HOW TO BECOME A REFEREE

To become a US Soccer Federation (USSF) Referee you are required to attend an Entry Level Clinic (Grade 8 Referee) given by a specially trained and certified (by USSF, certified by WASRC) instructor. There is no exception even if you are/were a player or coach.

Grade 8 Referee: The purpose of the Grade 8 Referee Course is to prepare officials for competitive and recreational youth games.

What is the length of the course?
Who can be a referee?
Where are courses given?
How much does the course cost?
What about uniforms?
How to take a course and when are they?

What is the length of the course?

• The course consists of both online study material and 4 hours of in-class field training.  You must attend ALL 4 hours.  The online session and test are about 7 hours.  It depends on your time, pace and completion of the online course.
  
• At the end of the clinic you must pass a written exam with a score of 80% or higher.
• Your registration is good for one year and must be renewed annually. To be more specific,
  
  • If the date of your New Referee clinic is between Jan 1 and June 30, your registration is good until Dec 31 of the current year.
    
  • If the date of your New Referee clinic is between July 1 and Dec 31, your registration is good until Dec 31 of the next year.

Who can be a referee?

Parents, coaches and siblings.  However, a minimum age of 13 at time of registration, is recommended.

Where are the courses given?

The clinics are sponsored locally by different Clubs, Referee Chapters or Leagues.  Once you have decided which New Referee Clinic to take, you must create your Member Registration on the wareferees.org website and then register for Referee - New Grade 8.

Click here to begin your registration process WASRC Registration.

How much does the course cost?

The fee is $85.00 - to be paid online during the registration process.

Risk Management Application (RMA)

The Washington Youth Soccer Risk Management Application must be filled out completely and properly submitted before any volunteer may begin working as a volunteer or employee of Washington Youth Soccer.

All WA Youth Soccer volunteers and referees assigned to WA Youth Soccer sanctioned activities (including league games, State Cup, and local tournaments) must have an approved national background check in Affinity.

Process for Referees

Because we require referees to be risk management approved through WA Youth Soccer to be assigned to our sanctioned competitions, we have created a process for referees to apply for background checks.

Referees have a separate background check application link: rma.referee.washingtonyouthsoccer.org. This URL will redirect to the risk management system for referees in Affinity.

There will be a flat $6 fee required to submit the background check application for referees - this includes the background check fee and risk management administration, as well as credit card processing fees.

For referees who created Affinity accounts for State Cup, the same username and password will be their login. If they have forgotten their password, use this link to recover their password: http://www.wys-refereerma.affinitysoccer.com/public/forgotpassword.asp?sessionguid.

If an applicant is a referee and a club, association, or district volunteer, the applicant should apply through the volunteer link and list the club, association, or district that they are volunteering with. A referee that is also a registered volunteer to a local organization will not have to pay $6 for their background check. Affinity will have a duplicate record prompt that will prevent the background check from running a second time.

What about uniforms?

Referee Starter kits are purchased by you and range between $40 - $80.  However, the minimum kit MUST consist of the following:

• Official Referee Shirt - begin with yellow
• Official Referee Shorts
• Official Referee Socks - with USSF logo on leg or three white stripes at top
• Whistle
• Yellow/Red Cards
• Game Score Pads
• Badge Adhesive (for the replacement of new YEAR badge)

It is recommended to bring two stopwatches - one for keeping time and the other for pauses in the game leading to stoppage time.  Cell phones are NOT accepted for keeping time for your assigned games.

How to take a course and when are they?

You can find a list of clinics by clicking on the Clinics/Events tab in the menu at the top of the wareferees.org webpage. Browse the calendar and select a clinic that is convenient to your location and availability. Read the registration instructions carefully and check the appropriate option. You will then be added to the clinic roster. If the clinic is full, choose another clinic. Due to room size and fire codes, walk-ins will not be allowed once the cap is reached.