BECOMING AN AYSO REFEREE
To become an AYSO referee, you must attend an
AYSO
referee training clinic. The introductory clinics cover the Laws
of the
Game, the way AYSO soccer games are
structured
and conducted (from coin-toss to end-of-game handshakes), and the
spirit and
philosophy of AYSO. At these clinics, you can also pick up some things
you will need: a copy of the Laws of the Game, the Palo Alto Regional
Referee's
Handbook,
and referee uniforms, a whistle, etc.
All AYSO referee volunteers
must be Safe
Haven-certified before they will be allowed to officiate any games. Safe
Haven certification needs to be obtained only once (completion must be
documented in eAYSO) and is currently achieved by completing an online
course that takes about 20-30 minutes.
The introductory clinics are designed to be quick,
easy,
and fun to take -- even for those with no prior soccer
experience. There are two introductory clinics, one for those who
will referee
U7/U8/U9 games and one for those preparing to referee in U10
or above.
Preparing to Referee U7/U8/U9 Players
The U8 Official Course is specially designed for
the complete
beginner (although it is equally useful to recalibrate experienced
soccer
players to the Under-8 game). It consists of a single, two and a
half
hour class session. The class session will answer all your
questions, including
"Do I really want to do this?" (Yes!)
There is also a videotape about refereeing in
U7/U8/U9. Since the tape was made a few years ago, it shows only
7-a-side
play, but
much
of the material still applies to play in this age group. (Currently, U7
and U8 games are 4v4; U9 games are 5v5; U10 games are 7v7; and U12
games are 9v9.)
Preparing to Referee Older Players
The Basic (or "Regional") Referee
Course is an
introduction to the full Laws of the Game and is
designed to prepare you to referee U10's and above. This course
consists of two class sessions, each two and a half hours long, as well
as a
subsequent night where you will take a written exam on the Laws that
you must pass to be awarded an
AYSO Regional Referee badge. The Basic Referee Course is a little
longer than the
U7/U8/U9 clinic
because it covers the full Laws, rather than just the simplified ones
used
for U7/U8/U9.
The Basic Referee Course is good for
beginners who
want
to start in U10. (We don't normally recommend starting in
the older age groups.) In addition, folks who have previously
refereed in U7/U8/U9 and who are planning to referee older children
for the first
time, should attend the Basic Referee clinic. The Laws change
significantly
between U7/U8/U9 and U10 and although refereeing experience in U7/U8/U9
is
a good foundation, it is not sufficient to referee older children's
games
successfully.
Referee Training for Experienced
Players
If you have played the soccer
extensively, you might
wonder if you could just "jump in" at a higher level. While playing
experience
is a great help to a referee, we still require that you start
by taking the Basic Referee Course. Although some of the Law
material will be
familiar to you, most players' knowledge of the Laws tends to be
incomplete and out-of-date, so the
comprehensive review of the Laws will be worthwhile. Also, refereeing
is a
skill,
like playing but different, and you should take a little time to learn
the game from this novel perspective.
One kind of experienced player who
is particularly
welcome
as a referee are local high school students who are current or former
youth
soccer players. If you are one and are interested in refereeing AYSO
games,
plan on taking the Basic Referee Course and please also contact our Regional
Referee Administrator so we can get you included in the Fall
schedule.
If you are already a certified
referee in
another
organization, please contact our
Regional
Referee Administrator. We do cross-certify referees from some
organizations
(most notably, USSF) and we would be happy to get you involved with
refereeing AYSO games in Palo
Alto.
Advanced Referee Training
In addition to the courses described
here, there are
also
more advanced classes for more experienced referees which cover the
Laws
and the art of refereeing in greater depth. These are described
in Becoming
a Better Referee.