USBOXLA certified officials are by far the most qualified and educated referees in the country today. While most non-USBOXLA groups simply officiate games using unsafe hybrid rules, hijack rule books they don't fully understand or without the use of a rule book altogether, USBOXLA referees are fully trained and certified, always ensuring game play is officiated using the ultra-safe USBOXLA Rule & Situational Book.

“When you talk about why the box game has had kind of a bad rap in the US, one of the main reasons is because the game had never been officiated correctly,” said USBOXLA Co-Founder and University of Denver Associate Head Coach Matt Brown. “You can start a league, you can put players on a team, you can have small goals, you can pad goalies up, but when that ball is loose, if you don’t have officials that can officiate correctly, then it’s going to turn into mayhem. It’s going to be an absolute nightmare.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on referee training, and that’s really important if this game is going to succeed in the US like we all hope and know it can.”

How to Become an Official

Step 1: Find a Club
In order to become a referee, you’ll need to find USBOXLA sanctioned game play near you. Find a club in your area at usboxla.com/clubs and contact them to find out if they need new officials. Most clubs that offer league or tournament play are always interested in adding additional officials. 

Step 2: Train
Your club director will provide you with online training tools through the USBOXLA Backstage PASS Referee Certification Portal and access to the USBOXLA Rule & Situational Book. Once you complete these online courses, you’ll be fully certified.

Step 3: Officiate
You will now be able to officiate USBOXLA sanctioned leagues, tournaments, and exhibition games. 

Step 4: Improve
USBOXLA provides the advancement of officials through various levels of certification. Higher level certification takes place during the USBOXLA Nationals every summer. Top USBOXLA referees have also officiated at elite events held in Canada, like the Jr. NLL Tournament in Oakville, Ontario, and even in the NLL itself.