Becoming a youth referee is easy. First thing - all youth are welcome. Youth are required to be more than 2 years older than the division that they wish to referee (i.e. 12 years and older to referee 10U games). Games refereed by youth referees will always have an adult referee present.

Benefits

Some of the benefits for youth refs: You'll learn more about soccer! You'll become a better player! Earn valuable volunteer hours for school! Ref gear! End of the year party!

Register

Use our "register now" button and complete the steps to register as a volunteer. Every volunteer (coach, referee, board member, team parent, etc.) submits one National Volunteer Application each year (annually). These applications are delivered to AYSO’s national headquarters for an annual background check, which screens for volunteers’ suitability to work with children for AYSO. Submitting a National Volunteer Application takes about 20 minutes.

Supporting our Youth as Referees (Zero Tolerance)

It is important to remember that when a youth is refereeing a soccer match, he or she is an integral part of the official referee staff of our region. These youth represent future resources for AYSO and the greater community, and it is up to us - parents, coaches and fellow referees - to encourage, nurture and support them. We must give them the patience and positive reinforcement that is the cornerstone of AYSO. Every coach, player, and parent must keep in mind that the young referees working out there are our kids, and that we owe them the same, if not more, patience and respect than we give the players. And if you're a coach in a game where one of your spectators is being disruptive or challenging the youth referee's authority, you need to immediately intervene. Coaches, remember that the first line of responsibility for dealing with spectators rests with you.