Quote: What's the deal with hiring three refs or two for a game? Financial only? It creates a distinct advantage for a "home" team that gets three refs for every game. Do the refs make the same money for those games?
Actually, in a two game set with 3 referees, if you get a center and a line, the referee would make slightly more money, work in a better system, and typically do a better job.
From the school perspective, it costs more, which is why some schools don't use 3 referees. I believe it to be in the range of $30-$35 per game. Doesn't sound like much, but when you look at the number of home matches a school plays, Girls JV/V, Boys JV/V, it can be a burden on the athletic department. Add that to the fact that if you look at the number of fans for the soccer matches, and take into account the gate receipts at $5 a head, some schools don't even collect enough money to pay the referee crew.
Some have tried to have 2 for the JV and 3 for Varsity, but often times the referees don't want to travel for only 1 match.
