Becoming a volunteer referee and/or assistant referee involves taking the online “Regional Referee” training modules and quiz, and then attending an in-person classroom session that reviews the online material and goes into more detail on how to actually “run the lines” or “take the whistle.” Upon completion of this training, you’ll be certified as a “Regional Referee” which will mean you can be an “assistant referee” at any age group and/or a “center referee” at 8U and 10U games. In order to center referee at the older ages, you’ll need to take the Intermediate and then Advanced training (to CR at the 12U and 14U divisions, respectively).
You will also need to take the AYSO and state mandated “safety courses” that review proper interacting with youth athletes and volunteers, concussion awareness training, sudden cardiac arrest training, and Safe Sport (another behaving-around-child-athletes tool).
Here we go:
- Be registered in your family’s InLeague account as a “volunteer” in your Family Profile, and choose “referee” as a volunteer preference. Be sure to click “submit volunteer preferences” and sign off on an electronic “disclosure” form. This will start the background check process in motion, and allow you access to the online training.
- While on InLeague (be sure to be logged in under your name/email and password–not a spouse’s), look in the upper corner for a “graduation cap” icon, which is the link to our online educational platform, eTrainU/AYSOU. Click it and you’ll be brought to eTrainU.
- Click the “Training Library” tab on the left column.
- Click “Refereeing” tab (‘View Courses’).
- Click “Regional Referee Online + In-Person Companion Course” tab (‘Enroll’). This will take you to the online referee training modules and quiz (don’t worry, you’ll pass). Take these and for good measure make a copy of your certificate of completion. Don’t worry if you don’t finish them in one sitting; you can always log back in to InLeague, go to eTrainU, and click on “My Training” tab which will bring you back to the modules waiting for you. You can always go back and re-do the material if you need a review.
- Take the in-person classroom session that compliments the online material. Contact me at: rra@ayso20.org for a list of dates and times for the in-person classroom session. There will be several chances to take the in-person class starting August 3. (Refer to a list of classroom opportunities on our website PLEASE CONTACT ME and I’ll add you to a roster; don’t just show up as classes can be cancelled due to low interest). Classes run from 12-4pm at the Colorado Center “Community Room” OR at the Reed Park “Community Room” in Santa Monica.
- Also, take the “safety courses” by logging into InLeague, go to eTrainU (graduation cap icon), click “Training Library”
- Click “Safe Haven” tab (‘View Courses’).
- Take the following safety courses and save a copy of your certificate of completion, just in case: “AYSOs Safe Haven,” “CDC Concussion Awareness,” “Sudden Cardiac Arrest,” and the “Safe Sport” course (which brings you to their own website).