself out.

What’s better? Doing mls flex tournaments or state cups hoping to be selected for the National events? I was told be a senior referee that they bring certified pros to those events but I dont see the appeal of a state cup final vs mls academy type youth games

If you remember the ball isn’t out until it’s completely outside the line and offsides is from when the ball is kicked, you’ll start in the top third.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone making it as a full time gig? Im considering it. Lmk

DH brought in almost $2K in the last 4 weeks. 18 games total

3 state cup/president cup
9 MLS and MLS2
3 UPSL
1 other adult league
1 U12 Little’s that paid like $90 for 50 minutes of work! Lol

Helps pay bills and have little luxuries but it isn’t a real salary substitute if anyone is daydreaming like that

Anyone making it as a full time gig? Im considering it. Lmk

If you take it seriously, ref a lot. Do it at all different levels and in different positions. Every match can make you better.

(That said, I do no more than 5 matches per day, and no more than 3 in a row.)

Get on EVERY assignor's list in your area. You never know who will have a piece of a tournament you want to do.

If you are under 18, just pick up lots of games. Find assignors who have the games on the fields closest to you. Being an AR for MLSNext HD can be easier than centering a U12 rec game, and it helps to see the way different CRs handle the game (and how they fail to handle the game properly, although keep those thoughts to yourself).

Once you are 18+, start centering at a higher level. It's easy to get matches at big tournaments, because there are so many levels -- and so many total matches. E.g., you can go to the Jeff Cup site and sign up with CVSRA, and they'll give you as much as you want. Regular area assignors handle tournaments like WAGS, Bethesda, etc.

Because of all the referee abuse, top level league youth matches are easy to pick up. MLSNext HD and ECNL matches have CR spots open the day before, for matches that pay $100-$110. It feels like nobody really wants them.

You can turn it into a gig that pays BUT it's because no one wants to ref because of all the BS that comes with it. My kid is starting to earn some extra money at the local rec/travel level and has met refs who aren't that much older who are now traveling to tournaments in other states where they pay for the travel and hotel. Most of them are also players, BTW, who have played at these events OR ones like them.

Anonymous wrote:For those who take it seriously, what tournaments do you request to go to be seen and climb the ladder?

Its not just about tournaments, it's about working at higher levels. Working a ton of rec and travel games wont get you there. Work with different assignors to start working higher level games. Go from NCSL to ECNL/GA to MLSNext. If you want to work the ECNL tournaments, you'll have to be willing to travel to Richmond. You can also look for local high school and college games, UPSL, and USL games.

Anonymous wrote:For those who take it seriously, what tournaments do you request to go to be seen and climb the ladder?

Experience makes you climb higher so any tournament is good since you can ref all day if you want. And being center as much as you can.

For those who take it seriously, what tournaments do you request to go to be seen and climb the ladder?