- To be a good referee, you must continue to learn and improve with every game.
- Experience is the best teacher and confidence builder. The more games you do, the more comfortable and confident you’ll be.
- If something occurs in a game and you aren’t sure if you made the correct decision, after the game, go back to the Laws of the Game.
- Talk to more experienced referees about the decision you made and whether or not you should have done something differently. Call or email an experienced referee with the question.
- Watch experienced referees and notice how they deal with specific situations that cause you trouble in a game.
- Have experienced referees watch and critique you, and then remember to try the suggestions they give you.
- Seek out experienced referees to work with. By running lines for experienced referees, you gain a better appreciation as to what the protocols of the game are as well as learning about ways in which you can improve your game. This is an excellent tool. Once you have done this for several games, ask to have experienced referees as your assistant referees when you work the center.
- Go slow in advancing to more difficult matches – don’t rush it, but also challenge yourself to keep growing as a referee by taking more challenging assignments once you have reached a comfort level where you are currently being assigned.
- Attend seminars, workshops and clinics.
- Watch games of every age and competitive level whenever possible. This helps you not only by watching skilled referees work, it also helps you to learn more about how the game is played.