1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Umpires Referees And Other Sports Officials
  4. Required Skills Responsibilities Activities

Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials Occupation Detailed Description

Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials

The main tasks and work activities of Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials are to coordinate athletic or sporting events or activities, evaluate skills of athletes or performers, verify accuracy of data, coach others. In general, for the Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials, speaking, critical Thinking, judgment and Decision Making, active Listening and other 9 skills are required.
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials jobs. 54.84% of Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 3.23% of Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
19.35%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
54.84%
Post-Secondary Certificate
3.23%
Some College Courses
9.68%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
3.23%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
9.67%

Tasks and Work Activities of Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials

  • Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed.
  • Judge performances in sporting competitions to award points, impose scoring penalties, and determine results.
  • Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.
  • Inspect sporting equipment or examine participants to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations.
  • Keep track of event times, including race times and elapsed time during game segments, starting or stopping play when necessary.
  • Start races and competitions.
  • Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.
  • Verify scoring calculations before competition winners are announced.
  • Direct participants to assigned areas, such as starting blocks or penalty areas.
  • Report to regulating organizations regarding sporting activities, complaints made, and actions taken or needed, such as fines or other disciplinary actions.
  • Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems.
  • Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.
  • Research and study players and teams to anticipate issues that might arise in future engagements.
  • Verify credentials of participants in sporting events, and make other qualifying determinations, such as starting order or handicap number.
  • Compile scores and other athletic records.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersHandling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or PeopleAssessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Coordinate athletic or sporting events or activities.
  • Evaluate skills of athletes or performers.
  • Verify accuracy of data.
  • Coach others.
  • Compile technical information or documentation.

Skills and Abilities for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials

  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Speed of ClosureThe ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Time SharingThe ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Perceptual SpeedThe ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • MemorizationThe ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Pressure indicatorse.g. Air gauges
  • Public address systemse.g. Announcement systems
  • Ball pumpe.g. Ball inflators
  • Phone headsetse.g. Communications headsets
  • Sports timere.g. Countdown timers
  • Digital video disk players or recorderse.g. Digital video disk DVD players
  • Sport safety equipment other than headgeare.g. Elbow pads
  • Sport scoreboardse.g. Electronic display boards
  • Cross trainerse.g. Elliptical trainers
  • Bench scalese.g. Equipment scales
  • Stationary bicyclese.g. Exercise bicycles
  • Treadmillse.g. Fitness treadmills
  • Sport safety equipment other than headgeare.g. Hockey girdles
  • Ice skatese.g. Hockey skates
  • Notebook computerse.g. Laptop computers
  • Sport safety equipment other than headgeare.g. Leg guards
  • Tape measurese.g. Measuring tapes
  • Sport safety equipment other than headgeare.g. Outside chest protectors
  • Flags or accessoriese.g. Penalty flags
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.