There are three steps to becoming a women's lacrosse umpire:

1.  Attend a new official training clinic in the correct category above.

• Adult Beginner Umpire Clinics (if you are over 18 and out of high school) across eastern Massachusetts in February and March of each year.

• Youth Umpire Clinics (for high school players) across eastern Massachusetts in February and March of each year. 

• All typically meet 3 or 4 times. 

• Senior umpires run these clinics and teach the rules, umpiring techniques and game procedures you will need to safely manage games. 

• Separate clinics (see below) for high school lax players lead to certification for youth games.

• US Lacrosse requires a score of 80% on a national standard umpiring (open book) test. 
• The clinics cover all of the information on the test.

• After passing the test you and other new umpires will get on-field experience at a high school pre-season "play date". Experienced umpires will work with you on the field and on the sidelines to acclimate you to real game conditions. 

• If you meet the requirements then you will earn an Apprentice rating and be contacted by one of the three EMWLUA regional assignors, given an account on ArbiterSports (see below) and you will be eligible for game assignments! 

• Apprentices are generally assigned to sub-varsity games in their first season, however no guarantee of game assignments is made to any clinic attendee.

High School Player Clinics are abbreviated and designed specifically for current juniors and seniors and lead to certification to umpire youth lacrosse games (on Sunday afternoons in April, May and June).  

If you are over 18 and just want to umpire youth lacrosse games you must still attend a standard umpiring clinic (the same one that interscholastic game umpires attend) even if you just want to umpire youth games.

EMWLUA uses ArbiterSports for high school and college game assignments. This web-based scheduling program allows you to "black out" dates you cannot umpire, indicate travel preferences and more. Games assigned to you appear in ArbiterSports for you to accept/decline. You will be given an account on ArbiterSports when you are field rated.