Gulf Coast Soccer offers an in-house Club Referee Program to enable us to provide training and mentoring of new referees on a year-round basis. This program is a supplement to the STSR Certified Referee Program. Most club referees should be ready to certify through STSR as a Grade 8 referee at the next course offering, usually within the next 12 months. Club referees are limited to refereeing our in-house U7-U10 recreational and academy games.  

Why do we have an in-house Club Referee Program?

South Texas Soccer Referees (STSR) is sanctioned to provide all certified referee training for referees in South Texas. As a statewide organization, they have historically only been able to offer courses in our area in late summer or occasionally in the winter. During an internal club review, we determined that the infrequent referee course schedules were a limiting factor in bringing new referees into the referee pool to support our club needs. 

Our goal is to offer an entry-level program year-round that allows us to bring new referees into our referee pool and a course schedule that is more convenient for parents and coaches. The program allows new referees to get started with minimal training and grain experience in lower aged recreational games and better prepare them to become STSR certified referees at the next opportunity. 

With this new program, we aim to improve both the quantity and quality of both our Club and Certified Referees.

If you have any questions about the club referee program, please contact Adam Vannett at Ref Assigner

If you wish to sign-up for the next in-house referee program course, you can do so by following these instructions...

1. Send an email to Ref Assigner at Ref Assigner. Include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and date of birth in your email.
2. Read the current Laws of the Game
3. Complete the online Grade 9 Referee Course training (in either English or Spanish), and print our the completion certification and email it to Ref Assigner letting him know you have completed the online training.
4. The RefAssignor will schedule a 2-hour, in-person Club Referee Orientation that will cover some important game management topics (how to get game assignments, pre-game check-in procedures, how to work together as a referee crew, post-game duties, etc. ). Once you have attended this orientation, you will then be assigned as a referee for an entry-level match (such as the center referee for a U8 game or as an assistant referee on the lines of a U9 game), with an experienced referee there to serve as your personal mentor. 

There is no cost to participate in this program, and you will be able to start earning money as a referee as soon as you have completed your training.

As an added incentive, we will give a FREE referee jersey to each person that becomes a Certified Club Referee!

Help us make soccer better for all our players, and get started on your referee training today!

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Annual referee certification/recertification
• Pre-game team check-in 10 minutes prior to each game.
• Game officiating
• Fair and courteous treatment of all participants

Required Qualifications:

• Background check (for those 18-years or older)
• Good communication skills
• Physically fit to handle game duties

Who do I contact for additional information about becoming a referee or refereeing?

Our club Referee Assignor facilitates training, mentoring, certifications and scheduling of referees. If you are interested in becoming a referee, please email Adam Vannett at Ref Assigner. 

Information for New Referees

Once you successfully complete a referee course and register with the USSF, you will receive your bade and will need to get appropriate referee gear, including a soccer referee uniform, soccer referee flags, referee cards, whistle, watch and shoes. Contact Referee Assignor Adam Vannett at Ref Assigner.