Referee Basics

A referee is a game official responsible for enforcing the rules during an athletic contest. He ensures fairness during the contest and in its outcome, and also protects the safety of the participants in the game on the field.

  1. Identification

    • Different sports use different names to designate their game officials, but football, soccer, hockey, basketball and volleyball are among those that use the term "referee." There are seven referees in a football game, and they are named according to their position on the field. The football officials include the back judge, line judge, head linesman, field judge, side judge and umpire. The crew chief on each NFL crew is designated as the referee.

    Types

    • Soccer uses either two or three referees, depending on the system that is in place. A two-person crew shares equal responsibility, with one on each side of the field, while a three-person crew has a lead official, the center referee and two assistant referees that run the sidelines. Basketball crews include either two or three referees that share responsibilities evenly. Volleyball crews have a net referee and an assistant.

    Function

    • Referees call penalties and fouls to keep players from injuring each other or from gaining advantage due to violations of the rules. They also rule on scoring plays, sideline calls and issues with the game clock. Once the game begins, the referee controls the activity on the field or court, making sure that fairness is achieved.