Frequently Asked Questions

Every Massachusetts referee certified and registered with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) must recertify every year, regardless of grade.

Notes:

• If you have taken an Entry Level course after July 1, 2023, please see Question 18.
• The Registration year runs from January 1 to December 31, regardless of when you take the class.

Click to see Recertification Requirements New in 2021 are Supplemental Courses. Check out Video – Help With Supplemental courses

The Annual Recertification requirements for all Grades of Referee, including Futsal, are as follows:

The MSRC will promote the notion of “continuous education” for all referees. The hope is that each referee will engage in educational opportunities — online classes, in-person events, field sessions, advanced training — throughout the year rather than wait until late-winter to cram all requirements in a tight timeline. The requirement of educational hours may best be met in small bits.

Recertification classes typically are offered between July of one year to the March of the recertification year (Classes are schedule during the Summer and at every major holiday to enable students, who are away at college, to attend.

The USSF Registration Year runs January 1 to December 31. Registration for a recertification year closes on June 30th of that year. It is not possible to be certified for a year on or after July 1.

Log into your MassRef Account at MSRC Central and select “Course Schedule” from the menu at the top of the screen.

Select the recertification course modules you would like to attend and click “Enroll” on the right of the screen. You can use the “Advanced Search” function on the right near the top of the Course Schedule screen to view only Recertification classes. When we are having on-site sessions, adding your zip code to the search will help you find the sessions nearest to your location.

Carefully read and follow the instructions on each screen.

Successful enrollment will generate a system automated email, to the email address you have entered on your MassRef Account.

E-mail confirmations should be sent immediately. If you did not receive one, you should check that any spam filtering did not mistakenly catch the confirmation. You can also see the confirmation message on your Main page when you are logged into the web site. If you are still concerned of your status, you can contact the Course Administrator.

Within your MSRC profile is a MyStatus tab which presents and organizes the progress of your pathway through new and recertification requirements. Each requirement should have a link to send you in the correct direction to satisfy that requirement.

Referees should bring: a notebook and pen or pencil for taking notes during the session, a list of questions that they would like addressed at the meeting, and a willingness to share your experiences.

No, you can attend any referee clinic on the list. If you miss one nearest you, you can go to any of the others.

From the Course Schedule, click on the Location for details about the clinics you have selected, including start and end times. You are expected to attend for the entire duration of the clinic unless otherwise noted in the description. The duration of a course module is expected to be between 90 and 120 minutes.

No. Plan your schedule accordingly. You will not be recertified until all of the requirements have been met.

The registration fee amount varies according to referee grade level. The following table shows the amounts due:

Yes. Referees are expected to maintain their certification from year to year. You can recertify as a referee if you have not let the license lapse for more than 3 registration years. If you have not been licensed for a period greater than 3 registration years, you will need to undergo the full certification process. See US Soccer’s Recertification vs Signing Up as a New Referee. This policy is in place to assist in cases when referees have been injured or had some other unusual occurrence. However, this is not an advisable alternative and there are some considerable drawbacks for referees when this happens. Among other things, assignors may bypass them in favor of more experienced referees. This will also have a negative effect on the referee.

There are many online options to meet recertification requirements as well as in-person clinics in the summer and during holidays around the New Year. If you have questions, contact MSRC.

Please send email to MSRC if you want to know what options are available to you.

All transfers to and from State Associations are usually coordinated by the State Referee Administrator from the state which the referee is leaving, however you may contact the Massachusetts SRA directly by e-mail.

Given that Massachusetts has its own state-specific safety requirements, referees who are 18+ years of age have steps to take before being able to officiate in Massachusetts. As such, referees who are visiting Massachusetts must have an account in our system which will require consent for the Massachusetts CORI check. Visiting referees should create an account in the MSRC system (Register tab) and notify the MSRC administration to be guided through the process.

After successfully completing a New Grassroots Referee class in the summer of one year, you are certified until December 31 of the following year. While you are not required to attend a Recertification class, it is an excellent opportunity to listen to more experienced Referees share their experiences. You do not need to enroll or pay to attend.

Generally speaking, your certification is with the US Soccer Federation and your license is recognized throughout the country. That said, individual states may have some specific requirements (as Massachusetts does). We recommend that you communicate with the State Referee Committee (SRC) of the state to which you are looking to officiate. It is typical that the SRC would look for a “letter of good standing” from the Massachusetts SRA.

If your questions have not been answered on this webpage, feel free to contact the MSRCby e-mail.