AYSO REGION 57 VOLUNTEERS

REGION 57 REFEREE PROGRAM OVERVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AYSO volunteer Referees fulfill an important role in the triangle supporting our young players:

The Referee’s job is to be the official in charge of the match at every game. He or she is the independent arbiter and manager of the match. The Referee’s authority extends to everyone at the field, including players, substitutes, coaches, parents, spectators, and even assistant referees. He or she insures that the philosophy of AYSO is achieved – Safe, Fair, and Fun games for our kids.

SAFE - The Referee’s #1 job is to keep the game as safe as possible for the players. While there is risk in all sports, the referee is responsible for minimizing such risks from field conditions, equipment, spectators, and the players.

FAIR - The Referee is responsible for enforcing the Laws of the Game in such a way as to keep the game Safe, Fair & Fun. He or she interferes with the game as little as possible, avoiding calls for doubtful and trifling offenses. Referees only make calls for age-appropriate offenses when they are sure a foul or misconduct occurred.

FUN - We want our kids to continue to play in future seasons. They will keep playing as long as it is fun.

Please contact Bob Silvernail, Referee Administrator, to learn more about our programs by email refereeadministrator@ayso57.org or phone (949) 293-1716.

WHY SHOULD I BECOME A REFEREE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We need you! There are over 110 games per weekend that can’t be played without referees. More importantly, it’s rewarding. Working with the kids is great fun and terrific exercise. Besides, you get the best seat in the house for your child’s game!

Every year we train over 100 new Referees to replenish our core of veteran Referees. Referees officiate only the games they want, using a self-assignment web site to guarantee the games and positions that fit your schedule and comfort level. Beginners usually start with the youngest players and frequently act as an Assistant Referee before being in charge of a game as a center Referee.

The more games you officiate, the more confident you become and greater your knowledge of the game. We support you with a variety of training programs and reward you with spiffs such as upgraded jerseys, referee bags, flags, and field jackets based on the number of games officiated. In competitive divisions (U10 and up) you can earn playoff seeding points for your child’s team (see Points for Your Team). In addition, Youth Referees (12 to 18 year old) earn movie tickets and community service volunteer credit.

HOW DO I BECOME AN AYSO CERTIFIED REGION 57 REFEREE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Complete the AYSO Volunteer Information form and attend a Regional Referee training clinic! The clinic provides both classroom and on-field training covering the AYSO Safe Haven volunteer protection program, the Laws of the Game, psychological and developmental issues for players of various ages, and practical refereeing. Each class includes a test covering the Laws and course material. Upon completion of the clinic you are an AYSO Certified Regional Referee! This is all the training you will ever need to officiate soccer within Region 57, although we encourage continuing training and grade advancement (see Veteran Referees). The AYSO National office is notified and keeps a permanent record of your completed training.

New referees are provided with the complete Referee uniform and equipment, including a jersey, shorts, socks, flags, red and yellow cards, and a whistle. All you need to provide is a watch and black shoes. (P.S. white tennis shoes are a dead giveaway that you are a new Referee. Get some black shoes today!)

See the current Referee Training Clinic flyer for details on this season’s training sessions.

VETERAN REFEREES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Referees are encouraged to continue to develop their skills through additional training. Every year, returning Referees attend a one hour Veteran Update session (held during the new Referee Training clinic). Referees are updated on rule changes applying to play in our local region and discuss the practical application of the Laws of the Game to different age group situations.

Continuing Education opportunities include:

Grade Advancement – through additional training classes offered periodically, Referees can upgrade their badge from Regional Referee to Intermediate, Advanced, and even National grades. In Region 57, our Intermediate grade referees can be identified by their Red jerseys; Advanced grade referees wear Blue jerseys.

Mentoring - all referees are encouraged to help each other. This mentoring can be informal between members of a referee crew, or more formally arranged with the Region 57 Referee Assessor. In addition, Region 57 offers:

· Observer-Friend program: Designed to encourage new referees, pairing them with a veteran to provide post-game advice by phone or email, and if desired, on-field observation and coaching

· Mentor Nights: Period meetings held during the season for all referees to discuss game situations and management, clarify rules and practice foul recognition using video taped games.

Assessment - Assessors review the work on the field of upper level referees as a part of each badge level upgrade. The Assessors are experienced referees trained in helping referees develop their skills in both game and player management.

Instructors - AYSO has an extensive Instructor training effort to assure that the teachers in our referee classes are the best available both with respect to referee skills and with respect to teaching capabilities.

YOUTH REFEREES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AYSO players and non-players from age 12 to 18 are invited to become referees. Youth referees earn community service hours for all training and game time, plus movie tickets! Contact the Youth Referee Administrator for certification of hours and your tickets!

In the competitive divisions (U10 through U19), playoff seeding points are awarded for your effort as a Referee on behalf of a Team. Any game officiated by a Team Referee is counted toward these point totals.

Point are earned by Team Referees who are identified by the Team's Coach to the Referee Administrator at the start of the season (maximum of 8 points per team):

1 point per team referee upon completion of:

§ New Referee Certification or Veteran Referee Update Training

§ Officiating 3 games (as Referee or Assistant Referee)

§ Two team referees may earn this point for a single team

2 points after officiating 10 total games by the team’s referees*

2 points after officiating 20 total games by the team’s referees*

2 points to the team Head Coach upon completion of:

§ New Referee Certification or Veteran Referee Update Training

§ Officiating 3 games (as Referee or Assistant Referee)

* Multiple adult and youth referees may combine games toward a single team’s game total (excluding the first 3 games officiated by the coach)

To receive points, the referee must:

· Verify that the Region’s referee scheduling web site has correctly recorded the team that the referee’s points will go toward by the first game of the regular season.

· Use the Region’s referee scheduling web site to schedule games in advance and record games actually officiated

· PRINT his/her name of the signature line of the properly completed Game Card