Becoming a AYSO 965 Referee
All new referees must go through the following four steps in order to referee matches in our region.
Step 1: Register as a volunteer in the National AYSO database through eAYSO.
Step 2: Complete the online Safe Haven class (20-30 minutes).
Step 4: Attend your class(es).
The instructor will send you an email reminder a few weeks before the class (using the email address you entered in your eAYSO profile).
Attend the class you signed up for. A record of your attendance will be entered into the AYSO National database (eAYSO) and you will be issued a referee badge upon completing the class. You will also be issued a uniform if you do not already have one.
Thank you for volunteering! If you have any question on this process please email your Referee Administrator at [email protected].
Referee Training
In compliance with AYSO’s National Referee Program, AYSO Region
965 offers Referee Training during August and early September. U8 Official and
Regional Referee certification training sessions and Intermediate and Advance
Referee certification training sessions are generally offered in the local area.
• U8 Official – Required to officiate U8 matches
• Regional Referee – Required for referees doing U10 and above
• Intermediate Referee – Recommended for referees doing U12 and above
• Advanced Referee – Recommended for referees doing U14 and above
• National Referee – Recommended for referees doing U16 and above
Other Referee Information
Thank you for your interest in refereeing!
Region 965 needs over 10 volunteer referees every season to ensure that our 200-plus kids have a rewarding experience playing soccer. If you have not already done so, please consider signing up today!
All of our officials at AYSO soccer games are volunteers from the community – people like you and me. True to the all-volunteer approach of AYSO, we do not use any paid referees.
We referee because:
It helps Rondout Valley kids learn and play soccer safely!
It’s not hard to learn how and experience is not necessary!
Training and mentoring are at hand to help you learn the rules easily.
It is a great way to help kids learn ethics, values and sportsmanship
It’s great for exercise and building self-esteem and self discipline!
There is no better vantage point to be involved in the game!
We have fun!
The returning referees are the backbone of the referee organization. Your experience and dedication are greatly appreciated. We hope that all the wonderful people who were referees for us last year will volunteer again this season.
Region 965 is especially looking to the parents of our younger Under-8 and Under-10 division players to volunteer to referee. The time commitment is minimal because the majority of the games you referee will be those in which your own child is playing.
Players 12 years and older and older siblings are welcome to referee also. This is a great community service activity to earn high school service hours and list on college applications!
Refereeing and Game Procedures, by Division
Referees are used for all divisions beginning with U8 (under-8) but each division uses referees to a different extent. The different referee procedures for each division are explained below. Please note that there is no difference between the game rules for boys versus girls within any division.
Under-6 (U6)
No formal referee process but referees may be provided if desired.
Under-8 (U8) Division Refereeing
Referees normally start in the U8 divisions. One official is used per metch.
Each U8 team is required to provide a trained referee for the team’s “home” games.
Referees must have taken one 4-hour training clinic to be certified as AYSO “U8 Officials”.
Games are worked by one referee only. This referee is provided by the home team.
Matches are four 10-minute quarters with a 5-minute half-time break.
Fields are approximately half the full regulation field size.
U8 Goals are not full sized.
No offside enforced.
Standings are not kept and scores are not recorded in U8 divisions. In the AYSO spirit, the fun is in playing the game!
Referees however must still collect game cards from each coach prior to the match, record quarters played and goals scored by each player, and enter that information into WebYouthSoccer after the match. This information is key to helping us monitor if one team is having consistent blowouts and to help us form balanced teams in future seasons.
Under-10 (U10) Division Refereeing
Three officials are used at each match – a referee (center) and two assistant referees (linesmen).
Each team must provide a trained Regional Referee for every game. The team referees also work selected other games as a “neutral” referee (games that do not involve their child) as center referee. These assignments are done by the referee team captains and are generally for the match immediately preceding or following their own child’s match. If a team cannot supply their assistant referee (linesman) for a game, it is the responsibility of the team to arrange for an alternate referee.
In the U10 division, refereeing requires somewhat more skill and training. Referees for the U10 division take one day-long training clinic to be certified as AYSO “Regional Referees”.
Matches are two 25-minute halves, with a 5-minute half-time break.
The U10 teams typically play 9-on-9 matches
Law 11 (the offside law) is introduced at this level.
The center referee is responsible for collecting the game cards from each coach prior to the match, recording quarters played and goals scored by each player.
Under-12 (U12) and Under-14 (U14) Division Refereeing
Three officials are used at each match – a referee (center) and two assistant referees (linesmen).
Each team should have at least one parent who has completed the AYSO “Regional Referee” training to help as a member of the U12/U14 referee pool.
In U12 and U14 divisions, players become much more skillful. Refereeing requires increased skill and a complete three-person neutral referee team at every match.
The U12 teams typically play 9-on-9 matches, U14 teams typically play 11-on-11 matches.
Fields are full-size but will vary according to the site used.
Goals are full-size.
U12 matches are two 30-minute halves, with a 5-minute half-time break while U14 matches are two 35-minute halves.
For U12 and U14 divisions, referees are expected to have earned AYSO Intermediate or Advanced referee badges, or have comparable experience. The center referee is responsible for collecting the game cards from each coach prior to the match, recording quarters played and goals scored by each player.
Region 965 organizes referees for U12 and U14 into referee teams that rotate on a weekly basis. Referees typically officiate at two matches each day.
Weekly Referee and Coach Pizza Get-Together
Every week we host a casual get together where people can ask questions of our experienced referees or coaches or participate in some fun dialogue about our games. This weekly “Talk it Out” session, over pizza and drinks, is held from 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Wednesday nights each week during the season.
Because of occasional conflicts with the availability of the meeting room, the day/date and any special topics planned are announced on the Region 965 referee and coach mailing lists early each week. Be sure to join the referee mailing list (instructions for joining are under the “Referee Mailing List and Contacts” section) and watch for the weekly announcements.
Referee Mailing List and Contact Info
To stay informed about refereeing in Region 965, please join the Region 965 Referee email list.
You can unsubscribe at any time, and the addresses on our mailing list are not shared outside the region.
For lots of information about the Laws, advice for the referee and lots of other referee information, see socref.net at http://socref.net/index.html.
Interested in a different and useful Referee to Area Referee level pre-game instruction, see Gil Weber’s http://soccer-ref.quietfire.com/pregame.html
The AYSO Section 2 annual meeting provided lots of great training material and can be viewed at http://www.aysohelp.org/referee/workshops/referee_workshops.htm.
Referee FAQ (pdf)