FAQs
Referees
Adult Referees
I want to volunteer as a referee. What do I need to do?
Register as a volunteer with AYSO, take a referee-training course (8U Official), and complete online Safe Haven and Concussion Awareness certification—easy!
How do I choose the games I want to referee?
We send out an email to all the referees early in the week with a link to a Google Sheet that allows you to select the game(s) you wish to referee the following Saturday.
Can I referee my own child’s game?
Experience has taught us that it’s not a great idea. You will be assigned your child’s game only in the event that no other referee is available.
Where do I get the referee uniform and equipment?
Once you complete your training, you will be provided with a free uniform (including shirt, shorts, and socks), badge, whistle, stopwatch, and a copy of the Laws of the Game. You provide the shoes.
Do I have to commit to referee a minimum number of games?
No. Nor do you have to commit to refereeing every week. We are happy to have you referee the number of games that works for you, but we suspect that once you get the bug you will want to referee more rather than less.
How to Register for the Training
To begin, go to GWYSL.com and log in to Spring 2020. If you haven’t registered (or reregistered) for Spring 2020, click on “Don’t Have an Account? Register Now!” and follow the registration process.
Select “Referee” as your volunteer role (“Junior Referee” applies only to those referees under the age of 18). Print out your completed registration form and give to Neil Palmer, the regional referee administrator, or Chris O’Connell, the regional referee instructor (or bring to class).
Once you’ve created an account, sign in to it and you’ll be taken to ayso.bluesombrero.com.
Click on Home, then click on AYSOU. Log in to AYSOU.
Click on My Courses.
Open Instructor Led Courses.
Open Referee Instructor Led Courses.
Click on 8U Official (or whichever referee-training class you’re taking). Find the class you’re taking by date and location and click on Register. You’re now registered. Please show up at the class on time and with a writing implement.
Safe Haven and Concussion Awareness are also available at AYSOU, My Courses. Please click on the links and complete (around 30 mins. each).
GWYSL will hold a referee training courses via Zoom, TBD.
Please contact the regional referee administrator, Neil Palmer, at referee@gwysl.com if you have any questions.
I am a returning referee. Is there anything I need to do?
You need to register with AYSO once per AYSO season (the current season is MY2020, which runs from August 1, 2020 to September 2021). If you are a returning referee and have not completed Safe Haven certification since August 1, 2012, you need to re-do the Safe Haven Certification.
If you have not already done so, please complete Safe Haven and Concussion Awareness.
If you have any equipment needs, please contact Neil Palmer at referee@gwysl.com.
We always need more and better-trained referees. Ideally 8U referees would ref only U7 and U8 games, Regional referees would ref U10 and U12, and Intermediate would ref U14 and above. Keep yourself sharp and improve the quality of refereeing in our league by taking further training courses. And please recruit your friends - remember, the more referees we have, the less everyone has to ref!
For those of you who have already completed the Basic (Regional Referee) course, the next level is Intermediate. Check AYSOU for any scheduled in the area and as always, anything we hear will be posted to the email list
Junior Referees
I’m a kid! Why on Earth would I want to be a referee?!?!?
Well, assuming you’re already a soccer player, there’s a bunch of reasons:
It teaches you even more about the game. You get to understand why & how referees look at things, which can only help you in your games.
The kids love it! We start you at U7 & U8 games and those 6 & 7 years olds love it when an older kid is refereeing them.
It counts towards your community service requirement. If you’re in high school, this is possibly the most fun way to satisfy that requirement.
Finally, not saying that money talks, but ref enough games and you get a gift card at the end of the season to spend on cool soccer stuff.
How old do I have to be?
12 and older is ideal. Sometimes we have 11 year-olds, but it’s just a question of being confident enough to (occasionally) tell the adults on the sidelines to be quiet :)
How do I choose the games I want to referee?
Same way as the adults. We send out an email to all the referees early in the week with a link to a Google Sheet that allows you to select the game(s) you wish to referee the following Saturday. You don’t have to referee every week, so you can fit the schedule to whatever works for you & your games.
What’s the deal with the adults?
A referee is a referee is a referee, regardless of age. It’s the same training for adults & kids—and in fact, some of our “junior” referees know more about the game than the adults (can I get a “well, duh”?). We just typically prefer you to ref games that are younger than you, but it’s actually not a hard requirement.
Where do I get the uniform and equipment?
Once you complete your training, you will be provided with a free uniform (including shirt, shorts, and socks), badge, whistle, stopwatch, and a copy of the Laws of the Game. You provide the shoes.
Do I have to commit to referee a minimum number of games?
No. Nor do you have to commit to refereeing every week. We are happy to have you referee the number of games that works for you, but we suspect that once you get the bug you will want to referee more rather than less.
How do I sign up?
Follow the instructions under FAQ for Referees to register/sign up for the training. Here’s the catch—you have to register as a volunteer, you can’t just reuse your player profile. The process is a pain, we know, unfortunately we don’t control it, so if you’re having problems, come to the training and we’ll sort it out. Alternatively email Neil Palmer (Head Ref) or Chris O’Connell (Ref Instructor).
Anything else?
Well, if you really get into this, then eventually you can become an Intermediate Referee. That allows you to cross register with the USSF (United States Soccer Federation). So what? Well that means you can get paid to ref games, which is a darn good money earner if you’re in high school or college ($150 a game I think).