By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
May 19, 2026-The physician’s assistant asked me a pointed question I sometimes receive after I say that I’m a soccer referee.
“How are the parents?” he asked.
I replied, “Most parents are great but I will find an overly enthusiastic parent every once in a while.”
The overwhelming majority of players, coaches and parents are wonderful. I met some of my closest friends on soccer fields and how different, and less fulfilling, my life would be if I did not take up the whistle when I was 16 years old.
I was volunteering as a teenage coach in a summer intramural league, a league so informal that each head coach refereed half the match. I quickly realized that I was a much better ref than coach so my coaching career soon ended and I became a referee.
My story is one of many as the reasons for refereeing are as diverse as the 3,000+ refs in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Many referees are happy to become certified after their playing career ends or the team they are coaching ages out of youth soccer.
As a referee, you become (or stay) fit, learn to manage people, you are your own boss and go directly to the customer, all while earning money.
Eastern New York is seeking new referees to be in the middle and/or on the line as assistant referees in youth soccer games. The minimum age is 14 years old to become certified. You manage your availability so officiating works with all the rest that you do!
You never know the difference you could make until you begin. For more information, click here. If you have any questions, e-mail questions@enysreferee.org
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/