For Officials

Arrival, Meeting Attendance, and Departure

Officials are expected to arrive in time to attend the pre-competition meetings. Every NEIFC event has a referee meeting scheduled. The meetings start approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of fencing for the day, and run about 15-20 minutes.

Failure to arrive in time for meetings may result in reduced pay or other actions by the NEIFC.

Referees may depart once they have been released by the head referee for the day.

Dress Code

The spirit of the dress code is more important than to the letter of the code. Please dress professionally for your position(s). Your attire should convey professionalism to athletes, coaches, other officials, and spectators; and should allow the focus to be on the athletes, not on fashion.

Referees: Recommended, based on USA Fencing dress code for referees:

      • For men: A suit; or shirt & tie, gray slacks, dark blazer/sport coat.

      • For women: A suit; or blouse, gray skirt or slacks, dark blazer/sport coat.

      • Footwear: please wear comfortable shoes. Please avoid heels that have any potential for damaging roll-up or fabric pistes (e.g. "sharp" heels).

Bout Committee and other officials: please dress professionally as appropriate for your position(s).

Referee Compensation

The base pay for NEIFC events is $200. Referees are paid on a sliding scale, based on USA Fencing referee rating. Referees with an N1 or N2 rating will be paid extra. Referees who have multiple ratings will be paid for their highest rating, regardless of what weapon(s) we actually assign them to work.

Having a referee rating is not a prerequisite for being hired as a referee for NEIFC events.

For the NEIFC Championships only, referees who are assigned to do two different team rounds (e.g. women's epee and men's sabre), will be paid extra in addition to the base pay.

Lodging, Food, and Travel

Lodging & Food

The NEIFC has limited capability to offer lodging. Generally, if officials are traveling more than about 150 miles away (one way), we consider lodging for the night prior to the event.

The NEIFC will provide breakfast and lunch for tournament officials. If you have specific dietary concerns, please email the tournament organizer (info@NEIFC.org).

Travel Reimbursement

The NEIFC has a limited amount of money set aside for to reimburse travel expenses incurred by referees and tournament officials. If the total requests for travel reimbursement are less than the cap, all requests will be paid in full. If the total requests exceed the cap, all requests will be reimbursed a proportional portion of their request, so that the amount paid out does not exceed the cap.

Only expenses incurred for travel to/from NEIFC events are eligible for reimbursement (gas, tolls, bus tickets, e.g.). The NEIFC reserves the right to determine which expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

Requests for travel reimbursement must be submitted, along with receipts (scanned copies of receipts are acceptable) no later than the Friday after the event is held. To submit a travel reimbursement request, please use this online form.