What is Alberta Soccer doing for female referee development?
Currently, females make up only 25% of the referees in the Province, despite representing 37% of the
registered players. Alberta Soccer recognizes that it must approach referee recruitment and
retention differently if it wishes to create a gender-balanced referee pool.
To discover ways to increase the number of females in the game and help identify the issues they
face, Alberta Soccer discussed the imbalance with current, female officials. What was heard was that
the traditional, male-dominant courses often deter women and girls from becoming (and remaining)
referees.
For this reason, Alberta Soccer is pleased to expand upon the Create Your Advantage programs that
it piloted in 2018. The courses, led by females, for females, will create a more meaningful and
empowering developmental environment. Alberta Soccer will offer all-female Entry Level courses in
both Edmonton and Calgary in the Spring of 2019. These courses will be open to any female who is
14 years or older by May 15th, 2019.
• Entry Level Edmonton– April 6 & 7, 2019 (TBD)
• Entry Level Calgary- April 6 & 7, 2019 (Mt. Royal University)
All Female Referee Courses – CLICK HERE for more info
Interested parties may register for these courses at this link: www.refcentre.com/Alberta – using the
code: dws001. Cost is $110.00 for students, 14 & 15 years old and $ 131.25 for those 16 years +
