Becoming a Game Official

To become an Official in Richmond you need to first contact the Referee-in-Chief (RIC) to inquire the officiating needs for the upcoming season. The age that we start to look at accepting officials is 14 years old. The job as an official can be very demanding and a high level of maturity is needed. Newer and entry level officials will start off doing house league novice and atom games. The majority of these games are Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Officiating also requires a high level of commitment. There are many persons counting on you show up, know your rules and act professionally. These include your partner(s), coaching staff, parents, and most importantly the kids.
With acceptance by the RIC, you will now need to get certified by Hockey Canada. Locally it is done through HEO, Hockey Eastern Ontario. http://www.odha.com/
With new officials, certification is a two-step process which the official is required to complete:

• An online training program through Hockey University
• Completion of an in-person certification clinic, including obtaining a passing grade on the national certification exam

When you are ready to sign up for your in-person clinic please take the following points into consideration:

• New Officials must complete the Hockey University program before they can register for an in-person clinic. New Officials must start their certification at Level I or Level II. A new official who is over the age of 16 may go directly to Level II at their discretion. It is worth noting that your level of certification will not play a factor in the amount or level of assignments you receive.
• New officials must register for an in-person clinic marked for ‘*Official - New Youth Referee Clinics’. The information provided at this clinic is specific to officials who are new. In subsequent years, an official may register for a normal re-certification clinic.

For more information regarding the different levels within the Hockey Canada Officiating Program (HCOP) please visit the Certifications page. For further information about the clinic schedule and registration process please visit the clinic schedule page.

Once you have completed the entire certification process, you should inform your local RIC and he will be able to provide you with instructions on how to get your first set of assignments.

The Referee-in-Chief for Richmond is Evan Moorhouse. Contact email evan@moorhousehome.ca