In a profession where the average age is almost 57 years old, senior Mason Bosco and sophomore Joshua Nuñez stand out from the rest of the field. Clad in zebra-stripped shirts, both Marksmen have taken on the often-thankless job of officiating youth soccer in a time where 12 percent of officials say they have faced physical violence according to a National Association of Sporting Officials survey.
“I started when I was 11 or 12,” Bosco said. “After I heard about it from a friend, I just had to take a class and then a test and I got my license from North Texas Soccer Association.”
The process of getting a license to referee isn’t as simple as just signing up or filling out a form. New applicants have to take classes and pay fees to join an organization or referee union, and this process has dissuaded some potential referees from applying.
“When I first became a ref, I had to pay around $80 for a class,” Nuñez said. “The class takes a while, it’s maybe an eight hour class to get your original certification and then you need a one hour safety class in case a kid collapses or goes into cardiac arrest.”
Once started, a referee might need to work five or six games just to make back what he paid in initial fees and applications. However, pay can vary depending on the level of competition and role of the referee.
“Because I was on the sidelines, I got paid $16 per game,” Bosco said. “But if you’re the main referee it was like $25-$30.”
Both Bosco and Nuñez started out reffing the youngest possible age bracket, four and five year olds. Until players reach the middle school age bracket, most refs work alone because the level of play doesn’t demand multiple officials.
“You’re not going to call penalties on three year olds,” Nuñez said. “But once you ref older kids, you’ll be in a three-man crew with two people on the side as linesmen and then one in the center.”
Nuñez often works as a crew with his dad and older brother, who is a high school senior. His father has reffed as high as the college level, and now works part-time as a ref. When Nuñez first wanted to get a job, reffing was an obvious option.
“When I was a kid, I wanted money to buy stuff,” Nuñez said. “So I just decided that it was probably the easiest job I could get and started to do it.”
While Nuñez sometimes works with other people when his family is busy, being able to work with his dad and brother helps Nuñez to have the game run smoothly while staying interested and focused.
“Its pretty great because we have really good chemistry since we’ve worked together for a while,” Nuñez said. “It’s also fun because we make really good memories, like last weekend we had just finished a long day of five games in a row, and we went to Five Guys and grabbed burgers and were just talking and hanging out.”
But the grind of referring takes its toll. Working as many as five consecutive games, refs face many of the same issues that players do: dehydration, fatigue and heat exhaustion.
“I have a Nalgene, and normally I try to drink all of it at least once before we head out,” Nuñez said. “Then we’ll pack food so we can eat during our small breaks and we always bring an extra big water jug.”
Then there’s the issue of dealing with parents and coaches. In a world where parents are increasingly investing both their time and money into youth athletics, confrontations between adults and officials have become more of an issue.
“Every single game, there are parents that are always mad, no one is ever happy,” Nuñez said. “What I mainly do is ignore them, I don’t even look at them. They’re background noise.”
When it comes to disrespectful players or coaches, Nuñez has given yellow cards and warnings, which usually stop any more confrontations. For a referee, Nuñez believes that one of the most important skills is thick skin.
“You have to have really thick skin to be able to take it,” Nuñez said. “I definitely had to develop that ability because when I first started reffing I could feel what they said and it got to me and hurt a little.”
Ultimately, this combination of factors leads to the high rate of turnover in the profession. After working for a few years, Bosco decided to quit reffing when he got to high school.
“It’s really boring, and you’re standing on your feet for the entire day,” Bosco said. “But I’m glad I did it, and it was fun sometimes, especially when I did it with my friends.”
Although Nuñez has continued to ref into high school, he doesn’t plan to pursue it as a full-time career in the future.
“I’d use it as a part-time job and still make some money off on the side,” Nuñez said. “It’s nice to do while in high school, make a bit of money, but I don’t see myself doing this much more after I graduate.”
Although reffing might not be the most glamorous job in the world, Nuñez still appreciates the role it has played in his life.
“It’s a good break from academics, and I just enjoy being with my family and spending time with them,” Nuñez said.