Becoming A Referee
AYSO Referees are a critical component to managing the AYSO soccer game and AYSO Soccer games can NOT be played unless a qualified certified referee team is present.
AYSO recruits parents to act as team referees for their children's teams who act in the roles below:
| Age Group |
Referee Role |
Assistant Referee Role |
Minimum Number of Games |
| U7/U8 |
2 Team Referees for their own child's game |
N/A |
A season's worth of games, usually around 10 per season |
| U10/ U12 |
Center or "with the whistle" as the primary referee.
Usually reserved for a more experienced referee, not the first year volunteer. |
Sideline Ref or Assistant Referee (AR) calling when the ball goes out of play and offside infractions |
A season's worth of games, usually around 10 per season |
No Experience is necessary to become a Referee. AYSO will teach you everything you need to know to referee through the appropriate classes, and through extensive on field mentoring.
AYSO Referee Certifications
| Age Group |
Referee Certification Requirements |
| All Divisions |
- Register annually as a Volunteer on www.ayso214.org
- Complete AYSO's Safe Haven at www.aysou.org
- Complete CDC Concussion Awareness training at www.aysou.org
- Complete AYSO's SafeSport training at www.aysou.org
- Complete AYSO's Sudden Cardiac Arrest training www.aysou.org
- Complete the state of California's fingerprinting process via a regional Live Scan event
- Complete IN PERSON Training Class as listed below
|
|
Fall Season |
All Star Season |
Tournament / EXTRA Season |
| U5 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| U6 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| U7 |
U8 Referee |
N/A |
N/A |
| U8 |
U8 Referee |
N/A |
N/A |
| U10 |
Basic Referee |
Basic Referee
Intermediate Referee |
Basic Referee
Intermediate Referee |
| U12 |
Basic Referee
Intermediate Referee |
Intermediate Referee
Advanced Referee |
Intermediate Referee
Advanced Referee |
| U14 |
Intermediate Referee
Advanced Referee |
Intermediate Referee
Advanced Referee |
Intermediate Referee
Advanced Referee |
| U16/U19 |
Advanced Referee |
Advanced Referee |
Advanced Referee |
Safe Haven Referee Certification
All AYSO Referees must complete the Safe Haven certification. This ensures that the well-being of the child is placed first, the philosophies of AYSO are understood and teaches the referees risk management to avoid putting themselves in positions hazardous to themselves and the children. It is also part of the requirements to be covered under the Volunteer Protection Act. This class (AYSO's Safe Haven) can be taken online at www.aysotraining.org.
Age-Specific Training - U8 and Basic Referee Training
These two referee courses are the introduction to Referee Training, and will teach you how to referee game situations in the U7, U8 and U10 environments. These courses have no pre-requisites and may be taken individually.
Intermediate, Advanced and National Referee Certifications
These upper level courses build upon each other, thus an Intermediate Course is taken after a Basic Course. These courses are used to advance referees as they progress in learning how to referee the game. Each Certification requires the following:
-
Three day course
-
Fitness test (Advanced and National)
-
Performing a required number of games at the appropriate level
-
Minimum of two on-field evaluations
The National Referee certification is for referees who desire to further advance their skills and offer a greater level of support to their region.