$$$$
 

Hey all,

Just wondering about your pay for working a varsity game. In our little corner, the pay is $50 per person for a 3-man crew without mileage. That's fine and dandy if the contest is somewhat near your work or home. A guy I know got a game that is over two hours away from his home and work. So lets crunch some numbers......

2 hours there.
1 hour before JV game is over (required by conference).
2 hour game including shower afterwards.
2 hour drive home.

7 hours for 50 bucks less gas of......$25, 3ish bucks an hour. I know what you are all thinking....why didn't he just say no? Well, he is new to the scene and doesn't want commissioners and assignors to not put him on games.

No one is Looking to get rich here, but that seems a little silly eh?

Pfan

Around $105 for varsity. Mileage built in.

You referee in Connecticut with Billy? ;)

We make $65 a game for Varsity. But as much as money is important, when you count the number of hours studying, taking test, going to meetings, cost of uniforms, gas, time away from your family, how much is enough?

It's about the love of the game and giving back. It's got to be worth your time, but it's doubtful that you're going to get rich from refereeing.

While I love earning $65 a game, I also referee Church league and make $25 a game there. BTW, I have much more fun over all at Church league....most of the time....just not in the championship games....

Here, it is about $110 for two high school games. We work boys and girls each night, and mostly a two man crew. Three man is about $90 for each of us.

Wasn't there just a whole thread on this? Search for "Texas"

Here its Varsity 3 person $68,Varsity 2 person $72 before mileage (if applicable).

It's like the thread on taxes or court shoes or bags......
 

comes up every yr.....at least once.

I'm Gonna Win This Pissing Contest ...
 

The Constitution State
Varsity Fee: $91.32 (per person)
Sub Varsity Fee (includes public middle schools): $59.23 (per person)
Almost all two person games.
No mileage. Longest one way trip for anyone in my little corner of Connecticut is about 50 miles. Most trips are about 15-20 miles, one way.
Varsity "encouraged" to be there for start of junior varsity game.
Junior varsity "encouraged" to stay for half of varsity game.
Board dues about $125.00 annually.
7% assignment fee.

Looks like these fees include sales tax. ;)

Do you get a belt penalty fee deducted from your pay? :p

I am all about the game and realize the hours behind the scenes that goes into perfecting your craft. It just seems a bit crazy in the situation I described. In my little corner (not Connecticut), I wish they would hire refs that are somewhat near the contest (within 30 minutes?).

Are you folks part of a "crew"? If I was with the same 2 people and we tried our best to car pool, then I wouldn't be as frustrated. If you are with the same guys each time you can learn each others tendencies and could officiate better. What about if you get two random people that don't have a clue?.....there goes your rating. Am I way off here?

pfan

It all depends upon your current aim, your objective, what you hope to accomplish in your officiating career.
If your aim is to enjoy the least amount of travel and you were afforded that luxury by, for instance, an understanding assigner or a mileage limitation setting on the Arbiter, and you are getting the number of games you desire, then I can understand how distant assignments might cause you frustration. If your objective is to become known or recognized or work with more varied officials or officiate where you're not known well, then distant games where the "net" won't be as near the "gross" would be okay with you.
It all depends upon what you're hoping to accomplish in your pursuit of officiating.
I know of one official who this year accepted a single 65.00 GV game 164 miles one-way (no mileage paid) with certain officials for a certain assigner for a certain purpose. That game will net him 17.07, yet his objective in accepting this game is fulfilled and he is satisfied. Given camps, uniform upgrades, study materials, and gasoline offsetting 39 games @ 65.00 each, he'll net about 2.26 per game, and he's perfectly happy because this is a means whereby his objective is being carried out.
I know of another official who won't accept games farther than 15 miles from home. He has a different aim. He wants to get home early to watch SpongeBob or something. He won't spend 7.20 on a new rulesbook if his life depended on it. And that's fine. He's perfectly content. Hope his ultimate aim is to get only middle school games, cuz at his current pace he'll get there in a year or so.
It all depends on what aim you've chosen for yourself at a given time in your officiating career.
Sound good? Or am I "way off"?

Looking back at last season's schedule, I had 8 games that were over 140+ miles roundtrip. I accepted that... last season was my first year getting varsity games, so as the "new guy", I'm going to end up traveling a bit more than most.

I don't know how many I'll have this season (our assigner hasn't published our schedules yet). I'm hoping for a bit less travel, but I'm still in the "take whatever varsity assignments I can get" stage.

Pay was $73-78 for a single varsity game, and $108-113 for a JV/Varsity doubleheader. If working three-person, pay is about $5 less per game. No mileage. Single $55 payment for dues to the association for assignments. I think we might be getting a $1/game raise this year.

I worked with a couple of partners more than once, but most of the time I was working with a different partner or partners every night. Fine by me, I wanted to work with as many different folks as I could, hopefully I made a good impression on most of them.

I am at that stage as well. I will take all the varsity I can get as well. Just curious when that "stage" will end.

My furthest is not two hours like that guy I know, but one and a half hours. I am working with guys who work state tournament games, so I am looking forward to that aspect. Here is a silly question....."Why are these state tournament caliber guys driving an hour and a half one way for $50?"

pfan

Depends on a lot of factors, I suppose: size of your association, number of schools and games your association covers, quality of play, your performance as an official....

Even the best officials still have to do the occasional 'long travel' game on occasion. It's not good for anyone to have an official work only at the 3 or 4 schools that are closest to his/her house.

Or maybe he's doing it as a favor to the assigner: "Hey, I've got this new guy that I need to get an evaluation on, can you work a game with him and let me know what you think?" I've been in that position a few times in football.