Certification levels of AYSO Referees

There are five certification levels for AYSO referees. Here is a brief description of the requirements for each. More details can be found in the Referee Training Matrix. These requirements are in addition to completing the Safe Haven trainings, which are available on AYSOU.org.

8U Official
(minimum age 10)
Complete the U-8 Official Course (now completely online).

Regional Referee
(minimum age 12)
Complete the Regional Referee Course (online or in-person), attend a field session and pass the Regional Referee Exam. 

Intermediate Referee
(minimum age 14)
Complete 25 games as referee with at least five in U-12 games, complete the Intermediate Referee Course, pass the Intermediate Referee Exam and be (observed) mentored in a U-12 game.

Advanced Referee
(minimum age 16)
Complete 50 games as referee with at least 10 in U-14 and five as an assistant referee (in U-14), complete the Advanced Referee Course, pass the Advanced Referee Exam, pass one assessment as referee and one as assistant referee in a U-14 match, pass the AYSO Physical Fitness Test.

National Referee
(minimum age 18)
Complete 100 games as referee with at least 30 in U-16 and U-19 games and 25 as Assistant Referee with at least 10 in U-19, complete the National Referee Course, pass the National Referee Exam, pass two assessments as referee in U-16 or U-19 matches and one as assistant referee in a U-19 match, complete the AYSO Physical Fitness Test.

Safe Haven

Becoming Safe Haven certified may take a little time, but AYSO families know their child’s safety is worth it. Safe Haven is both a child and volunteer protection program. It was the first of its kind in youth sports. Volunteer protection comes into play as a result of volunteer training, certification and continuing education. The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 provides certain legal protections for volunteers who have been trained and certified and act in accordance with a written job description. Safe Haven includes these three elements, giving volunteers the highest degree of protection available under the law. Safe Haven training is one of the courses you can eTrainU and, after login, look for AYSO’s Safe Haven – Full In-Person Course in the Training Library

Heads-Up: Concussion Awareness Training Requirements

Many States have recently passed laws requiring training for Concussion Awareness & Safety as well as Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Key elements from State legislation:

• Information: Need to inform parents and players about concussions.
• Training: Require Concussion Awareness Training for Officials (e.g., Coaches, Referees, RCs, etc.) similar to the Center for Disease Control’s online course.
• Participation Release: Most laws require a Medical Release before a player suspected of having a concussion may return to play.

Best practices and policies are being developed for AYSO as a whole and for local programs impacted by new laws. What to expect in AYSO’s Concussion Awareness & Safety Practices & Policies:

• AYSO/CDC Parent/Athlete Concussion Information Sheet.
• AYSO Concussion Awareness Training utilizing materials from CDC’s Heads Up Program for Coaches, Referees, Region/Area/Section Board Members you can take online at eTrainU.  You will need to login and click on “My Courses” then open the “CDC Concussion Course”.
• Signed Participation Release Form before player suspected of concussion may return to participate.

Please watch for the implementation of the new Concussion Awareness and Safety Best Practices and Policies for AYSO. AYSO has partnered with the CDC to use the Heads Up program for concussion awareness materials. Goto eTrainU and, after login, look for CDC Concussion Awareness – Online in the Training Library.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest

AYSO, in partnership with Simon’s Heart, is pleased to provide Sudden Cardiac Arrest training in eTrainU and, after login, look for Sudden Cardiac Arrest – Online in the Training Library. This course satisfies the California, Washington and Tennessee state requirements or any state requiring the NFHS training.  Ohio residents are required to take sudden cardiac arrest training from the Ohio State site.

For training required from non-eTrainU sites, volunteers must print the Certificate of Completion upon completing the training. Instructions are provided for Volunteers under the RESOURCES tab for uploading the Certificate of Completion and receiving a certification. Regions are provided with instructions for setting up verifying certificates and for using a Course Roster to mark volunteers complete/passed for a certification.

SafeSport Training

The 2017 SafeSport Act has expanded Mandated Reporters to include adults authorized to interact with children. Due to this expansion, that includes AYSO and it requires training on child abuse and mandated reporting.

Effective, January 1, 2022, U.S. Soccer will no longer allow equivalent training* and has mandated SafeSport training.

Details at https://aysovolunteers.org/safesport-mandatory-training/