The Brentwood School District's Ref Reps program is introducing students to sports officiating as schools continue to face a shortage of referees.

Long Island high school sports have faced a shortage of referees since the pandemic, with some games being postponed or canceled because officials were unavailable.

To help address the issue, the Brentwood School District is encouraging more young people to enter the officiating profession.

This summer, students took part in a course called "Ref Reps," which was designed to introduce them to the fundamentals of being a referee.

"It was a great opportunity to get introduced to refereeing in a sport that I like," said Josuel Roid, a junior at Brentwood High School.

Students learned the rules of the game, how to make calls and how to handle some of the more difficult situations that can happen on the field.

"We had a couple of games affected. They'd either be postponed or flat out cancelled because there were no referees available at the time. I've also seen it at my younger brother's games because he also plays soccer," said Gabriella Martinez, a junior at Brentwood High School.

Katie Hernandez, also a junior at Brentwood High School, said the course was easier to understand because of her experience playing the sport.

"I enjoyed it because I play the sport, so it is so much easier to understand having that background having that background knowledge," Hernandez said.

The program also teaches students how to communicate with coaches and players and how to deal with challenging situations that can arise during games.

"We give them the guidelines or details of how to handle situations like that. How to talk to coaches, how to talk to players, and how to deal with an abusive spectator," said Blake Crespo, an instructor with Ref Reps.

Crespo said most current high school referees are above the age of 50.

The goal of the program is to help bring a new, younger generation into officiating and keep more games on the field.

"I feel like being a part of this course makes you realize these people have a hard job to do. They have to de-escalate, they have to make sure the game is safe, and they have to make sure everyone is having a good time," Martinez said.