Overview

Whether it’s a U9 house league game at Eglinton Park or a League 1 Ontario match at Downsview, no organized soccer can happen without a referee. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario faced an unprecedented, and massively consequential, shortage of match officials. At North Toronto Soccer, we have been fortunate to retain many of our Senior Club Referees from before the pandemic, and even more so to add a wealth of new talented officials. That being said, our Club is always looking to welcome new officials into its refereeing program.

At North Toronto Soccer, referee development begins at the grassroots level, and we are therefore committed to becoming a provincial and national leader in grassroots match official development. 

All are welcome within the North Toronto Referee Program, whether you are a current or former player, coach, or a member of the community interested in making an immense difference in sport both within North Toronto and province-wide. Officiating is a highly rewarding hobby and profession, and is one that has become especially exciting as Canada increases its presence on the global soccer stage. 

Aside from providing a comprehensive development program (as detailed on other pages), our program leadership is committed to achieving cultural change in generating a safe, but rewarding, developmental environment for new and experienced match officials. Given that match official abuse is a leading cause of the ongoing match official shortage, North Toronto is actively countering it by all means available to us. Our efforts have helped us to counteract the referee shortage, with our program comprising nearly 50 referees for the 2024 outdoor season.

Should you have any questions – or simply would like to learn more about refereeing – please reach out to us anytime at referees@northtorontosoccer.com. We would love to speak with you!

Best,

Ben Rayner
Head Referee
North Toronto Soccer

&

Adrian Tanjala
Club Referee Mentor
Ontario Soccer Instructor
Ontario Soccer Assessor