Members of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) — the labor union that represents match officials in Major League Soccer — voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement on Monday night. The ratification of the CBA brings an end to a month-long lockout that had seen MLS start its season with replacement referees. The league’s usual group of officials will return to games this weekend. The new agreement runs through the end of the 2030 season and contains sizable raises for referees and assistant referees as well as video assistant referees. The financial specifics of the deal are laid out in a term sheet acquired by
The Athletic, one whose authenticity was verified by a source briefed on the contents of the new CBA. “We thank the hundreds of officials in the U.S. and Canada who stood in solidarity with us showing their strength and professionalism,” PSRA President and lead negotiator Peter Manikowski said in a statement. “Together, we have won much-needed improvements while demonstrating the value of having the best referees in Major League Soccer on the pitch.”
MLS referee and
assistant referee annual salary
|
|
Probationary
|
$85,150
|
$30,150
|
|
0-75
|
$125,650
|
$33,650
|
|
76-150
|
$131,150
|
$37,150
|
|
151-200
|
$137,150
|
$39,650
|
|
201-250
|
$142,150
|
$40,650
|
|
251-275
|
$147,150
|
$42,650
|
|
276-300
|
$155,150
|
$44,650
|
|
301+
|
$165,150
|
$45,650
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MLS’s most experienced referees will also see a significant pay increase. A referee who has officiated 200 matches, for example, made around $108,000 under the terms of the previous agreement. That same referee’s pay will go up over $40,000 overnight, rising to $142,150 in 2024 and $182,470 by the end of the agreement.
MLS referee pay
increase (percentage/referee, AR, VAR, AVAR)
|
|
Probationary
|
68%
|
88%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
25
|
32%
|
87%
|
147%
|
219%
|
|
125
|
28%
|
89%
|
77%
|
150%
|
|
225
|
32%
|
90%
|
106%
|
135%
|
|
325
|
53%
|
113%
|
133%
|
164%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MLS referee pay
increase (dollars/referee, AR, VAR, AVAR)
|
|
Probationary
|
$34,502
|
$14,112
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
25
|
$30,545
|
$15,642
|
$4,555
|
$4,305
|
|
125
|
$28,729
|
$17,454
|
$3,667
|
$5,073
|
|
225
|
$34,101
|
$19,265
|
$5,067
|
$4,573
|
|
325
|
$57,101
|
$24,265
|
$6,367
|
$5,523
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assistant referees (ARs), who in 2023 made as little as about $16,000 in base pay, will receive an even larger percentage raise than referees. A full-time, non-probationary AR who has participated in 100 MLS matches, for example, will see their pay climb from $19,696 in 2023 to $37,150 this year. By the end of the agreement, an official with the same level of experience will make $49,684.
Match officials are also paid a “match fee” in addition to their base pay. The PSRA made modest gains on that front. In 2024, for example, referees and assistant referees made $1350 per match they worked. That number has gone up to $1500; VARs and AVARs are seeing a similarly-sized increase, by percentage. The agreement also provides referees with some measure of security: for the first time, MLS referees will be guaranteed a minimum of 15 match fees a year. The measure was installed to provide a safety blanket in case of injury — under the previous CBA, an injured referee would only be paid for the games they participated in; if they were injured early in the season, for example, and could not return, they’d miss out almost entirely on that income stream.
MLS regular season
match fees 2023/2024
|
|
Referee/AR
|
$1,350.61
|
$1,500.00
|
|
VAR
|
$984.82
|
$1,100.00
|
|
AVAR
|
$450.20
|
$550.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The PSRA had previously pushed for aggressive changes to travel and accommodations for its officials. Gains made there were modest at best, according to multiple sources briefed on the contents of the proposed CBA. Officials will fly first class for MLS’ “Decision Day” as well as the MLS playoffs and gained some small concessions in terms of scheduling flights for regular season matches.
