Requirements and Online Course Requirements
All volunteers must complete training and background checks in order to interact with youths in AYSO. The Requirements For All Volunteers will guide you through completing those steps.
Region 42 Referee Clinics and Training
All referees representing teams 7U and older must be certified appropriately for the games they will officiate.
- For 7U/8U games, referees must have the "8U Official" certification or higher
- For 10U games, referees must have a Regional badge or higher
- For 12U games, referees must have an Intermediate badge or higher. Assistants may have a Regional badge if they complete the Offside Workshop. Regional Referees who have completed the Intermediate course and passed the exam are Intermediate Candidates and can at the discretion of the referee staff be 12U CRs.
- For 14U games, referees must have an Advanced badge or higher, or be an experienced Intermediate referee with the approval of the RRA, or be Advanced Candidates upon completing the Advanced Referee course and passing the exam.
- For 16U/19U games, referees must have an Advanced badge or higher. Referees for 16/19U games are assigned by the Area 10E referee administrator and scheduler.
8U Official Course
This course may be taken online in AYSOU (instructions just below). If you want to take it in person, you can do so in a neighboring region, as Newbury Park does not offer an in person version. You can find in person Referee course listings in AYSOU.
Here's how to take the online 8U Official course: From the AYSOU website (see Volunteer Requirements page for instructions how to login and then get to the AYSOU site), go to the Training Library, then click Refereeing/View Courses, and on the Courses in Refereeing page click Enroll for the "8U Official Course - Online". Complete all five modules and then take the final exam module. The online course can progress at whatever pace works for you. Everyone passes the exam; missed questions prompt review of the relevant material and repeat opportunities to answer the questions.
Bring your proof of completion to the Referee area at Pepper Tree Park (across from the snack shack) and we'll provide an 8U Official T-shirt to wear while refereeing 8U and 7U games.
Basic ("Regional") Referee Training
The course consists of two parts: an online class and an in-person portion. Here are the steps:
1. Take the online Regional Referee course.
From the AYSOU website (see Volunteer Requirements page for instructions how to get to AYSOU, which is the AYSO University), go to the Training Library, then pick Refereeing and click View Courses, and finally "Regional Referee - Online + In-Person Companion Course". Complete all the chapters and take the final exam. The online course can progress at whatever pace works for you. Everyone passes the exam; missed questions prompt review of the relevant material and repeat opportunities to answer the questions.
2. Attend the in-person training.
After you pass the final exam for the online course, go to the "Regional Referee - In-Person Companion Course" portion. In AYSOU/eTrainU select "Training Event" on the left side; at the top enter "Region 9" in the Regions box to register for the last training session offered locally. You can also search for the companion course held at other locations using the search boxes to tailor where the course might be offered.
If you have attended the field training but have not taken the online training, go to the “Training Library” and enroll in the "NEW - Regional Referee - Online + In-Person Companion Course”.
If you are interested in obtaining training but cannot attend the Region 9 session, there are other ways to get certified as a Regional Referee:
- Take the online Regional Referee course, exactly the same as above. For step 2, choose a Basic/Regional referee companion session at any other time and AYSO location that best fits your schedule, OR...
- Complete the full Basic/Regional training as an in-person course at any location where it might be offered. In AYSOU, enroll in the "Regional Referee - Full In-Person Course" and look for a class that best fits your schedule. These classes typically will last all day and require completion of a written test.
If for any course you are required to pay a fee, Region 42 will reimburse you. Obtain a receipt and notify any of the referee staff in Region 42. A reimbursement cannot be made without a receipt.
Here are instructions for registering for In-Person classes in AYSOU
Login to the AYSO Region 42 website (https://www.aysoregion42.org/)
Click on My Account
Click on Volunteer (in the left menu)
Click on the AYSOU button (on the right side of the screen)
You’ll be redirected and automatically logged into the AYSOU site, which is called the AYSO Learning Library.
Click on Training Event (in left menu).
Offside Workshop
Regional referees who wish to be assistant referee at 12U games may do so after attending an additional offside clinic course to be held several weeks after the beginning of the fall season. Please see the Offside Workshop page for more details.
Intermediate/Advanced/National Referee Clinics
Region 42 does not offer Intermediate, Advanced, or National referee courses, and they are only offered a few times throughout the year in other regions and areas. For example, Area 10E (the Region 42 home area) typically holds an Intermediate course in February and June but that changes from year to year. There will be Advanced Referee classes scheduled outside the region as well. Referee classes can be taken at any other location where offered including the Ken Aston Referee Camp typically held in Orange, CA in June. Please check AYSOU (i.e. AYSO University) for listings (see above for how to access AYSOU). If you take any course outside of Area 10E, V, or W, you may be required to pay a fee (please ask the course instructor) but Region 42 will reimburse the cost.
Unlike the Regional badge, passing the course by itself is only the first step to earn any of higher-level certifications. After you pass the test, you will be an Intermediate/Advanced/National candidate, and then you must officiate a number of games at the badge-appropriate level and then pass an observation (for Intermediate) or assessment (two for Advanced, three for National) by a certified observer or assessor during actual games. A fitness test is also required for the Advanced and National certifications. The upgrade application shows the details. Region 42, Area 10E, and Section 10 provide full assistance with obtaining high-level badges including mentoring, paying for course attendance, arranging for assessors and assessment games, etc. If you are interested in furthering your referee training, please contact the referee administrator.
Intermediate Referee Course -- Thousand Oaks --Dates TBD for 2023
Area 10E usually has an Intermediate Referee class scheduled at Conejo Creek Park south at the soccer fields in the January or February timeframe. All sessions are usually 6:30–9:00 PM. This is free to all Area 10E Regional referees (Region 42 is part of Area 10E). If you are even considering moving up to an Intermediate Referee badge you are encouraged to attend the class. Upon completion of the class you will be designated as an "Intermediate Candidate" and after some observations by members of the referee staff we'll open up 12U games for you to referee.
To register for the Intermediate Referee Course:
- First go to your region’s website and login (upper right login button) Click on “Volunteer” (on the left).
- Click on the little “AYSOU” button (near the middle of the screen on the right).
- Click on "Training Event" (on the left).
- Under training event "Regions", delete if a region is listed.
- Advance the Calendar to different months.
- Click on dates that show an Intermediate Referee Training course (usually titled Intermediate Referee - Full In-Person Course) and Click on “enroll” (bottom right).