Roller Derby Certification Program for Officials

NOTE: This page is about WHAT certification is — many people coming here looking for HOW to get certified — head over to How To Get Certified!

Certification Structure

The Roller Derby Certification Program for Officials supports the training and recognition of performance for all flat track roller derby officials. This new system includes a new Recognized certification and three certification levels, corresponding to proven performance in officiating at different levels of gameplay:

Recognized: Officials cannot currently apply for Recognized status, but may gain Recognition through application for Certification.
Level 1 – Other/Regulation Play: Apply Here
Level 2 – Regulation/Sanctioned Play: Apply Here
Level 3 – Sanctioned/Playoffs/Championships Play: Apply Here

See What Do Certification Levels Mean? for an in-depth analysis of what performance has been proven at each level.

To attain any level of certification, officials must complete a set of online training courses and a test. For levels 1-3, officials must also prove their performance over a minimum number of games and provide peer assessments of their officiating. Game requirements may include sanctioned and regulation play in order to promote easier access to the certification system. Evaluations and feedback are not required, and may be submitted for Certified Officials only.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can see our Frequently Asked Questions list here (check back, as new questions may be added in the future).

Cost

The cost charged by the online learning system for access to advanced coursework and all tests, which is required for all levels and Legacy certification, is $30 US (payable in the WFTDA Certification and Online Learning site via PayPal). This fee is necessary to cover the cost of the online learning program and includes access to all courses for the certification level and the appropriate online tests, for the duration of 2 years. Other benefits and courses may be added to the subscription in the future.

Please note: You can simply sign up for an account and access all basic and Recognized/Level 1 Certification lessons for free.

The WFTDA has established the Bettie Mercury Officiating Scholarship Program in honor of Bettie, who was a strong advocate for officiating and dedicated countless hours supporting the WFTDA and local leagues with their officiating training.

Individuals who may have difficulty paying the LMS fee (which is only required to take the Certification Tests) can request the Bettie Mercury Officiating Scholarship by submitting this form.

The WFTDA encourages its leagues to develop a system for funding this cost for their officials.

Dual-Certified Officials

Officials may pursue Skating and Non-Skating Official certification concurrently, and are not required to pay a second fee. Any course that is required for both tracks (such as “Rules” and “Risk Management”) only needs to be completed once. All positional classes and tests will need to be passed, and all game and peer review requirements met separately for each type of certification.

Contact Us

If these pages don’t answer your questions, feel free to contact us:

General Certification questions certification@wftda.com
Online Learning System support onlinelearning@wftda.com