Game Over For These Referees In New York State

The next time you watch a youth sporting game in New York State, you might see a different official than you are used to seeing as some areas are being fined for who is on the field as a referee.

The weather has made it tough to get a practice or game in lately. The spring rains and downpours have forced many leagues across New York to cancel due to poor field conditions. For sports like baseball and softball, it has been a struggle.

But beyond the field conditions that teams are dealing with, there is a policy that might impact them as well.

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Over the weekend, there was a lot of discussion about age requirements for officials and referees in New York State.

In a recent story out of the Capital Region, it was noted that the labor department in New York does not want kids under 14 to be officials. According to a story from News 10: "One local community is trying to keep the games on, even after they were hit with state fines for having young referees".

What Is The Labor Law?

In New York State, if you are a certain age, you need to have "working papers" in order to be on a payroll. For example, those who are 14-18 years old, "You will need working papers if you are under 18 years old. Working papers are divided into two age groups (14-15 and 16-17)". There are also certain jobs that "kids" can and cannot do. Working in a factory for example is off limits to young people.

But the basis of the law is that employment is not allowed under 14.

While many understand the law, the argument is that there is a huge need for more officials and this gives young people a chance to have a leadership role, understand the rules and regulations of the sport they are in and with a paycheck, they can understand the value of working.