Frequently asked questions

Each Free, Level 1, and Level 2 subscription includes one sport. Level 1 supports up to 50 officials; Level 2 supports up to 100. Level 3 (chapter, district, or multi-sport) is contact us only. Officials always join free.

One sport means one athletic activity (for example, ice hockey). Boys/girls and age divisions of that same activity count as the same sport. A different activity (for example, lacrosse or field hockey) is an additional sport.

Officials invited or active in your organization for the current season count toward the Level 1/Level 2 cap. Contact support if you need a higher cap.

Add an extra sport (add-on) or contact us for multi-sport pricing. School districts and large multi-sport organizations should contact us — custom agreement, not self-serve checkout.

No. Public plans are not metered by games.

Use Contact us. Districts usually need a quote or purchase order, not consumer checkout.

The annual software fee covers scheduling and assigning for one sport, up to that plan's official cap. Referees join free. Software fees do not include official game fees. The league pays officials. Recognition for top performers is coming soon. There is no per-game software fee.

Yes, always free for every referee. Organizations pay for the scheduling and assignment tools. You pay nothing to claim games or get rated. Recognition for top performers is coming soon.

Open /signup/organization. Choose Request a pilot to tell us about your league, or Create the league now to sign up with your work email and a password. Your plan includes one sport. After sign-in, map a CSV or calendar export, or add games by hand. Email support@toprefhub.com if you get stuck.

Yes. Export a CSV or calendar file (.ics) from your league scheduling tool, upload it in TopRefHub, map columns, preview every row, then commit the import. Dates and times are interpreted in your league time zone. There is no live sync or OAuth connect to another vendor. Import help on a call is included for Pilot and Level 2+, including a done-for-you import of the league's first real schedule.

Officials add and edit blackouts on Availability: one calendar day, a date range, or a repeating weekday, with optional start and end times (or all day). Dates can be up to about one year in the past and up to two years ahead. Times follow each league's time zone. League admins see your blackout times when staffing; your optional note stays private. A blackout warns you and your assignor, but it does not block an invite or claim. Your assignor still approves who works.

Yes. On your referee dashboard, turn on your private calendar link and add it to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. It lists accepted games from about the last 30 days and every game still coming up; rescheduled games move, cancelled games show as cancelled, and games you have not accepted stay off. Turn the link off anytime, or reset it to mint a new URL. The old link stops working. Anyone with the link can see your games, so reset it if you shared it.

Yes, but only after an adult official opts in. The SMS box is unchecked by default and is not required to use TopRefHub. Texts cover officiating only: assignments, open games you can claim, schedule changes, and replacement requests. Message frequency varies. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel, START to resume, HELP for help. Routine texts go out between 8am and 9pm local time; urgent same-day replacement requests may arrive outside those hours. Full consent and carrier rules are on /sms-consent.

Safety, abuse, and threat reports are separate from post-game ratings. File them immediately from the in-app report flow or a coach link. Do not wait 24 hours. TopRefHub notifies your league admin and your designated safety contact (if one is on file). The person named in the report is not notified. We intake and route reports; we do not adjudicate or replace SafeSport, a national body, or law enforcement. More detail is on /safety.

TopRefHub tracks what each official is owed and what you have marked paid. Export a payday CSV for your records or to pay officials. Mark games paid after your organization sends money. Unplayed games and officials who did not work are voided on the ledger so they do not count as owed. TopRefHub does not hold your game-fee funds or run payouts today. In-app payouts are Coming soon; your organization remains the payer.

Coaches score punctuality, communication, game control, and whether they would want that official again. TopRefHub opens the form 24 hours after the game is completed so feedback is clearer — a cool-off, not a governing-body rule. The form then stays open for 48 hours. Coach ratings stay with the league that ran the game. Officials see an anonymized category report after 8 rated games — not coach names, comments, or one game's score. SafeSport and immediate safety reporting are not delayed by this window.

Yes. Officials can rate coaches privately after the same 24-hour wait that applies to coach ratings. Answers are visible only to league admins. They are never shown to the coach and never published.

TopRefHub opens ratings 24 hours after the game so feedback is clearer — a cool-off, not a governing-body rule. The form then stays open for 48 hours. SafeSport and immediate safety reporting are not delayed by this window.

For open seats, TopRefHub lists up to five suggested officials with a short reason (fit, recent workload, and similar signals). You invite someone from that list, or officials can claim open games. You approve who works, and an invite still needs the official to accept.

Software subscription is annual. TopRefHub tracks owed/paid and exports a payday CSV; your organization pays officials. TopRefHub does not hold your game-fee funds. Your organization remains the payer of officials and is responsible for 1099 filing for game fees. We track what’s owed and paid. Your org pays refs and files 1099s. Export this for your accountant. Free, Level 1, and Level 2 each include 1 sport and are priced by active-official cap, not by game count. No per-game software fee. Game-fee amounts vary by sport and level.

Your organization pays you outside TopRefHub on its own schedule. TopRefHub shows owed and paid amounts in your ledger so you and your assignor see the same numbers. Pay varies by sport and level. Your league files 1099s for game fees. TopRefHub does not pay base game fees or file 1099s for game fees.

No. Gamesheet remains the official scoresheet. Assignors can enter or CSV-import private per-game counts (minors, majors, misconducts, PIM) for the league that ran the game. There is no public PIM scoreboard and no Gamesheet API scrape.

Silver and Gold can get an optional head start on open games when your league turns it on; claims still need assignor approval. When the league posts open games, you can claim them and your assignor approves who works. Playoff or rivalry slots are still coming soon. Recognition for top performers is coming soon.

Performance bonuses are coming soon. They will be funded by TopRefHub, not taken out of your league's game fees. No bonus amount is published yet.

Level 1 is one sport and up to 50 officials (no setup fee). Level 2 is one sport and up to 100 and includes import help on a call. Level 3 (chapter, district, or multi-sport): Contact us. Email support@toprefhub.com, use the contact form, or watch the walkthrough at /walkthrough.

Pilot: one season or up to 200 games / 40 officials, whichever comes first. Reaching a limit only triggers a warning — the board never freezes during a pilot. A signed Pilot Addendum controls for that league.