Officials - Observer Certification

About

The important role that local observers and evaluators play in the overall growth, development and quality of officiating is something US Lacrosse recognizes and hopes to provide expanding support for.

An important part of developing an official is watching them on a game and providing feedback on things they did well and things they need to improve on. Observation and evaluation of officials is one of the most important development methods for officials and the more people that are qualified to observe games, the more officials can be observed on a regular basis and their overall growth and development will rapidly increase.

As the sport continues to grow, the need for observers to conduct ongoing evaluations and observations of officials grows as well. US Lacrosse, through this program, hopes to standardize the requirements for observers at the local level by providing additional support and development opportunities tailored to them to increase the quality and consistency of officiating throughout the country.

Observer Certification

The goal of this program is to develop observers and evaluators, by utilizing online resources emphasizing proper mechanics, correct rule interpretation, and showcasing different methods of observing and evaluating officials. As such, Certified Observers will be trained to communicate and work with officials at all levels of play, and will be tasked with reporting observation and evaluation data to US Lacrosse.

Application Timeline

Thank you for your interest in the US Lacrosse Certification Programs. The application period for 2019 is now open and will remain open until January 31, 2019. 

Please send any questions on the Certified Observer or Certified Trainer programs to officials@uslacrosse.org.

Who Can Apply?

Interested applicants should be:

• An official with at least three years of officiating experience at the high school level in their area or someone with a deep understanding of the game of lacrosse, such as a retired and respected coach or administrator
• Past experience assisting in evaluating or observing officials is a plus, but not required

How Will US Lacrosse Evaluate the Applications?

Applications are evaluated by US Lacrosse Officials Development State and Region Coordinators as well as US Lacrosse staff and based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the application:
  • All fields are complete.
  • Questions are clearly answered.
  • Includes two recommendations from local area officials

Certification Requirements

There are eight requirements for new certified observers. Requirements 1-4 must be completed in order. Requirements 5-8 may be completed in any order.

1. Apply using the links on this page
2. Have a current US Lacrosse Membership with Official Participation.
3. Register into the Certified Observer program and pay the $50 one-time registration fee.
4. Initiate a background check through US Lacrosse's background check provider NCSI.
5. Complete the US Lacrosse Men's or Women's Rules Online course at learning.uslacrosse.org.
6. Complete the US Lacrosse Certified Observer Online Course (link provided after registering).
7. Participate in the annual Certified Observer Webinar (link provided after registering).
8. Pass the upcoming season's rules tests (NFHS or Collegiate + USL Youth) with an 85% or better at learning.uslacrosse.org.

Annual Recertification Requirements

Observers completing all of the requirements are automatically enrolled in the Certified Observer Recertification Program for the following season at no cost to the observer. Recertification requirements are:

1. Maintain a US Lacrosse Membership with Official Participation.
2. Maintain a current background check through US Lacrosse’s background check provider NCSI.
3. Participate in the annual Certified Observer Webinar (live or recorded).
4. Pass the upcoming season's rules tests (NFHS or Collegiate + USL Youth) with an 85% or better at learning.uslacrosse.org.

Benefits to Certification

Upon completion of all requirements trainers are granted access to the CTO Resource Library. A one-stop shop where you can download:

• Training PowerPoint Presentations.
• Electronic versions of the Training Manuals.
• Penalty videos.
• Mechanics videos.
• Evaluation Forms and examples

The CTO Resource Library also has an online store where you can buy hard copies of training materials, evaluation form packets, and more all at a bigger discount than the average US Lacrosse Official Member.

Certified Observers also receive a 25% discount code to use on US Lacrosse apparel at shop.uslacrosse.org once all of the requirements are complete. The $50 one-time registration fee helps offset the cost of developing and updating training materials each year as well as apparel orders.