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How many hours do refs work?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 19, 2026

A conservative estimate is 20-25 hours week – not including travel. For head referees 30-35 hours.

Is refereeing a full-time job?

Are Premier League Refs Full-Time? As alluded to above, yes. Premier League referees are part of the 'Select Group' level category in English football, though they and the Championship are the only two leagues to boast professional referees.

Are NFL refs a full-time job?

Is refereeing in the NFL a full-time job? Working as an NFL referee is a part-time job. They do not receive insurance benefits because of this, but they do have a 401k plan with a partial matching contribution. Additionally, the NFL Referees Association represents them.

Do referees get tired?

He has famously blamed referee fatigue for decision errors during games, “Fatigue is everything in terms of decision making,” he said back in December, “Once it kicks in you lose the ability to make those decisions correctly… They need to ease the load on the referees we have.”

Can you make a living as a referee?

From these figures, it can be estimated that referees at the professional football level make between $40,000-$300,000 a year. In MLB, its referees, called "umpires," are paid between $120,000-350,000 a year, according to the MLB's website. These figures can be altered depending on an individual's years of experience.

19 related questions found

Is refereeing a good side hustle?

Many referees say they got into officiating because of their love of the game — or of their children, who happened to be playing it. But a nice side benefit of this side hustle is that it also pays well.

Which referees make the most money?

Compared to their peers in the NFL, NHL and MLB, NBA referees' salaries are among the best. NFL referees make an average of $205,000; MLB umpires rake in as much as $450,000; NHL referees earn approximately $262,500 on average.

How far do refs run in a game?

Run. In each game, the referees will cover six to eight miles while scrutinising every move of the action. Players average an estimated seven miles per game, but typically stay within assigned zones, which can allow for short rests. Referees are in constant motion, tracking the ball all over the field.

Do referees run more than players?

Referees, who can be twice the age of the players, sprint across the field keeping up with the players and closely tracking the action. They tend to run 12 miles during the game -- five more than the players, according to data from the U.S. Soccer Federation.

What happens if a referee gets injured in football?

In the situation in which a referee gets injured, he/she will be replaced by another match official, who holds a referee's license. This official will take over and ensure that all the rules associated with football are correctly observed during the game.

How many hours a week do NFL refs work?

Ed Hochuli, who heads the NFLRA, goes through a typical NFL week. "It varies a little bit from official to official, depending upon the position," Hochuli said. "I'm a referee and spend about 15 hours a week reviewing video tape.

What's an NFL referee get paid?

NFL Referee Salary Per Game – 2022

It's estimated that in 2019, the average NFL referee made $205,000 per season. This is a significant increase over the previous year's earnings of around $150,000. NFL referees are not paid per match that they play. Referees receive a season-long fixed fee plus a per-game bonus.

Do NFL refs get paid?

Although the official figures are not usually revealed publicly, after the last agreement between the league and the NFL Referees Association it was known that in the 2019 season, referees received earnings of $205,000 on average. This equates to around $12,000 per game, a pretty significant figure.

Do refs have other jobs?

They are paid well, but most of them have "day" jobs during the week and throughout the offseason. Some, including referees Walt Anderson and Terry McAulay, are officiating supervisors at the college level. Others have careers entirely unrelated to football.

Do referees have second jobs?

So professional referees do not need to have another job as they get paid well, however, amateur and semi-professional referees have been known to have other jobs.

Do you get paid to referee?

Within lower league matches, referees are typically paid a match fee. You may also receive compensation for any expenses, such as travel, food and any overnight accommodation costs, if necessary. The higher the level of the lower league football, the higher the match fee the referee receives.

Do referees have to be fit?

Referees must be able to run two 50 metre sprints in 7.5 seconds each, two 200 metre dashes in 32 seconds, and at least 2,700 metres in 12 minutes - that's getting on for eight minutes a mile.

How do referees get to games?

Appointments are made by the Professional Game Match Officials Board. They take into account several factors, including the referee's overall experience, their current form, how often they have refereed the clubs involved, which team the referee supports and any forthcoming international appointments.

How far do NBA refs run in a game?

“The pace has certainly increased a lot—as referees, we're running four to five miles a night,” Davis tells Men's Journal. “It's our job to be in the best athletic condition that we can be.

How much do refs run?

And if all this wasn't convincing enough, English Premier League reports show that referees put in more grit than most players — averaging out at 176 high speed runs (not quite sprints, but over 20km/h) whereas players scored 175. That doesn't mean referees are immune to biases.

How much do NFL refs run per game?

In each game, the referees will cover six to eight miles while scrutinizing every move of the action. Players average an estimated seven miles per game, but typically stay within assigned zones, which can allow for short rests.

Do soccer referees train?

Referee and assistant referee candidates have their fitness monitored monthly in the three years leading up to the Cup. They meet with a psychologist who analyzes their game demeanor. They attend seminars on the rules in an attempt to apply them equally across every continent where soccer is played.

Which sport has the highest paid referee?

The NBA referees are the highest paid professional match officials in the world. The season begins in October and finals are being played in June. NBA referees earn a good salary package, making more money than any other match officials.

How much do NBA Waterboys make?

According to the NBA G-League, the average salary of an NBA waterboy stands at $35,000. This salary can increase with your experience.

What do NBA refs make?

How much do NBA referees make per game? According to reliable sources, somewhere between $180,000 and $550,000 is reported to be the average salary of ref. They are paid according to their level of experience. It costs around $600 per match for a rookie official.