In the competitive youth leagues where my kids play, we have a handful of teenagers learning to become referees. I see these refs as playing football, but in a different way. Often they are excellent in their roles, especially when you get ones that have found their confidence and don’t mind telling the occasional rowdy parent to take a hike. There are lots of kids that are athletic and rule-oriented that would be perfect for being in the game as refs - especially the kids that love the sport but don’t want to bump bodies and push boundaries too much. The kid refs make pretty good money as well ($50/game, IIRC - not bad way to roll into Saturday night, beats bagging groceries). Parents should be educated about these opportunities by the local clubs - it would really help over the long-term.
This is a great idea.
In the competitive youth leagues where my kids play, we have a handful of teenagers learning to become referees. I see these refs as playing football, but in a different way. Often they are excellent in their roles, especially when you get ones that have found their confidence and don’t mind telling the occasional rowdy parent to take a hike. There are lots of kids that are athletic and rule-oriented that would be perfect for being in the game as refs - especially the kids that love the sport but don’t want to bump bodies and push boundaries too much. The kid refs make pretty good money as well ($50/game, IIRC - not bad way to roll into Saturday night, beats bagging groceries). Parents should be educated about these opportunities by the local clubs - it would really help over the long-term.