SALT LAKE CITY — For soccer players, the focus is simple — run, defend, and score. And for soccer fans, it’s about the scores and the stars on the pitch.
But for the referees, they’re seeing the game in a whole new light. They’re the keepers of the game and hold all the cards — literally.
In a regular professional soccer game, there are four on-field referees. And in the World Cup games, there’s a group of referees off the field in the VAR room or the video assistant referee.
So that different perspective keeps referees like Aliya Khan coming back to the pitch each game.
“When I became a referee, I see the game very differently; you’re no longer just a spectator,” she said. “And so often spectators aren’t watching the referee. When you’re a referee, you’re like oh what are they doing? What are they looking for? What’s their decision? Where have they moved on the pitch to see this angle?”
She is a regional referee based in Utah and has been around the game for nearly her entire life. “When I was younger, I reffed to pay for my competition soccer fees,” she said. “I left that and then came back to it later in life.”
She said it can be hard, though, as there are many different decisions to make. “You’re applying laws and keeping things fair and providing the canvas for athletes on the field,” Khan said.
She said it’s not only a way to build community, but a way to stay involved in the beautiful game. “Refereeing has been an amazing experience for me with community and friendship,” she said.
Nathan Boone is another ref in the Utah referee community who has also been around the game for years as a player, coach, and now, ref. He said that when he stopped playing soccer in college, that’s when he took officiating very seriously.
And with soccer, he said it’s different than other sports. “In other sports it’s all about making the call, and it’s usually black or white,” Boone said. “In soccer, it’s a gray area.”
To become a ref, people need to take certain classes and receive certifications, which people can find through the Utah State Referee Committee. If refs want to move up the rankings to officiate more competitive games, there are more evaluations and even a fitness test.
“A center referee can run 6-10 miles in a match,” Khan explained.
But being a referee can be tough, as many refs face abuse from players, coaches, fans, and parents, Khan said. “We have youth referees that quit; we have a lot of adults that quit,” she said. “The maintenance of people committed to this sport is hard because of abuse.”
But U.S. Soccer installed a rule called Referee Abuse Prevention, or ‘RAP’. Under that rule, if someone steps to a ref in a physically or verbally aggressive way, then there are consequences. The people can be banned from games or have more harsh consequences.
“We’re grateful for it because it helped us retain referees,” Holly Gundred, state operations administrator for the Utah State Referee Committee, said.
More information about becoming a referee can be found here.
