Officiating is a great way to both deepen your understanding of the game of hockey, and develop and practice important skills that are valuable in the hockey world and beyond – not just skating and judgement, but patience, communication, decision making and development.  Once you begin officiating, you will see the game from a different perspective and it will improve your skills as a player and/or a fan. Officials are the critical third team on the ice – without them the game can’t be played. Beyond that, officials are a wonderful community of individuals who support each other in the challenging on-ice environment.

Anyone 12 years of age or older can become an official in British Columbia.

Yes.  All officials re-certify each year via the “Super Clinics” BC Hockey offers. Stay tuned to the BC Hockey website where the dates and locations of the clinics are posted.

Depending on the equipment you need to purchase (see below), the courses officials take each year generally cost around $100. Officials who are not also registered as a player, coach or team official are required to purchase Hockey Canada insurance at an additional cost of approximately $40.

The baseline for officiating is:  A helmet with a half-shield, a hockey whistle (the Acme Thunderer is recommended), an officials’ jersey, black pants and player skates (not goalie skates). Shin pads, elbow pads, and most certainly a protective cup are highly recommended.

Once you have passed your certification, you will receive BC Hockey and Hockey Canada patches that must be attached to the referee jersey in order to participate in a game.

Officiating is truly a marathon rather than a sprint.  In the first year, a younger official can expect to be assigned games at the U9 level or possibly U11.  Depending on your level of enthusiasm and availability, you can expect between 10 and 20 games in year one. As your skills progress, you could see up to 60 games or more per year.

Yes, in fact many teenagers treat officiating as their part-time job.  It is not uncommon for officials in their fourth or fifth year to make over $2000 in a season if they are committed to constant improvement and are available to take games multiple days in a week.  If you are interested, PCAHA officials’ fee schedule is available at pcaha.ca

The links below should answer any additional course questions you have, or you can contact our Referee-In-Chief, Dan Hayward at referee@surreyfalcons.ca.

• Hockey Canada - Officiating Pathway
• BC Hockey - Getting Started in Officiating
• Hockey Canada - Playing Rules