Advancement
REFEREE ADVANCEMENT
Refereeing in Montana is very rewarding; however, advancing beyond the Grassroots level here is difficult due to a few limiting factors. We do not currently have a state-wide adult armature soccer league where full-length matches are played as required as part of the Regional Referee upgrade and recertification process. We also do not have enough Referee Coaches to perform the assessments on those matches as required by U.S. Soccer. You can learn more about the U.S. Soccer Referee Pathway by clicking this link.
The Montana SRC recognizes these issues and has instituted the below upgrade process to recognize those referees that should be a Regional Referee but don't have the means to do so.
advanced grassroots MONTANA referee
A new license has been created within the State of Montana called the "Advanced Grassroots Referee". Referees that meet the below requirements may upgrade to this new license. Benefits of upgrading include assignment priority for leagues and in-state tournaments, recognition of your advancement for assignors both here in Montana and when traveling as well as some leagues or tournaments will pay a higher game fee or bonus. The requirements are not quite as strict as upgrading to a Regional Referee.
Please note that U.S. Soccer will still recognize you as only a "Grassroots Referee." This is an in-state upgrade.
Suggestion: If you are holding a 2023 Grassroots license, we suggest getting your assessments for upgrade done this spring first, then apply for the upgrade after July 1, 2023 when the 2024 license year materials are ready. We are happy to explain this if it doesn't make sense.
Requirements:
You must be 18+ years of age when registering for the upgrade.
Hold a current year Grassroots Referee license.
Minimum game requirements: A full list of games that meet or exceed the below must be submitted to the SRA that contains the match date, age, competition, gender, game duration, location, and position.
(25) Referee and (15) Assistant Referee on U18+ youth, adult amateur, varsity high school, or college with a minimum of 80-minute game duration.
Register for and pay for the Advanced Referee Upgrade clinic. (You must hold a current Grassroots Referee license to register.)
Complete all online coursework. (You will complete the same coursework as a Regional referee would so you will see this all throughout the course.)
Request and pass two assessments. (These may be done before or after you request to upgrade.) One as a Referee and one as an Assistant Referee on a U18+ youth or adult amateur match with an 80-minute minimum match length. If you are trying to upgrade for the 2023 license year, both assessments must be done before July 1, 2023. A $50 fee for each assessment must be paid when requesting to compensate the Referee Mentor performing the assessments. (One exception to the assessment fee and game length requirement is if you request to be assessed at the MYSA State Cup or MYSA Montana Cup, both will be waived.)
Each year you must recertify as an Advanced Grassroots Referee and complete one maintenance assessment as a Referee on a U18+ youth or adult amateur matches with an 80-minute minimum match length. Failure to maintain this requirement will result in a reduction back to a standard Grassroots Referee. (One exception to the assessment fee and game length requirement is if you request to be assessed at the MYSA State Cup or MYSA Montana Cup, both will be waived.)
Step 1: Start at OMS
All current 2022 referees have been imported into OMS. DO NOT CREATE A NEW MEMBER REGISTRATION!
Go to Officials Management Systems (OMS).
Click on "Member Sign In".
Enter your email address as the user name. (Same email as the learning center.)
Your default password is your last name all in CAPITAL letters. (You will be immediately prompted to update your password.)
Visit your Member Profile area to verify your address and information are accurate.
6. At the top, click on Registration, then Register for Clinic / Fitness Test.
7. Answer the top question and click on Referee and Upgrade, then Submit.
8. Back on your Home or Dashboard screen, you'll now see the Advanced Referee Upgrade clinic is now available. Click on Reserve Clinic. This will add the fees required to the right and activate the payment process.
9. You'll now have access to the Online Lessons on your dashboard. If you've already completed the safety courses, you'll be able to bypass those.
Step 2: Request and Complete Assessments
1. Before requesting an assessment, you should notify your local assignor of your intent to upgrade and that you need to be assigned to the required matches. Once you accept those matches, go to your OMS Dashboard and go to Advancement > Request Assessment (You'll do this for both Center and AR. Ignore the Record AR Assessment.)
Note: Assessments for upgrades may be done before or after you request to upgrade, as long as they are within 12 months of completing the upgrade process.
2. Select the year you are upgrading for and enter your assigned game information and click Submit.
A request will be sent to the Director of Assessment for review and a Referee Mentor will be assigned to your match. In the event that one is not available, you may need to cancel the request and find another assessable match at another date or time. You will be notified when a Mentor is assigned and that payment is now due for the assessment. This must be paid before the assignment is finalized.
