Referee Training & Upgrades

** Important **: If you have not done so, please take the CDC Head's Up Concussion Training online course (Head's Up Concussion Training). At the end of the course, print out 2 copies of the certificate: One for you and one for the RRA. If at all possible, please scan one copy and email it directly to the RRA (Mark Spear). This will make it much easier for him to process. However, if you cannot get it scanned, just bring a copy to him in person at the fields. This certification will be sent to National and placed under the Safe Haven certification tab in your eAYSO record.

Referee Levels: AYSO has 5 levels of referees: U8, Regional, Intermediate, Advanced and National. You must become a Regional Referee before you can advance to the higher levels.

Note: RRA = Regional Referee Administrator (formerly called Chief Referee for those old enough to remember)

Additional Training

Continuing Education

For Regional through National level referees, these supplemental trainings during the Fall season cover additional aspects of officiating the Game. Topics include Referee Fitness training, US Soccer’s Game Management Model, Foul Recognition and Selection by Age Division, AR involvement, and more. These 40-50 minute trainings include a Q&A panel style segment as appropriate or as time allows. Sign-ups for these trainings are not mandatory but are extremely helpful for session presenters’ and instructors’ planning. Some additional supplemental training content & materials will be available online as we develop them. If there is an area of interest or an aspect of officiating that official courses seem to miss, let one of our Directors of Referee Instruction (Steve Ferry and Joe Tischler) or the RRA (Mark Spear) know. Chances are we already have training content on-hand to offer or have been itchin’ to create one and are just waiting for someone to ask.

Referee Fitness Training

You’ve trained your brain, now train your body for the Game!

We offer several referee fitness training sessions you may sign-up for and commit to over the course of the year:

• Pre-Season: Beginning in June or July and ending the week of opening day of the Fall season, this session is designed to dust-off the training shoes, stretch the limbs, reconnect with your fellow referees, and of course have some fun getting your body ready for the season’s opportunities on the field. Session times & location may vary based on facilities and the weather (i.e., heat).
• Fall Season: Beginning the week after opening day and continuing through the final week of the Fall season, this weeknight session is designed to continue any pre-season training and have some fun maintaining (or increasing) your body’s readiness for the season’s opportunities on the field. Match specific goals and objectives plus core-training will be part of the sessions as referees select.
• Tourney Ref Maintenance: Beginning the week after the close of Fall season until roughly April or May, this session is designed for the tournament and/or upgrading referee. Set, track and accomplish specific goals and objectives to meet your body’s needs on the pitch and the higher level of play. Sessions times may vary based on weather & available facilities.
• Advanced and National Fitness Test Prep: During any Fall or Tourney Maintenance sessions, sign-up for this option designed to specifically train for the fitness test requirements as part of your training sessions. Periodic tracking of progress towards the requirements will help you go into your upgrade courses and fitness tests with confidence and de-mystify the entire upgrade fitness test experience.

For all sessions, bring seasonal and exercise appropriate clothing, water & electrolyte replacer and your referee watch. For core-training days, bring your own equipment as needed, which may include something to put between you and the grass (like our new handy Referee Stretch Mats). You may also choose to download a blank Referee Fitness Training Worksheet and bring a hardcopy with you to training sessions. Region 9’s Referee Fitness Training sessions are semi-formal and participant led. Always consult a health care professional before commencing any fitness training regime and stay within any limits set by that professional. We are not professional trainers, just referees using USSF and FIFA information to guide our efforts and tap the motivation a session with other referees can offer. There is always some fellow referee training some where, some how and we’ve found it’s just more fun and easier to stay consistent to train alongside each other.

Fitness Training Publications

USSF has a Fitness document available which is a zip file that includes 3 PDF booklets on referee fitness including one for Referee Fitness Training.

The benefit of this particular training booklet is two-fold: It is shorter than the other two and it outlines a decent and referee-specific focus for fitness training complete with some “hard day” workout options designed to address specific needs of referees such as training against fatigue, speed, endurance, faster recovery after breakaways, agility and so on. It also includes basic core-training exercises every referee needs to keep those lower back muscles supported by the abs in the front. The additional benefit of the workout options is that while they are designed for the pro-division referee (MLS), any referee can do as much as they can for the fitness level they are at and still gain benefit from the workout. Improvement is easy to observe as the referee is able to increase their level of activity in any given option over time.

“For The Good of the Game” is an excellent book that has a training regime in the appendices, however, it is extremely difficult to comprehend and perform. The USSF PDF booklet is more concise, easier to understand and specific to a referee’s objectives and goals for game performance.

AYSO Advanced and National Upgrade Fitness Tests

These fitness tests are crucial to officiating the upper level games. Your RRA recommends a level of fitness for Intermediate Referees equal to the Advanced fitness requirement because you’re likely to end up upgrading to Advanced certification anyway so you might as well start sooner and enjoy your games more with less impact on your body.

Referees wanting to work Adult League matches must cross-certify with USSF (new guidelines for Adult League Referees are pending) should note that the USSF Grade 7 fitness test is the same as the AYSO National Fitness test. This is just something to keep in mind as a referee’s fitness level improves with an eye towards upgrading to National (or to Grade 7 within USSF’s upgrade process). See the 2008 Referee Physical Fitness Test for current fitness test specs.

Referee Nutrition

Far from the mundane or overly obvious nutrition beliefs we all have or have learned as we get older, eating for training and match performance is something that gets very little attention. Sure, a U10 AYSO match can be muscled through on a nearly empty stomach (though it certainly isn’t a very good idea), but a U12 or U14 or higher match is impossible to do that way and still be effective in game management or accurate in foul recognition and selection. Thankfully, FIFA has started to notice and put out a little Nutrition Booklet on the subject, called "F-MARC Nutrition for Football". Unfortunately, referees are relegated to a spartan two pages (36 and 37) but there are references directing the reader to sections for players that are still relevant for referees. The good news is the brief information on nutrition is on those pages and the advice is very sound.

Take the advice above and learn to eat for the game. Your body will thank you for the preparation and the players will have more fun because their Referees were alert, agile and ready (or at least didn’t totally "bonk" in those final fifteen minutes of their match!)

Upgrades

Are you ready to upgrade to an Intermediate, Advanced or National Referee?  Maybe you want more information or have questions about upgrading in general?  We've got just the right people for you!

If you would like to upgrade to a National Referee, please contact Danny White (email address will be added shortly).
For all other upgrades, or general questions about upgrading, please contact our Director of Upgrades & Assessments, Bruce Bennett.

Requirements for Badge Level Advancements

Intermediate Referee (minimum age 14)

• Complete 25 games as a Referee with at least five of them in U-12 games
• Complete the Intermediate Referee Course
• Pass the Intermediate Referee Exam
• Be (observed) mentored in a U-12 game

Advanced Referee (minimum age 16)

• Complete 50 games as a Referee with at least 10 in U-14 and five as an Assistant Referee, also in U-14
• Complete the Advanced Referee Course
• Pass the Advanced Referee Exam
• Pass one assessment as Referee and one as assistant referee in a U-14 match
• Pass the AYSO Physical Fitness Test
• Do a minimum of five service units (contact our RRA for details)

National Referee (minimum age 18)

• Complete 100 games as a Referee with at least 30 in U-16 and U-19 games and 25 as an Assistant Referee (with at least 10 of those in U-19)
• Complete the National Referee Course
• Pass the National Referee Exam
• Pass two assessments as a Referee in U-16 or U-19 matches and one as an Assistant Referee in a U-19 match
• Complete the AYSO Physical Fitness Test
• Do an additional five service units (contact our RRA for details)

Referee Instructors

Steve Ferry, Dir. Referee Instruction Competitive League (U10-14)
Steve has done nearly every job in Region 9, some more than once. He is a certified Referee Instructor, and Advanced Referee, and an Advanced Instructor candidate. His love for teaching and sharing experience on the pitch brings candidates in Region 9 considerable depth and richness. Steve has authored most of the training materials we use in Region 9 courses and is currently developing more video training tools to bring relevant curriculum to the 21st century referee.

Joe Tischler, Dir. Referee Instruction U8
Joe is a National Referee, certified Referee Instructor and a Referee Assessor. He is deeply committed to solid training of all referees, especially those new volunteers who come into the Referee Program at the youngest age divisions. Joe’s expertise and commitment is crucial to providing the U7/U8 referee that vital foundation upon which every future National Referee is built. Joe is also an aficionado of running the reverse diagonal.

John Flintoff, Referee Instructor
John is an Intermediate Referee and certified Referee Instructor and the Director of Region 9’s Advisor’s program. He’s played the game in Britain and officiated the game here in the US and brings deep and intuitive experience and knowledge to candidates.

Chuck Huffer, Referee Instructor
Chuck is Region 9's newest National Referee and a former RRA (as well as many other jobs in the Region). As a certified Referee Instructor, Chuck has trained and inspired countless Region 9 referees.

Francisco Leon, Referee Instructor
Francisco has played the game and is both an advanced Coach and a Referee. A native speaker of Spanish, Francisco applied his skills and knowledge to updating & refining the Spanish Language course material for AYSO. Currently, he and his wife Elizabeth Camacho-Leon teach the Basic Referee Course Español.

Elizabeth Camacho-Leon, Referee Instructor
Betsy co-directs Region 9’s Women Referee Development Program, is a Referee Advisor and an Intermediate Referee. She Instructs Region 9’s the Basic Referee Course Español as well as the U8 Referee Course.

Bruce Bennett, Referee Instructor
Bruce is an Advanced Referee and National Referee Candidate, a certified Instructor and Region 9’s Director of Upgrades & Assessments. Bruce’s mantra, “Have FUN!” embodies his enthusiasm for the game and reminds us all why we’re there for our players.

David Woodruff, Referee Instructor
Dave is an upper level coach, Advanced Referee and a certified Referee Instructor. Like Francisco, Dave brings the unique experience of coaching to his Officiating and to our Referee candidates. Dave also teaches some of our Referee Continuing Education clinics.

Christopher Page, Referee Instructor
A reformed super-fan, Chris is a certified Referee Instructor, an Advanced Referee Instructor, National Referee candidate and a Referee Assessor. He is also a USSF Referee. The art of the Game is what keeps his weekends and weekdays occupied on this pitch.

David Coe, Referee Instructor Emeritus
Dave is a National Referee, Certified Referee Instructor and the namesake of the Region 9 "Dave Coe Award", given annually to the “Referee of the Year.” Dave brings a long history of referee experience and instruction time to Referee candidates. We only give him the “Emeritus” title because he’s technically retired, even though he has darker hair that most of us.

Upcoming Referee Instructors

To Be Updated

On-call Instructor
Brian Reed  Region 9C - Dallas (temporary)