Advanced Referee Academy
Our next Academy session — free and online for all Indiana match officials. Details →
A rundown of the key changes to the IFAB Laws of the Game for the 2026-27 season — recommended viewing for every Indiana referee/mentor/referee-coach/player-coach.
Thank you to everyone who joined this month’s Advanced Referee Academy webinar on “Challenges,” led by Jeff Swartzel — it was well attended. Mark your calendars: our next sessions are October 12 and November 3.
(submit topics to jeff.swartzel@indianareferees.org)
We grow, support, and retain soccer referees across Indiana through education, mentoring, and coaching — so officiating stays rewarding for a lifetime, not just a season.

Get certified, find an in-person course, and work your first match with support.
Go →Recertify each year and keep developing through mentoring and the Academy.
Go →Find your district’s assignor and start receiving match assignments.
Go →Login trouble, transfers, or just not sure where to start? We’ve got you.
Go →Test your knowledge of the IFAB Laws of the Game with our new monthly quiz.
Choose Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced and you’ll get 15 questions drawn at random. After each answer you’ll see whether you were right, the correct answer, and a link to the official IFAB source — then your percentage at the end. It’s just for fun and grants no licensure or certification, but it’s a great way to stay sharp between matches. Take this month’s quiz →
Indianapolis’s Nabil Bensalah earned his first Major League Soccer assignment.
Nabil Bensalah of Indianapolis — one of Indiana’s professional-level officials — reached a career milestone with his first assignment in Major League Soccer, the top of the U.S. officiating pathway. It’s a proud moment for Indiana officiating and a reminder of how far the pathway can take referees who commit to the craft.
Salvador Flores and Rachel Glago were named Indiana’s Referees of the Year.
At the 2026 Indiana Soccer Awards, Salvador Flores and Rachel Glago received the John Denkmann Referee of the Year award — the association’s top honor for on-field excellence and service to Indiana officiating. See more recent recipients on the Honor Roll.
Indiana was represented at three national events in summer 2026.
Eleven Indiana referees and three referee coaches were selected — based on performance — to work the 2026 USYS National Championships (boys in Salt Lake City / Provo, Utah; girls in Murfreesboro / Smyrna, Tennessee) and the USYS National Presidents Cup in Wichita, Kansas. The full rosters are on the Honor Roll.
Our next Academy session — free and online for all Indiana match officials. Details →
The following month’s Academy session — free and online for all match officials. Details →
A new officiating topic every month, free and online for all match officials. See upcoming sessions →
ISRA is a nonprofit run for officials. We set measurable goals and put the large majority of every dollar toward referees on the field.
Retention
More first-year officials returning for a second season — the clearest sign Indiana is a place referees want to stay.
Support
Mentoring, the monthly Academy, and a clear path so new referees never feel alone on the field.
Respect
Our standard is payment within seven days of a match for events we run.






Photos from Indiana referee events. Tip: click any caption to edit it.
The first course is online, the on-field session is about four hours, and you can be refereeing within weeks.