Wisconsin Soccer Referees Development Program Inc

Name

Wisconsin Soccer Referees Development Program Inc

Legal name

Wisconsin Soccer Referee Development Program Inc

Website

https://wisref.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Soccer Referee Training and Officiating Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAFAK

Rules, Officiating & Referee Associations (Officials/umpires bodies)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Rights Holders & Governing Bodies (Federations, Associations, Sanctioning Bodies)

SECONDARYHSADAEAN

Refereeing, Officiating & Rules Training

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Sports Coaching & Athletic Performance

SECONDARYMPAKAFAC

National Governing Bodies (NGBs)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Rights Holders & Governing Bodies (Federations, Associations, Sanctioning Bodies)

Keywords

• Referee training programs
• Soccer officiating certification
• Game assignment services
• Referee development
• Youth soccer officiating

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. New Referee Registration Fees: New referees pay a $75 US Soccer 2026 registration fee through the US Soccer Learning Center. WYSA offers a $40 reimbursement for those who successfully complete the 2026 requirements.
2. Referee Assessment Fees: Referees upgrading to Regional level pay $70 for required assessments. The fee is paid via check to WisRef before the 3rd assessment is assigned.
3. Out-of-State Referee Activation Fees: Wisconsin residents who register through another state are assessed a $50 assignment fee to be added to the WisRef assigning platform. Out-of-state referees registered in another state to circumvent WisRef requirements pay an activation fee. Tournaments requesting more than two out-of-state referee activations are assessed an activation fee per each out-of-state referee.
4. Club Hosting Fees: Clubs or districts that host in-person referee courses with fewer than 15 referees attending or outside normal instruction windows reimburse WisRef $300.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WisRef recruits, trains, certifies, evaluates, and develops soccer referees for USSF-sanctioned youth and adult games across Wisconsin. It delivers blended online and in-person training programs (NEW Referee Courses, Recertification, Advanced Recertification, and Upgrade pathways) and assigns certified referees to sanctioned games via the RefInsight platform in partnership with the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association and Wisconsin Soccer Leagues.

Product overview

The Wisconsin Soccer Referee Development Program (WisRef) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with US Youth Soccer and U.S. Soccer Federation. The organization operates a unified referee development ecosystem comprising: the WisRef platform for game assignments via RefInsight integration, the US Soccer Learning Center for registration and course delivery, and structured training programs including NEW Referee Courses (6 hours online + 4 hours in-person), Recertification Courses, Advanced Recertification Courses, and a Referee Upgrade Program. Additional services include an Assessment Request System for formal evaluations, Law Modifications education resources, and a Referee Fee Structure guide. The program trains and assigns referees to service the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association across recreational and competitive youth games, as well as adult amateur competitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NEW Referee Course 10-hour first-time referee certification course covering approximately 6 hours of online coursework in the US Soccer Learning Center plus 4 hours of in-person on-field training with WisRef instructors. Designed for individuals aged 13 and older and referees returning after a 3+ year lapse. Includes Grassroots Online Course, First Time Referee Quiz, Laws of the Game, and Introduction to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments modules.
• Grassroots Recertification Courses Annual recertification courses for existing grassroots referees completed entirely online through the US Soccer Learning Center. The regular window runs November 1st through June 15th, and the lapsed-referee window (for those with a 2-year or less lapse) runs July 15th through October 31st.
• Advanced Recertification Courses Advanced annual recertification clinics for Regional Referees, R7 Referees, and those aspiring to higher levels. Includes FIFA Repeated Sprint Ability and Interval fitness tests, required each year for GR-7 and Regional Referees to maintain certification.
• Referee Upgrade Program Structured certification advancement pathway from Grassroots through Regional Referee level. Includes a GR-7 upgrade (one field assessment on a competitive match) and a Regional upgrade requiring three passing evaluations, the FIFA fitness test, 25 games as Referee and 15 as Assistant Referee at the adult amateur level, plus portfolio submission to the WisRef Selection Panel.
• Assessment Request Service Request system for referees to request formal assessments, evaluations, or mentoring sessions. Submitted through wisref.org or the RefInsight platform with minimum 2-week notice. Assessors are assigned by the State Director of Assessment (SDA), with $70 charged per assessment at the Regional upgrade level (paid before the 3rd assessment is assigned).
• RefInsight Game Assignment Service (Wisconsin Statewide) Designated assigning service for all USSF-sanctioned games in Wisconsin (except those assigned directly by USSF or through the USSF Game Officials assigning program). Every Wisconsin referee certified in the US Soccer Learning Center is automatically added to RefInsight and can self-activate to assign themselves for sanctioned games across the state.

Quantifiable outcome

• Referees can advance from Grassroots GR-9 to Regional level through documented assessments and portfolio submission
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RefInsightcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024WisRef partnered with RefInsight as their official assigning platform starting in 2024. Every Wisconsin referee who certified in the US Soccer Learning Center is automatically added to RefInsight and receives an onboarding email. Assignors for leagues and competitions statewide are trained to utilize RefInsight features, and schedules are being finalized and uploaded daily.
• Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association (WYSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisRef is tasked with training and assigning soccer referees to service the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association. WYSA is the State Youth Association represented on the State Referee Committee. WYSA has partnered with WisRef to offer a $40 reimbursement for new referees who successfully complete 2026 requirements.
• Wisconsin Soccer Leagues (WSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisconsin Soccer Leagues is the State Adult Association represented on the State Referee Committee. WSL has asked WisRef to help clarify and educate referees on law modifications and acceptable language during games.
• U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisRef is affiliated with US Youth Soccer and U.S. Soccer Federation. The organization follows USSF Policies and Procedures and USSF Guidance. WisRef utilizes the US Soccer Learning Center for referee registration and training, and implements USSF certification requirements including SafeSport, background checks, and referee grade levels.
• US Youth SoccercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWisRef is affiliated with US Youth Soccer and U.S. Soccer Federation as the official state referee development program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS): NFHS sets rules and training standards for high school sports officials nationally and accredits officials across sports. It is an adjacent governance and training body in the broader U.S. sports officiating ecosystem, comparable to WisRef's structural role for soccer at the state level.
• RefInsight: RefInsight is the assigning-platform technology partner integrated with WisRef's operations. It is comparable as the software infrastructure layer that any state referee committee would rely on to scale digital assignment, making it a critical enabler and adjacent ecosystem participant.

Broad incumbents

• US Youth Soccer: US Youth Soccer is the national youth affiliate under whose umbrella WisRef operates. Comparable as a parent-level governance body in the same referee-development and youth soccer ecosystem, though its scope is national rather than state-confined.
• American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO): AYSO is a national youth soccer organization with its own referee training, certification, and volunteer-recruitment programs running in parallel to USSF pathways. It is a broad incumbent in youth soccer officiating with overlapping training-cohort targeting.
• U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF): USSF is the national governing body whose Policies and Procedures, Learning Center platform, and certification framework WisRef executes at the state level. As the upstream authority licensing WisRef's state-committee status, USSF is the broadest incumbent comparator for referee development governance in the U.S.

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association (WYSA): WYSA is Wisconsin's State Youth Association and a core strategic partner of WisRef. WisRef is explicitly tasked with training and assigning referees to service WYSA's sanctioned youth games, and WYSA funds a $40 reimbursement for new referees — making it the most directly comparable operating counterpart within the same state ecosystem.
• Wisconsin Soccer Leagues (WSL): WSL is Wisconsin's State Adult Association and the other core partner on the State Referee Committee. WSL depends on WisRef for referee assignment to adult amateur games and collaborates on law-modification education — directly mirroring WisRef's role as referee steward on the adult side.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wisconsin-soccer-referees-development-program-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wisconsin Soccer Referees Development Program Inc