Need referee help?

Contact one of our volunteer Referee Staff. They can help with training, uniforms, on-the-field mentoring, and anything else on the referee side of AYSO.

How to become a referee

1. Apply to volunteer through the registration system.
2. Take the online safety classes: CDC Concussion Awareness, and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness
3. Adult volunteers also take the SafeSport and Safe Haven online classes and get fingerprinted by LiveScan.
4. Attend an in-person training class, depending on your division.
   • 8U Official – to referee 6U-8U divisions
   • Regional Referee – to referee 10U and 12U divisions
   • 14U and above receive additional training after 1-2 years as a regional referee

Lots of classes are offered at the start of the season. Check back here in July for the schedule.

Referee training

AYSO offers the most thorough soccer referee training program in America, providing classes, equipment, and mentoring at no charge. When your child is in the 6U-8U divisions, the officials’ primary job is to teach the players about the flow of the game. As your child grows, and the game gets more complex, you’ll learn the skills needed to keep the game safe, fair, and fun. 

Age	What’s new	Class to take
6U – 8U	Basic game flow	8U Official class
10U	Goalkeepers, offside, keep score	Regional Referee class
12U year 1	Fouls, offside traps	Intermediate class & exam
12U year 2	Really know the Laws	Intermediate field observation
14U	Bigger, faster, stronger kids	Advanced class

Youth referees

We strongly support our youth referee program, called our PRO (Player Referee Organization) referees. Youth who play and also referee have a deeper understanding of the game, and they are able to interact with younger players in a more unique fashion. They also receive volunteer hours! Anyone interested in becoming a youth referee should contact us at referee@ayso13.org.

Mentoring

Don’t let becoming a referee make you nervous! Even after your training, our more experienced referees are available on the field every weekend to mentor you. We do our best to locate a volunteer experienced referee to meet you at your assigned game and help you through it. When the fall schedule arrives, there will be a box to check to request a referee mentor – it’s easy!

Referee Staff

We have a great staff of volunteers who help recruit, train, promote, and generally support our valuable referees:

Regional Referee Administrator	Patrick Shopbell	referee@ayso13.org
6U-8U Referee Administrator	Kai Ryssdal	ref8u@ayso13.org
10U Referee Administrator	Rich Aguilar	ref10u@ayso13.org
12U Referee Administrators	Brian Bonham and Matthew Goldman	ref12u@ayso13.org
14U Referee Administrator	Mark Windsor	ref14u@ayso13.org
Upper Division (UD) Referee Administrator	Cristi Tudusciuc	ref16u@ayso13.org
Referee Instruction	Steve Hawkins, Chip Heller, and Steve Bickel
Uniforms	DeWayne McMullin and Toni Maddison
Referee Upgrades and Assessment	Bruce Hancock