La Mesa AYSO Region 89
U9 thru U12 Core & Extra Volunteer Referee Points Program

A. Purpose. The AYSO program is entirely based on the participation of volunteers including parents, Coaches and Referees. The Volunteer Referee Points program is designed to insure matches are conducted in a Fair, Safe and Fun manner with increased participation of parent volunteers. In order to insure, matches are properly conducted, the goal of this program is to equitably distribute officiating responsibilities to new and returning referees from each of the participating teams. We will also insure each volunteer is properly certified and trained to support this function.

The program is explained below and applies to the regular fall season. It does not apply to teams that play during the spring season. All Coaches, the Regional Commissioner and Assistant RCs, the Regional Referee Administrator, Regional Referee Staff and Division Representatives should be familiar with this program.

B. Background. The U10 Division represents the first level of competitive soccer offered by the Region. The season is 11 weeks long with approximately 20 teams having one match per weekend. Therefore, Referees and Assistant Referees are needed to cover 110 regular season matches in the U10 Division alone. Since the Fall 2015 season, the requirement was added for U9 thru U12 Core & Extra.

In the past, we have relied on our senior referees, most of whom no longer have children in AYSO, to referee more than one game a week. We need to prepare today for the eventually that these fine referees will no longer be able to volunteer in support of our program. Because the Board believes that these goals can only be accomplished by encouraging participation of new adult referees, it will be easier for teams to recruit new adult referees to satisfy the requirements of this program.

C. Key Elements. The program relies upon the coaches to recruit parent volunteers from their team and then encourage the volunteers to work a minimum number of games during the regular season. The team and coach will have both positive and negative incentives. The positive is that his/her games will be conducted with trained referees. The negative is that his/her team may not be allowed to participate in post-season play, which includes the Area V League Team Tournament, unless a minimum amount of referee participation has occurred. U5, U6, U8, U14 and above age levels are excluded from this program but coaches are encouraged to ask for volunteers to support the future growth of this program.

D. Requirements. Teams must provide a sufficient number of referee volunteers to earn 30 points. These requirements apply to each U9 thru U12 age team, and a team’s failure to earn the required points may render that team ineligible for post-season play*. These requirements do not apply to All Star eligibility for coaches or players. All of each team’s referees must be either a trained AYSO Certified Referee (of any level) or Assistant Referee. Since Fall 2015, teams must earn a minimum of 4 points each month of the regular season so that referees are available throughout the entire regular season.  (These points count toward the 30 total points for the season.)

* (This program does not change the rule that the eligibility of a team to participate in post-season play is subject to the discretion of the Regional Commissioner whether or not that team has earned the minimum number of referee points. For example, if the highest placed team in a division that has earned the minimum number of referee points has lost more games than it won, the Regional Commissioner will determine if that team is eligible for post season play after consulting with that team’s Division Representative and anybody else whom the Regional Commissioner believes has information pertinent to whether that team should participate in post season play. The program does mean that if no team in a particular division earns the minimum number of referee points, then Region 89 will not be sending any team from that division to participate in post season play.)

Earning Points: The requirements of this program may be accomplished by either Referees (Center) or Assistant Referees supporting each team. Each Referee or Assistant Referee will earn points for each U9 or above match supported as identified in the following table. Subject to an appeal to the Regional Referee Administrator, a referee who misses a game assignment will not receive any points for that game.

Mentor                                                                                                2    

Bonus Points: A team can earn bonus referee points by recruiting new referees. A team whose referee list includes one new adult Referee will earn points for each Referee that completes Regional Referee Training and Certification plus Referees (in the center position) at least two matches per the table below. (An adult is a person 18 years of age or older.) A team whose referee list includes two or more new adult Referees will earn another 5 points immediately following the second game refereed by that team’s second new adult referee.

A team whose referee list includes one new youth Referee will earn 5 points immediately following the first game refereed by that person. A team whose referee list includes two or more new youth Referees will earn another 5 points immediately following the first game refereed by that team’s second new youth referee.

No team may earn more than 20 initial bonus points in any one season. The remainder of the points earned must be from refereeing.

Only trained referees, in full uniform, may earn points under the Referee Volunteer Participation program. Because the Region will provide certified referees with full uniforms, the only exception to a referee being required to be in full uniform, and the only exception to a referee only earning points refereeing a game for which that referee was previously scheduled to referee, shall only be allowed when a certified referee not previously scheduled to work a certain game agrees to work a game for which there is not full coverage, so long as he or she is not related to a coach or team member of either team. (Said referee must report that extra work within 3 days after that game to receive credit for points earned for refereeing that game.) Unless specifically approved by the Referee Administrator, Referees shall not volunteer for or be assigned to officiate games involving any team that they are coaching or for which children, siblings or other relatives play.

E. Commissioner. The Regional Commissioner, Referee Administrator or their designees shall communicate and support the Referee Point System to all coaches at the general coaches meeting. Additionally, the Regional Coach Administrator and Regional Coach Instructors will also communicate the Referee Point System to all coaches during each Coach course.

F. Coaches/Team Parents. The Coaches will be required to sign and turn in to the Division Representatives, no later than the fourth Thursday of August, the volunteer referee form containing the name(s) and signatures of any persons who are willing to volunteer as referees or assistant referees on behalf of that team. Coaches can submit those forms as early as August 1^st . The Referee Administrator in conjunction with the CPVA will confirm that the referees on the list fully and timely complete AYSO Volunteer Registration forms before refereeing any games. If no parents volunteer, the form is still to be returned signed by the Coach. It is not recommended for the Coaches to be their team referee. If they do, they shall not Referee matches in their Division (i.e. Boys U10, Girls U12, etc.)

Specifically Coaches and team parents must:

1.      Recruit parent volunteers to be team referees;

2.      Submit the Team Referee Volunteer Form to the Division Representatives on time;

3.      Contact his/her referee(s) during the season to get season to date updates on points accumulated or track points earned by viewing the regional web site for current referee point’s information; and

4.      Two weeks prior to the end of the season, contact the Referee Administrator to confirm accumulated points.

G. Division Representatives. Division Representatives will be responsible for collecting the names of referee team volunteers and providing this information to the Referee Administrator by October 1st with the date any new referee volunteer attended the Basic Referee Course, if required. Division Representatives for U9 and older divisions should also remind their coaches to advise when there was no referee for any game.

H. Referee Administrator. Referee Administrator and his/her staff will collect team volunteer names, provide training and uniforms, and record the points earned during the season. Whether a Referee is qualified to Referee in divisions U12 and above will be subject to the discretion of the Regional Referee Administrator and/or Director of Referee Instruction and/or Director of Referee Assessment, and persons who believe that they are qualified to referee games in those older divisions may request that their qualifications to do so be assessed by the above-referenced regional board members.

I. Referee Training. Referee training classes will be held before the commencement of the season. Dates, times and locations will be set forth in the regional Parent Handbook and on the regional website. Team Referees must sign a Team Referee Form before the deadline for the submission of those forms, but may not sign that form until he or she has successfully completed the appropriate AYSO referee training course. Interested persons may also seek permission from other regions to attend their training classes, but, prior to timely signing the Team Referee Form, they must provide written confirmation from the administrator of that course to the Region 89 Regional Referee Administrator that they successfully completed said course.

J. Reporting. Each team referee will be responsible for reporting his or her weekly assignments to the referee coordinator. The system for reporting this information will either be via online through the region website or through email with the Regional Referee Administrator. Changes to scheduled assignments must be reported to the Referee Administrator or his designee via email within 3 days following the match in question. The system reporting details will be finalized and provided before the start of play in the fall. The Referee Administrator or his designee will be responsible for posting accumulated referee points on the regional website during the season.

K. Scheduling. Once on-line scheduling becomes available to referees, a season’s schedule will first be made available. The Referee Administrator, Director of Referee Instruction or Director of Referee Assessment have the discretion to alter assignments if they determine it is necessary to do so. In addition, they will monitor whether any referee is qualified to referee a particular match and may alter assignments based on that monitoring.

SL, 2013

JRB, 2015- JRB, 2017