Referee Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Last Updated Spring 2026
Volunteer Roles
Q: What refereeing roles are available?
We have three main categories of roles for those interested in refereeing:
- Referee
- Youth Referee
- Match Official
Which role you decide to take on largely depends on how old you are and what age group your child is playing in.
Q: What's the difference between a Referee and a Match Official?
A Referee for age groups 10U and up. Every match has 3 referees: one Referee (a.k.a. Center Referee) and two Assistant Referees (a.k.a. linespeople). The referee team works together to officiate a match.
A Match Official is for age groups 8U and below. Every match has 1 Match Official whose job is to educate, enforce structure, and help keep the game moving. Youth volunteers are NOT allowed to be Match Officials.
Becoming a Referee
Q: How do I register to be a referee?
Q: What training and certification do I need to be a Referee?
First, volunteer as a referee as described above. Otherwise, you will not be able to access the trainings below.
Every referee needs to take care of the following safety trainings (on AYSOU):
* Safe Haven - Just once (lifetime cert) - Online via AYSOU
* CDC Concussion - Just once (lifetime cert) - Online via AYSOU
* Sudden Cardiac Arrest - Just once (lifetime cert) Online via AYSOU
Adult referees (but NOT Youth - i.e. referees under the age of 18) also need the following:
* Safe Sport - Required annually (90 minutes for the first year, 30 minutes annually thereafter) - available fully online
* LiveScan Fingerprinting - Just once (lifetime cert)
* Background Check - Required annually - available fully online
Q: How do I get access to MatchTrak?
You be "activated" in MatchTrak you need to volunteer as a referee for the current season in SportsConnect and be fully up-to-date on all of your trainings (see sections above for how to do both of those things). Once this is complete, you will show up on the RRA's "To Activate" list and should be activated within a few days. If you think you should be activated and are not, you may reach out to
[email protected] to double-check.
Q: I used to be activated on MatchTrak, why do I no longer have access?
CHECK YOUR CERTIFICATIONS: Verify that your Background Check and SafeSport certifications are not expired in SportsConnect (
ayso1455.org). If or when they expire, we must deactivate your MatchTrak account until they are up-to-date.
If your trainings are up-to-date and you still can't log in, reach out to
[email protected] and we can help you with a password reset.
Q: Can Youths (under 18) referee games?
Yes! We have a strong youth referee program and do our best to support our youth referees.
Youth referees (referees who are under 18 years old) must be at least 2 years older than the division title to be Referee and at least at the division title to be Assistant Referee. For example, to be Referee on 10U matches, youth referees must be at least 12 years old. To be Assistant Referee on 10U matches, they must be 10 years old.
For youth referees, upgrades to self-assignment rights usually require more experience and an observation. Importantly, please remember that youth referees are not allowed to serve as 7U/8U match officials.
Feel free to reach out to our Youth Regional Referee Administrator (YRRA) at
[email protected] with any youth-specific questions.
Q: How can I register my child as a youth referee?
We highly recommend creating a new SportsConnect (https://ayso1455.org) account, separate from the account where you register them to play, for your youth referee purely for their volunteer use. This will make it much easier to sign up for a volunteer role, do the required training, etc. Once you have an account set up, you can follow the instructions at https://bit.ly/ayso-1455-match-official-registration and just make sure to choose "Youth Referee" (instead of Match Official) as the volunteer role.
Q: How can I register to be a Match Official?
The registration and training process for Match Officials is almost identical to that of being a referee. Follow the "Q: What training and certification do I need to be a Referee?" section above.
The only differences are:
* You need to register for the "Match Official" volunteer role instead of the "Referee" volunteer role
* You need to take the "8U Official - Full Online Course" instead of the Regional Referee course
Any referee with a regional badge or higher is also eligible to serve as a Match Official.
Q: Where do I get my referee gear?
For referees, we will provide you with:
- Jersey
- Shorts
- Socks
- Whistle & lanyard
- Wallet & cards
- Flags
If you need any or all of these things, reach out to [email protected] for assistance.
For match officials, we will provide you with:
If you need any or all of these things, reach out to [email protected] for assistance.
Referee and Match Official Points
Q: How many referee points does my team need?
For 10U & 12U divisions: each team is required to accumulate a minimum of 16 referee points to qualify for any postseason play.
For 14U, 16U, 19U and Extra divisions: each team is required to accumulate a minimum of 20 referee points to qualify for any postseason play.
These requirements apply to, but are not limited to, our Regional Invitational Tournament, Atmospheric River Klassic, Area Invitational Tournament, and EXTRA tournaments. No point borrowing is allowed.
Q: I stepped in to cover a match that I was not registered for, how do I get my referee points?
It's always good to bring your gear. You never know when you may need to step in and help out! Remember though:
No Uniform? No Credit. You must wear your referee uniform (jersey, shorts, & socks) along with your badge for a game in order to receive referee credit. While it's commendable to step in to fill an open spot, without your gear and badge, you're not an official referee on that game, you're just a club linesman helping out.
If you stepped in to cover a match, you may be able to still register for it after-the-fact in MatchTrak (games don't disappear instantly). Try that first. If that doesn't work, reach out to
[email protected] with the game number and the position you filled.
Q: Can I give my referee points to another team?
Referees may give their points to more than one team ONLY IF they have family members on all the teams to which they give points. In other words, independent referees may only give points to one team. We may not always actively monitor this during the season, but we do audit before the postseason.
Registering For Matches
Q: How do I sign up for a match?
For referees, all matches are managed through
https://matchtrak.com. See our MatchTrak overview at
https://bit.ly/ayso-1455-matchtrak-referee-overview for details.
Match Officials are not managed through MatchTrak. Our Match Official Coordinator (
[email protected]), provide details on registering for 7U/8U Match Official spots. Fully certified volunteers properly registered in SportsConnect (
ayso1455.org) will have access to the registration spreadsheet.
Q: How do I cancel a match signup?
All matches are managed through
https://matchtrak.com. See our MatchTrak overview at
https://bit.ly/ayso-1455-matchtrak-referee-overview for details.
Match Officials are not managed through MatchTrak. Our Match Official Coordinator (
[email protected]), provide details on registering for 7U/8U Match Official spots. Fully certified volunteers properly registered in SportsConnect (
ayso1455.org) will have access to the registration spreadsheet.
Refereeing a Match
Q: Can someone help me referee my first match?
Q: Can someone give me feedback on my refereeing?
We're very lucky to have many fantastic referee mentors in Ladera. Please use them! When you register for a match in MatchTrak, just click the "request a mentor" checkbox and someone from the team will reach out to you. This is a great way to ease nerves on your first match or when you're making a step up, such as from AR to center referee or to a higher age division or level, or frankly just a great way to get some feedback whenever you need it.
Q: Can I referee my own kid's game?
We always prefer neutral referees, so please refrain from signing up to cover your kids' games until the day before the game. We will normally send out a reminder email on Fridays to let you know when it's safe to sign up. If you do need to cover your kid's game, it's also preferential for you to be an assistant referee rather than a center referee.
Q: What is an "Extra" circuit game? Can I referee those?
Our
Extra program games can be identified in MatchTrak by the "Section Extra" label in the "Circuit" column next to the game. These matches can be a little more fast-paced and competitive than your average core game.
Importantly, Extra games that do not have a center Referee by 7pm on the day before the match will be canceled. So please do your best to help cover those matches if they're at your ability level.
Q: Are referees expected to help manage blowouts?
A blowout is defined as a team winning a game by more than 6 goals (e.g. a 6-0 win is OK, a 7-0 win is not). This is part of one of the core philosophies of AYSO: Good Sportsmanship.
To be clear, it is not a referee's job to avoid a blowout, but a coach may ask you and it's good to know the answer (I got asked at least 3 times last weekend!). If you're comfortable doing so, if you see a blowout coming (e.g. a team is up 4-0 and dominating) you might also ask the coach, "Just to double-check coach, do you have a plan to keep the score from getting out of hand?" to make sure they're aware.
Q: What do I need to do before the game starts?
As a referee, we recommend arriving at the game 25-30 minutes early so you're not rushed in your pre-game checks.The important things to cover pre-game are:
- Field safety check
- Referee pre-game discussion
- Home team check-in
- Away team check-in
- Coin toss (away team calls it)
- Game balls (home team supplies them)
You can download our Referee Pre-Game Cheat Sheet and bring it with you to help you stay organized and set yourself up for success (print 1 page, 2-sided and cut into 4 pieces).
Q: Where can I find details on the Laws of the Game?
The International Football Association Board is responsible for defining the laws of the game from professional leagues down to grassroots soccer like AYSO. You can find the latest on
https://www.theifab.com/.
In addition, AYSO has its own National Rules and Regulations that amend the IFAB Laws of the Game. You can find the link to the latest ones
here.
Referee Rewards and Community
Q: What is the Mentor Assistance Review (MAR)?
Every 2-3 weeks during the season, we host a meetup for our local referees. We send out frequent email updates with dates. The name "MAR" is a pun on the Video Assistant Review (VAR) system popular in the professional game.
In short, come hang out with your referee staff and fellow referees from Region 1455 in Ladera Ranch, enjoy some food and drinks, and talk about officiating the beautiful game.
- Did you have a situation or make a call over the weekend and you'd like to talk it through with an experienced and supportive crowd?
- Are you interested in learning more about refereeing?
- Do you just want to hang out with some fellow yellow shirts and hear some good stories?
Please join us! AYSO Region 1455 will cover the food and beverages. The referee wisdom is priceless.
Q: What Referee Rewards Can I Earn?
We're always looking for new opportunities to encourage and reward our volunteers. For now, you may reference the table below.
| 25 games refereed | Red referee jersey |
| 100 games refereed | Personalized referee jacket |
| Intermediate badge earned | Pink referee jersey |
| Advanced badge earned | Personalized referee backpack |
If you believe you've earned one of these reward tiers and you haven't received it yet, reach out to
[email protected].
We're constantly on the lookout for new ways to recognize our volunteers, so stay tuned.