Looking for a way to make your child’s soccer experience even better?  Looking for a way to keep yourself (or your spouse) in shape?  Looking for community service hours?  Consider volunteering a few hours to be an AYSO referee.  It’s easy, fun and free! 

Referee Training

Becoming an AYSO Volunteer Referee is straighforward, and we're here to help you through the process.

To become a new referee:

1. Register as a Volunteer in Region 10. This must be done each year.
2. Complete a one-time requirement of (a) AYSO’s Safe Haven course, (b) the CDC HEADS UP Concussion Training course, and (c) the Sudden Cardiac Arrest online course, all of which are accessible online on AYSOU.
3. Complete SafeSport training (for adult volunteers only). This must be completed every year.
4. Complete a background check (for adult volunteers only). This must be completed every year.
5. Submit fingerprinting (for adult volunteers only).
6. Complete age-specific AYSO Referee Training:
   1. For refereeing in 8U in Fall and Winter, the entire 8U training class is online, no class attendance is required (for Spring Select games, see note on the Referee Training page)
   2. For refereeing in 9U/10U and older, or in 8U Spring Select games, complete the Regional Referee Training

All details on referee training including dates and how to complete the above steps, are described on the Referee Training page.

Youth volunteers in 9U and above should be aware of Region 10's Youth Referee Commitment Form.

Information on upgrading your badge level to become an Intermediate or Advanced referee (and join our Hall of Fame!) is also avalabe on our Referee Training page.

Referee Self-Scheduling

Region 10 uses a referee scheduling system for all divisions.  Referees are encouraged to self schedule their referee assignments and view their schedules using the CGISports Referee Scheduling website. For 8U, the home team provides the referee, so please schedule yourself in the system for these matches.  You can also see if any other games still need a referee and volunteer to referee any open game in these divisions.  Any questions?  Ask the referee staff.

The following links will take you to our CGISports websites:

Referee Scheduling System: http://cgisports.com/ref/5550/
Game Schedules and Standings:  http://cgisports.com/ref/5550/stats/?user=public

For information on how to use CGISports, please refer to the following user guides:

CGI Sports Quick Start Guide
CGI Sports User Guide

Referee Resources

Region 10 maintains a Referee Guidelines and Resources page that presents valuable information to make your job as a referee easier and make you a better referee. The page contains all of the following and more:

• Age specific guides on what to expect in your games
• Printable summary sheets you can bring with you to the games
• Annual updates describing changes to the Laws of the Game
• Other training literature to help answer questions

 You can also ask any of the referee staff if you have a question.

Other Important Considerations

Playoff Participation

Region 10 has a points system where points are awarded to teams whose parents volunteer to referee regular Fall Season games. Only those teams with enough accumulated points can participate in Region 10 playoff games.

All referees and parents should be aware of Region 10’s Playoff Participation Policy.

Youth Referee Commitment

Region 10 strongly supports and encourages youth volunteers to participate as referees. Youths volunteers who are interested in refereeing must commit to refereeing games by acknowledging and completiing Region 10's Youth Referee Commitment Form.

Frequently Asked Questions about Refereeing AYSO Games

Q: I’ve never played soccer before; can I really become a referee?

YES, when moms and dads like you volunteer to referee, it helps kids learn the sport of soccer and keep it a Safe, Fair, and Fun experience.  You do not need to have any experience to start the process.  Try it.  We’ll help you every step of the way and it may become a real passion for you.  It is great exercise!  Mentors are available to give advice to new referees.  Reach out to any of the referee staff and we will be happy to guide you. 

Q: Will I be able to referee my child’s games?

YES, in 8U you can referee your own child’s games.  In 9U and 10U you can be the assistant referee for your own child’s game, and you can self-schedule other games that are convenient for you. 

Q: How much time will this take?

After you attend the training course, the time commitments are usually about 1 – 1½ hours for every game that you referee.  You can sign up for as many games as your schedule allows. Refereeing is usually much less time than a coaching position and still allows you to volunteer to help your child’s soccer experience. 

Q: Can I start out as an Assistant Referee?

In 8U there is only 1 referee per game.  At that level all that is required are the skills (and the patience) of a parent at a play group: directing traffic, encouraging the kids to play nicely, making sure everyone shares the toys, and stopping things if there is a boo-boo. It is very easy and straightforward. 

At 9U/10U and above there are three officials for each match: a refeee and 2 assistant referees.  You can schedule yourself to be an assistant referee for your first few games to learn the requirements and gain confidence.  The training covers both positions.

Q: Can I referee my younger sibling’s game?  

YES, becoming an AYSO referee is a great way for soccer players to learn critical leadership, decision making and communication skills.  You can referee a younger sibling’s game as long as you meet the requirements (minimum age of 10 for 8U games and minimum age of 12 for 9U/10U games).  Community service hour worksheets are gladly signed by the referee staff.

Q: Why do youth referees have to pay for their uniforms?

Region 10 spends a lot of money and provides uniforms for free to all trained and certified adult referees.  We welcome all interested youths to take the referee courses to learn the laws of the game.  Since most students in our community are very busy, we want to make sure that they and their parents take the commitment of being a referee seriously.  We require youth referees and their parent to sign a commitment form that explains that the $50 uniform deposit will be returned once they have completed 4 games as a referee or an assistant referee.  Otherwise, the deposit is retained in our uniform fund.  Many youth referees have gone on to referee at higher levels, and are able to earn pocket money refereeing club games.

Q: I took the SafeSport training.  It does not seem appropriate for my child to take this course.  Must s/he take this?

The SafeSport training, which helps adults recognize certain types of abuse among, other topics, is only required for adult volunteers, not under 18 year-old volunteers.  Likewise, the LiveScan fingerprinting requirement is waived for youth volunteers.  If you have further concerns, please address these with our Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate.

Q: English is not my first language; will I be able to understand the training class?

YES, our instructors are trained to teach the material in a way that is easy to understand.  The online training is self-paced.

Q: Do I need to pre-register for the training course?  Must I provide my Social Security Number?

YES, these are required.  Please see the instructions above.  SSNs are required by AYSO.  These are used only by the AYSO National Office and are never printed on your form.  Sorry, if you do not have a SSN, you cannot be an adult volunteer for AYSO.

Q: I took the 8U class years ago and have refereed in 8U, can I referee older games?

To referee in 9U/10U and above you must have the Regional Referee badge.  You will need to take the Regional Referee course course. There is much new material not covered previously that you need to know, such as penalty kicks and offside.

Q: Whoaa, Wait a minute - can’t I just use AYSO as a Babysitting service?  Do I really need to Volunteer my time?

NO & YES, AYSO is an all-volunteer organization.  You obviously care about your child. This is a youth development program run by volunteers. Who would be better than a concerned parent like you?  And nothing beats the smiles and “Thanks Ref” after a job well done!

Q: None of our parents want to referee our games. Can't we just pay people to referee?

Sorry, AYSO policies prohibit the use of paid referees.  It really is not too difficult to start at the younger ages where both you and the players are learning the game.  Referees make mistakes and learn from these mistakes.  That's fine!  We love our volunteers who give freely to make Region 10 the best place around to play soccer.  Can we count on you to help your child and your team succeed?

PV AYSO Referee Hall of Fame

When you see any of the referees listed below on the field, please offer your congratulations to them for achieving higher levels of certification.  If you would like more information on how to upgrade your badge, please visit our referee training page or contact any of the referee staff.