AYSO referee training is designed to provide education to referees and prospective referees that will allow them to referee AYSO soccer matches in accordance with the FIFA Laws of the Game and the AYSO National Rules and Regulations. It is the intent of the AYSO National Referee Program to provide practical, incremental referee training that will ensure consistency throughout AYSO.
One of the most important parts of the AYSO National Referee Program is the AYSO Referee Certification and Training Program. All AYSO referees are required to be certified and trained. Referee certification is obtained by attending the AYSO Safe Haven Referee Certification course. Referee training is available in six different training courses: 8U Official, Assistant Referee, Basic Referee, Intermediate Referee, Advanced Referee and National Referee. All available on AYSOU.
All requirements for upgrades as a Referee, a Referee Instructor and a Referee Assessor are listed in the National Referee Program Manual.
Questions on training? Contact Mark Christian, Area 1D Director of Referee Instruction.
Regional Referee Information
Upcoming Training for Referees
Ready to upgrade your skills? Many Advanced and National Referee courses are being offered in and around Section 1. You can look one up and register for courses online at AYSOU. Click on “Live Courses” and scroll to see all offerings.
Register at AYSOU : After login select My Account > AYSOU and then select Training Library to view online courses or select Training Event to signup for scheduled in-person training.
Need help? Check out the information for AYSOU Learners on the AYSO Wiki at https://wiki.ayso.org/wiki/Category:AYSOU.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Training
Effective Jan 1, 2020 by California law AB 379, all Coaches and Referees associated with youth sports programs must annually complete Sudden Cardiac Arrest training (SCA). Details may be found at https://aysovolunteers.org/sudden-cardiac-arrest-sca/.
Detailed instructions for taking the course or, for those of you who have already completed the course outside of AYSO (via club, high school or college leagues), how to register your certificate of completion are posted on the Section 1 Referee site.
Questions? Send Chris Wong, 1D Referee Administrator, a note at [email protected].
Head's Up: Concussion Awareness Training
Many States have recently passed Concussion Awareness & Safety Laws. Key elements from State legislation:
- Information: Need to inform parents and players about concussions.
- Training: Require Concussion Awareness Training for “Officials” (e.g., Coaches, Referees, RCs, etc.) similar to the Center for Disease Control’s online course.
- Participation Release: Most laws require a “Medical Release” before a player suspected of having a concussion may return to play.
Best practices and policies are being developed for AYSO as a whole and for local programs impacted by new laws. What to expect in AYSO’s Concussion Awareness & Safety Practices & Policies:
- AYSO/CDC Parent/Athlete Concussion Information Sheet – distribution & signature of Parent/Athlete.
- Concussion Awareness Training utilizing materials from CDC’s Online Course - Coaches, Referees, Region/Area/Section Board Members.
- Signed Participation Release Form before player suspected of concussion may return to participate.
Please watch for the implementation of the new Concussion Awareness and Safety Best Practices and Policies for AYSO and for your Region, Area and Section.
AYSO has partnered with the CDC to use the Heads Up program for concussion awareness materials. Goto AYSOU and, after login, select Training Library to view the online CDC: Concussion Course. You will receive credit for this training upon completion.
AYSO Help for Instructors
All current information on AYSOU is available on the AYSO Wiki at https://wiki.ayso.org/wiki/Category:AYSOU.
AYSO maintains an online library of Referee and Assessor Course lesson plans & exams and Instructor Course materials in AYSOU. Referee Forms are also available online.
Registration is on your Region’s website
Sports Connect is the online registration system that AYSO provides for volunteers to register annually, to register for courses in their area of interest and many other functions. You can find your Region's site by going to https://ayso.bluesombrero.com/regionXXX where XXX is your Region number.
The following online guides provide additional information about how to register and volunteer:
Safe Haven Training
Becoming Safe Haven™ certified may take a little time, but AYSO families know their child's safety is worth it. Safe Haven™ is both a child and volunteer protection program. It was the first of its kind in youth sports. Volunteer protection comes into play as a result of volunteer training, certification and continuing education. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 provides certain legal protections for volunteers who have been trained and certified and act in accordance with a written job description. Safe Haven includes these three elements, giving volunteers the highest degree of protection available under the law. Safe Haven™ training is one of the courses you can take online at AYSOU. You will need to login and click on "Online Courses" then open the "AYSO's Safe Haven Course".