Whether you are showing up to be the center referee or an assistant referee, the first thing you're going to do is meet up with your crewmates, STSA requires that all referees must check in 15 minutes prior to their games at the garage for recreation games and 30 minutes for travel games. Once everyone has arrived, the center referee should go over a detailed set of pre-game instructions. These instructions should include subtle communications that the ref would like to use in the game, as well as positioning, mechanics, and other intangible aspects of the game like what players to keep a close eye on. Next, the crew (or you, alone) will go about your duties of checking the field for safety and proper markings, also checking in the player's passes and equipment. STSA DOES NOT ALLOW JEWELRY OF ANY KIND DURING ANY LEVEL OF PLAY! Then the refs can warm up and stretch and observe the teams to get an idea of who might be the more skilled players. Just prior to kick off, the referee should clear the field and get the captains out for the coin toss, REMEMBER: The winner of the toss choses which end to ATTACK and the team that loses the flip gets to kick off in the FIRST half. After the toss, the referee and AR's should shake hands before they split off. AR's flags are furled until ready to start the game! When the 22 players are in position and the AR's flages are unfurled the game is ready to begin! REMEMBER: A referee's first priority is the 22 players on the field!

A new referee must know the Laws of the Game. There is no worse feeling than making a mistake because you don't know the laws. The better you know the laws, the more comfortable you will be once you're the person in charge.

Studying the mechanics and procedures will give you a solid foundation for what you will be doing on the field, how it should be done, what it should look like, and how to interact with your teammates. ALL STSA CERTIFIED REFEREES MUST KNOW THE LAWS OF THE GAME! If you have any questions about the laws do not hesitate to call or talk to a senior official. For more information on the Laws of the Game, click on the link near the top of the screen.