Any referee regardless of league affiliation is eligible to become a WFTDA certified referee. Skaters may also apply for certification.
If you are currently not Certified, you can apply for Level 1 or Level 2.
If you are currently Certified, you can apply for a single level higher, or renew at the same level, when your current Certification is up for renewal (12 months after your Certification date). e.g., a WFTDA referee Certified at level 2 on 7/1/2009 may apply for either Level 2 or Level 3 no sooner than 7/1/2010. However, they may not apply for Levels 4 or 5 at this time.
Referee Certification is valid for 1 year from the date granted. After the 1 year period is up, a referee may apply to be Certified at level one above their current standing, or renew at the current level. The referee will be granted a 3 month grace period to get all of his or her required documents in prior to losing his or her Certified status.
If the referee does not turn in all of his or her documents within or prior to the grace period 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 levels 1/2.
The WFTDA Referee Certification Panel reviews applicants at the end of each month. Documents for an applicant who has not yet met the requirements to be reviewed, will be accepted until the 15th of the month. For applicants who have met the requirements, the Panel will accept documents until the day before reviews will take place.
1 month between test attempts.
The rules test must be administered by a WFTDA League member who is appointed by the league or a Certified Referee. In order to take these tests a non-WFTDA affiliated official must contact the nearest WFTDA league to schedule a time to take the test with a representative of the WFTDA league.
An evaluation card must be written by a WFTDA member league that participated in either a WFTDA Regulation or Sanctioned Bout:
Please visit our Member Leagues or Regions page.
Presently all leagues not in North America will be handled by Ref Cert East.
Base your decision on the region of the WFTDA Member League closest in proximity to the non-affiliated referee.
Check the Referee Certification Application Status.
All documents will be verified for accuracy. Once verified, the Panel Members review all documents and vote whether or not to grant Certification. An applicant must receive at least 3 out of 5 votes for certification to be granted. The Referee Certification Panel can award a lower level of Certification at their discretion.
If a referee does not receive enough votes they 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 the appropriate region email with the specifics of anything not listed here.
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