Anyone, regardless of league affiliation, is eligible to become a WFTDA Certified referee. There are requirements to be considered for any given level of Certification, but there are not restrictions on who may apply if they meet these requirements.
If you are currently not Certified, you can apply for Level 1 or Level 2.
If you are currently Certified, you can apply for one level higher, re-apply at the same level, or apply for a lower level when your current Certification is eligible for renewal (12 months after your Certification date).For example, a WFTDA referee Certified at Level 2 on 7/1/2014 may apply for either Level 2 or Level 3 no sooner than the review period that would grant Certification on 7/1/2015. In other words, if the Level 2 referee's required documentation is due by 6/10/2015, they will be reviewed in June and the resulting Certification or denial of Certification will be effective 7/1/2015. However, they may not apply for Levels 4 or 5 at that time.
Certification is valid for two years. However, after being Certified for one year, the Certified referee can apply for a higher level if he or she so chooses. If a Certified referee waits the full two years, he or she must re-apply for the same level or a level higher, or the Certification will lapse.
If the referee does not turn in all of his or her documents within or prior to the end of the second year, he or she will be eligible to re-apply at the same level for an additional 6 months. If the documents are not received by the end of the 6 months, the referee will not be eligible to apply at his or her previous level and must start at Level 1 or 2.
The WFTDA Referee Certification Committee reviews applicants at the end of each month, with the exception of December. Documents for an applicant who has not yet met the requirements to be reviewed will be accepted until the 10th of the month. For applicants who have met the requirements, the Committee will accept additional documents until the day before reviews will take place.
The rules test must be administered by a WFTDA league member who is appointed by that league or a Certified referee. In order for a non-WFTDA-affiliated official to take these tests, he or she must contact the nearest WFTDA league to schedule a time to take the test with a representative of the WFTDA league.
1 month must elapse between test attempts.
For an evaluation to count toward Certification requirements, it must be submitted by someone who is authorized by a WFTDA league that participated in either a WFTDA-regulation or WFTDA-sanctioned bout, or the head referee for such a bout. The submission may not be made by someone who is affiliated with the same league as the official being evaluated, and only one evaluation per league, per official is valid for any bout.
Check the Referee Certification Application Status.
All documents will be verified for accuracy. Once verified, the Panel Members review all documents and vote on whether to grant Certification. An applicant must receive at least 3 out of 5 votes for Certification to be granted. The Referee Certification Committee can award a lower level of Certification at the members’ discretion.
Additionally, referees Certified above Level 2 will have the positions for which they are Certified noted. The decision for each position will be based upon the documentation available during their review. For example, an applicant for Certification at Level 3 who has no Head Referee evaluations on file, but has sufficient documentation showing an appropriate ability for the level of Certification granted for Inside Pack Referee, Jammer Referee, and Outside Pack Referee would be Certified – Level 3 (IPR, JR, OPR). The Referee Certification Committee does not assert that the referee is unqualified for any position with this statement; it is simply an acknowledgment that we do not have the information to determine the qualifications of an applicant at one or multiple positions.
If a referee does not receive enough votes he or she may reapply after 6 months.
Each level of WFTDA Referee Certification has a color-specific patch for it:
Level 1: Blue
Level 2: Red
Level 3: Silver
Level 4: Gold
Level 5: Pink
WFTDA Referee Certification patches can be worn with pride by WFTDA Certified Referees only. Patches must be displayed on the right uniform sleeve.
We’re happy to help answer questions that are not listed in this FAQ.[Send an email to refcert@wftda.com with the specifics of anything not listed here.
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