Many students at FHC have summer jobs, such as working at an ice cream shop or being a lifeguard. Recently, other students have found a new job that may surpass these other jobs, specifically soccer refereeing.
Many students at FHC have taken up refereeing through US Soccer, where they go through an online training process, in which they will learn not only rules but also safety protocols and what to do if a player gets injured.
After the online process, they go to an in-person training with experienced soccer referees. Finally, they will get their license and be able to start refereeing.
Overall, many students have found that going through the training and refereeing is worth the time and money spent getting their license.
“Refereeing is definitely worth the time and effort you have to put in to get your license and become skilled at it,” said Freshman Grace Emerson. “It pays well and it allows you to grow in your ability to handle leading adults and kids of all ages.”
Refereeing makes more money than you think. With younger age groups, where the games are shorter, you will get paid 25-35 dollars, but with higher age groups, you can get up to 70 dollars a game. The amount you get paid also depends on whether you are the AR (assistant referee) or the CR (center referee). As the CR, you make most of the calls, which is why you get paid more as the CR rather than the AR.
“The pay scale depends, but I’ve made up to 50$ for an hour and ten-minute game,” stated Sophomore Spencer Thomas, who has been refereeing for around 4 years. “I know it goes higher than that.”
Some students will try to referee lots of games during soccer season to make more money. Usually, these games will tend to be on weekends, which is nice for student-athletes.
“I referee about once or twice a week,” said Sophomore Julia Fisher. “Most of my games are on Saturday or Sunday, but I have had a few games on weekdays.”
Other students used to referee a lot but have found they don’t have as much time to referee as much now that they have other commitments or extracurricular activities.
“Before high school, I would often have 6 games per weekend,” stated Junior Joe Emerson, “Now that I have my own sports and commitments, it is more like 2-3 games per weekend.”
Many students agree that soccer refereeing may not be a permanent option for a career, but just a job that will help them get some cash in high school. Although refereeing is pretty easy and makes good money, it seems clear to these students that they would rather take on different jobs after high school and may even want a different job in high school that might be more consistent with their schedule.
“I would referee till the end of high school, most likely, it’s definitely not my life’s pursuit,” stated sophomore Zoe Lockwood, “If I get another more stable job, I would consider quitting.”
Although some other students think that refereeing may be beneficial even in later years of life, like college. That way, they can continue to make money by doing something they enjoy.
“I plan on reffing through college to pay for everything that I need until then,” stated Thomas.
Many students believe that refereeing has some benefits, such as how you can choose what times you want to referee, so you don’t have to worry about jobs overlapping with other sports or clubs. Also, refereeing is nice because you get paid in cash.
“You get paid in cash, so you don’t have to pay taxes,” stated sophomore Marley Marko, “You also choose your schedule.”
Although refereeing is a great job for high schoolers and there are a lot of positives when it comes to it, there are still some negatives about refereeing, like how sometimes parents or coaches will start to get frustrated at the referees when they make calls they might not agree with.
“My least favorite part of the game is having the constant yelling and bickering from parents when they have no clue what the rules are,” stated Lockwood. “It takes away from the wholesomeness of the game itself and creates an unenjoyable playing environment.”
These students recommend referring to any student-athletes who might want to make money from doing something that they enjoy, or even any students who want a flexible part-time job, pays well and, in general, is more fun than other jobs.
“If you are someone who is driven and loves to enforce rules, lead others, and has a firm and outgoing personality, then I would definitely recommend refereeing,” stated Emerson, “especially if you have soccer knowledge or like watching soccer.”
