What does a Referee do?
A referee is a sports official who is responsible for officiating games, sports events, or competitions. They must ensure that game rules are being followed by all players and make calls when these rules are broken. They indicate the start and end of a game and keep track of the time to determine whether a match is needed more time to complete. They settle claims of infractions or complaints by sports participants when needed. Referees also inspect sports equipment to make sure that all the organization's specifications are met.
Referee responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real referee resumes:
- Manage conflicts and resolutions between other umpires and coaches/parents.
- Certify in CPR if need and remain calm in stressful situations.
- Age groups ranging from coach pitch to NCAA.
- Court referee- run up and down the court watching for fouls, travels, double dribbles, etc.
- Pool and championship competitive league umpire.
- Implement a CPR class for incoming referees.
- Explain and demonstrate rules of t-ball and softball.
- Umpire at all levels of baseball through AAU level of competition.
- Umpire and officiate baseball and softball for all ages including t-ball.
- Show up on time and prepare to ref various levels of play.
- Select as a top performer, umpire the semi-final and championship games.
- Officiate adult slow pitch softball; in compliance with ASA official standards.
- Attend all training requirements and follow all FIFA policies while license to officiate.
- Maintain ref staff and make certain referees are up to field code and safety.
- Provide direction for the safety and regulation of all players according to FIFA rules.
Referee skills and personality traits
We calculated that 47% of Referees are proficient in Safety Regulations, CPR, and Game Rules. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Decisionmaking skills, and Good vision.
We break down the percentage of Referees that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Safety Regulations, 47%
Enforced safety regulations and ensured player safety and cooperation.
- CPR, 8%
Certified in CPR training and AED operation by the American Heart Association.
- Game Rules, 7%
Officiated games to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed* Helped coordinate events within the intramural program
- Hockey Games, 4%
Officiated youth hockey games at local hockey arena Effectively and efficiently handled fan complaints Trained and helped develop younger referees
- Safety Rules, 4%
Stocked product, made sure the courses were game ready, instructed players different game instructions, safety rules & regulations.
- Intramural Sports, 3%
Refereed a variety of co-ed intramural sports, primarily Yale's competitive A-Level intramural basketball league.
Common skills that a referee uses to do their job include "safety regulations," "cpr," and "game rules." You can find details on the most important referee responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a referee to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what referees do because "umpires, referees, and other sports officials must have good communication skills because they inform athletes on a sport's rules, discuss infractions, and settle disputes." Additionally, a referee resume shows how referees use communication skills: "trained on multiple sports rules and regulations interacted with peers while developing communication, leadership and management skills"
Good vision. This is an important skill for referees to perform their duties. For an example of how referee responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "umpires, referees, and other sports officials must have good vision to identify violations during play." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a referee: "demonstrated strong verbal and nonverbal skills through enforcing league rules clearly and effectively ensured games ran smoothly and players demonstrated good sportsmanship".
Physical stamina. referee responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "many umpires, referees, and other sports officials are required to run, squat, stand, or walk for long periods during competitions." This resume example shows what referees do with physical stamina on a typical day: "involved in organizing volunteers and umpires for youth with physical and mental disabilities on the miracle league ball field. "
Teamwork. A commonly-found skill in referee job descriptions, "teamwork" is essential to what referees do. Referee responsibilities rely on this skill because "because umpires, referees, and other sports officials may work in groups to officiate a game, they must be able to cooperate and come to a mutual decision." You can also see how referee duties rely on teamwork in this resume example: "developed leadership and teamwork skills with staff members by being in charge of the hockey game. "
The three companies that hire the most referees are:
- VVolo Aviation6 referees jobs
- YYmca Of Greater Seattle6 referees jobs
- FFirst Coast YMCA - Metropolitan Office5 referees jobs
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Compare different referees
Referee vs. Intramural official
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a referee are more likely to require skills like "hockey games," "safety rules," "youth sports," and "ref." On the other hand, a job as an intramural official requires skills like "training sessions," "basketball games," "field maintenance," and "semester." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that intramural officials earn slightly differ from referees. In particular, intramural officials are 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a referee. Additionally, they're 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Referee vs. Sports statistician
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that referee responsibilities requires skills like "safety regulations," "cpr," "game rules," and "hockey games." But a sports statistician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "sports statistics," "volleyball," "soccer," and "softball."
Sports statisticians earn similar levels of education than referees in general. They're 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Referee vs. Sports official
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a referee is likely to be skilled in "hockey games," "safety rules," "ref," and "leadership," while a typical sports official is skilled in "sports events," "training sessions," "basketball games," and "league play."
Sports officials typically earn similar educational levels compared to referees. Specifically, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Referee vs. Intramural supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
