Brentwood district launches referee certification program for interested high schoolers

Katie Hernandez and Gabriella Martinez smiled as they accepted certificates of completion for Brentwood’s soccer officiating course Thursday morning at Brentwood North Middle School.

The two rising Brentwood High School juniors had spent weeks learning the rules, mechanics and responsibilities of officiating through the district’s Lead the Game: Referee Certification Program. They passed their exams and now can ref youth games.

“It definitely has been a good time,” Hernandez said. “It’s a good environment. Everyone’s really nice. They do teach a lot of things, and it helps you understand them better.”

Brentwood launched this program for the first time this summer, giving high school students a pathway toward becoming certified referees.

The six-week program ran from July 6 through Aug. 14. Soccer students met on Tuesdays and basketball students on Thursdays. About 40 students initially expressed interest, according to Steven Davis, Brentwood’s coordinator of physical education, health and athletics, who oversees the program.

The district primarily targeted juniors and seniors ages 16 and older so students could complete the certification process and begin working games while still in high school.

Davis said the idea grew out of Brentwood’s Graduation Plus initiative, which provides students opportunities to earn certifications and explore college and career pathways.

“We said, ‘Why not the same thing with athletics?’  ” Davis said. “Kids who love being around sports, love to participate and really want to give back. I think it’s a great opportunity.”

A shortage of referees across the country also helped drive the program.

“We saw that shortage nationwide, and especially within Long Island. Why not get these kids started now?” Davis said.

A 2024 Newsday report found that the number of umpires, referees and officials was declining on Long Island and nationwide, a decrease attributed largely to verbal abuse from parents, spectators, players and coaches. Nassau had seen a 25% drop in the number of referees since the 2011-12 school year; Suffolk had experienced an 18% decline.

While officiating a Brentwood boys soccer scrimmage, Martinez got a small taste of that challenge. She was surprised by how willing players were to voice their opinions about calls.

“I was kind of shocked because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they have so much power,’  ” Martinez said with a laugh.

Blake Crespo said the program prepares students for those situations.

“We teach them how to talk to coaches, how to talk to players, how to deal with an abusive spectator,” said Crespo, a Section XI referee and physical education teacher at Brentwood. “We teach them all that stuff just so, if we give them those tools to handle those situations, I think they’re going to do well.”

Students received classroom instruction, completed online modules and applied those lessons in game situations. The soccer and basketball portions were taught by Brentwood educators who also are active officials in their sports.

During Thursday’s soccer session, Brentwood students scrimmaged while the aspiring officials practiced positioning, signals and communication as an instructor offered advice.

Martinez, who plays club soccer, already had considered becoming an official before learning Brentwood was offering the program for free.

“It was like, ‘Oh, this is a perfect opportunity,’  ” Martinez said.

The participants gained confidence as the program went on, which was a theme Davis recognized.

“At first, we saw them very shy, but now they’re coming out of their shell and they’re getting more confident,” Davis said.

Hernandez noticed the same growth.

“It has gotten me out of my comfort zone for sure,” she said. “I feel more confident now. Definitely.”

Basketball students went through a similar transition.

Crespo taught the basketball portion. Students practiced positioning and communicating calls before getting live experience during a girls junior varsity scrimmage.

Crespo said the students were a bit anxious when they first took the court, something he remembered from his own experience.

“I was nervous my first game. I was scared to blow the whistle,” Crespo said. “But after you blow that first whistle, after you start running up and down the court, the nerves start to get out a little bit more.”

Rising Brentwood senior Josuel Roie, who grew up playing basketball, said officiating also appealed to him as a potential part-time job that would keep him involved in basketball.

“It wouldn’t feel like a job because it would be more fun than a job,” he said. “It’d be extra income and I’d have a good time.”

Brentwood hopes this eventually becomes more than a summer program.

Davis said the district’s goal is to turn referee certification into an elective during the school year. That could allow younger students to begin learning about officiating earlier and eventually expand the program into additional sports such as lacrosse and field hockey.

Brentwood also plans to help connect students with opportunities to officiate youth games. From there, they potentially could progress to middle school and high school contests.

Martinez wants to continue climbing that ladder.

“I’d definitely ref youth games,” she said. “Just get more experience doing it and hopefully go up through levels.”