REFEREE TRAINING for 8U-14U parents: If you are interested in helping out your kid’s team, helping out the entire Region 20 Fall season, and showing off a super-chic referee uniform, read on. You will want to start taking your online Referee Training Modules now!! If you have questions let me know! (rra@ayso20.org)
Referee training for 5/6/7U parents: just requires a 1-hour Zoom “Volunteer Parent Referee Orientation” — sessions are scheduled for 7/30, 8/1, 8/3, 8/8, 8/10, 8/15, and 8/17 from 7-8:00pm; if you need another date/time let me know. Contact Gray O’Brien with questions or for the Zoom link: rra@ayso20.org
The Process:
1. NEW to Region 20 AYSO, and/or NOT a certified referee yet: you will need to take the referee training/orientation, but first you’ll need to register as a VOLUNTEER in your inLeague account. Log in to InLeague (using your own name and password, not that of a spouse) and click the “Volunteer Registration” button. Follow the instructions and be sure to use your full legal name (no nicknames or abbreviations). Make sure you choose “Referee” as your volunteer preference (even if you just plan on becoming an Assistant Referee). Scroll down and click “Submit Volunteer Preferences.” There will also be a “Background Check” (since our volunteers are working closely with young athletes) by the folks at Sterling Volunteers, please initiate that as well and then be on the lookout for an email from them that needs a confirmation/response. If you have questions about this process please reach out to me at rra@ayso20.org
Referee Training for 8U-14U parents: Once you are registered as a volunteer in InLeague, there are two options in becoming a referee: taking a “full-day” in-person course (8 hrs) OR a “combo” of online training and in-person training. This “combo” option involves a required 90′ online training that includes 9 modules and an exam, followed by a 3-4 hour in-person training session. Most folks choose the “combo” because it feels easier to manage (doing some on your own time and the rest in the shorter in-class session). The “full-day” course is also great, but takes a full day (see below). You choose what works best for your schedule.
The in-person classroom sessions are usually located in Santa Monica at the Colorado Center (2500 Broadway). There may be courses offered at the Reed Park meeting room off of 7th Street (north of Wilshire in the green community room). These dates will be posted soon. [You must complete online modules and quiz before attending the in-person session, so why not get a head start on these now?!]
You only need to take one of the many classroom sessions available (but feel free to attend as many as you wish if you want to get more comfortable with the material). These are the course dates: (scheduled locations to be posted soon)
GET THE ONLINE REFEREE TRAINING MODULES DONE NOW!
You will need to complete the online referee training before attending the in-person referee course. To access the online course material, log on to your InLeague website at https://inleague.ayso20.org/ using your own email and password—not a spouse’s; then click the “graduation cap” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page. This will bring you to a page that lets you “Log into eTrainU.” Click that button and you will be brought to eTrainU.
At the eTrainU home page there is a column of tabs on the left-hand side. (BTW, you should see YOUR name on the upper left corner of this page.) On the left-hand column of tabs, click “Training Library” icon. Then click “Refereeing” courses. Then take the 9 modules/chapters and exam under the “NEW – Regional Referee – Online + In-Person Companion Course.” If you don’t finish it all in one sitting you can always go back to where you left off by clicking “My Training” icon.
The online part should take you about 75-90 minutes. Then all you need to do is attend the in-person class and there we will outfit you with the (free) match official ‘uniform’ including: socks, shorts, jersey, ref wallet, flags, whistle and a hat (like the folks modeling the spiffy uniform on the picture above)!
The in-person classroom session will be offered starting early August. There will be multiple opportunities/dates to choose from. I will send out an email and post the dates on the website as well.
Option 2: “The Full-Day Course” You will need to sign up for and take the “Regional Referee – Full In-Person Course.“ There are no online pre-req’s for this. This is accessed and signed up for just like the above course, but enroll in the “Regional Referee – Full In-person Course.”
Referee Training for 5/6/7U parents: just involves attending a 1-hour Zoom session. “Volunteer Parent referee orientations” will begin July 30th and there will be multiple opportunities to join in thereafter. Contact Gray O’Brien for the link: rra@ayso20.org
2. Returning match officials: you need to re-register to be a volunteer for the MY2023 season (yes, we need to re-register as volunteers every year). You will also need to do the yearly “Background Check” with Sterling Volunteers. Go to your inLeague account and re-register as a volunteer for MY2023. Note: We have a newly updated version of “InLeague” so it will look a little different than the past years. Click the “Volunteer Registration” button and complete the process. Make sure you choose “Referee” as your volunteer preference (even if you just plan on becoming an Assistant Referee). Then scroll down and click “Submit Volunteer Preferences.” Initiate the Background Check, and then be on the lookout for an email from them–it will need to be confirmed/responded to.
3. All match officials, new and old, must have completed the required “safety courses.”…AYSO Safe Haven 2022 – no audio, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, CDC Concussion Awareness, and Safe Sport. These are “one-and-done” except for SafeSport which will have a required update. Online safety courses are found at “eTrainU” (the AYSO educational platform). Access the eTrainU platform by logging in to InLeague (using your own email and password), and then click the ‘graduation cap‘ icon in the upper right-hand corner. This will bring you to a new page that lets you “Log into eTrainU.” You will be brought to a ‘home page’ that has a column of tabs on the left-hand side. On the left-hand column of tabs, click “Training Library” and then the “Safe Haven” View Courses button. The required safety courses can be found there.
If you are interested or have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out me, Gray O’Brien at: rra@ayso20.org
See you on the pitch!