Referee Training

Please read the instructions for How To Become a Referee before enrolling for a class. There are several steps to the process and it is important that they are completed in the correct order.

ALL TRAINING MUST BE ENROLLED FOR AND COMPLETED USING YOUR OWN EMAIL AND LOGIN, NOT THOSE OF A SPOUSE OR FAMILY MEMBER.

DUE TO LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, WE CANNOT GIVE CREDIT FOR TRAINING COMPLETED UNDER SOMEONE ELSE'S LOGIN.

Referee Certification Classes

Please pick the class relevant to your needs and your calendar, as described below. You only need to attend one of the U8 Official classes in order to get certified; we offer multiple classes in order to accommodate volunteers' calendars. The same goes for Regional Referee classes. If you wish to certify as a Regional Referee (games up to 12U), you can attend a U8 Official class and a Regional Referee class on the same day; please be sure to enroll for both classes in eTrainU.  

Entry Level: The 8U Official class is the entry-level course.  You will be eligible to referee games in 6U, 7U and 8U after completing this course.

Course Prerequisites: Please see the green box below.

Cost: No fee. 

Where and When:  We will schedule the next class when we have 10 interested volunteers.

Second Level: The next Regional Referee (a.k.a. Basic Referee) class is our second-level course.  You will be eligible to referee games up to and including 12U after completing this course.

Course Prerequisites: 8U Official certification OR completion of the Regional Referee Online course (via eTrainU). Please see the green box below.

Cost: No fee. 

Where and When:  Our colleagues in Brooklyn Region 1328 invite us to attend their Regional Referee class at Bushwick Inlet Park in Williamsburg on Sunday October 15th, starting 3pm. Change the "Regions" filter in eTrainU per the screenshot below (in the calendar for October). Further details are on eTrainU. 

Third Level: The Intermediate Referee class is strongly recommended for referees in 13U to 19U and should be considered mandatory if you plan to be Center Referee in those divisions. The course includes in-depth modules on fouls and misconduct, advantage, offside and positioning. The class is aimed at experienced referees who have a strong understanding of the Laws Of The Game.

Course Prerequisites: Significant practical experience at the Regional Referee level. A good knowledge of the Laws of the Game is assumed and not taught at this class but will be on the test. Pre-course preparation is recommended. Please see the green box below.

Cost: No fee. Lunch included.

Where and When: WSSL will offer the class in person on the last weekend of January 2024. Details will be posted in November 2023.

 

Fourth Level: An Advanced Referee class is aimed at experienced referees who want to be ready to take on demanding games.

Course Prerequisites: Intermediate Referee Certification, a thorough knowledge of the Laws Of The Game is assumed as well as significant accumulated practical refereeing experience. Please see the green box below.

Cost: No fee. Lunch included.

Where and When: Not currently scheduled in WSSL. Please check eTrainU for classes in other regions.

 

Before enrolling for any class, AYSO requires that all volunteers have:

1) Registered on the WSSL.org website under Player & Volunteer Registration. This includes Players who want to also be a referee (player registration is not sufficient). Registration as a volunteer kicks off an annual background check for adult volunteers which is a legal requirement. Volunteers under 18 years of age do not need a background check; and, 

2) Completed the online Safe Haven course; and,

3) Completed the online CDC Concussion Awareness courses. See below.

4) Adult volunteers must complete the SafeSport online course.  Unlike Safe Haven, this is an annual requirement.  Please visit SafeSport for more information and instructions on taking the class.

Please see the instructions below and email our Director of Referee Instruction, Michael Titowsky, or our Regional Referee Administrator, Stan Ince, with any questions or requests for training.

If you would like to prepare ahead of the class, check out the Referee Survival Kit for lots of useful information. More information about referee training can be found here.

Young people aged 10 years and over, including Core and Travel soccer players and their siblings, and are very welcome to attend referee classes. Please bear in mind that classes are quite intense and take approx. 3½ hours.  WSSL awards community service credit for time in class and refereeing on the field, subject to approval by the school. The Teen Referee program welcomes new members and will make sure that you have fun as well as serving the league!

Volunteer registration for young people is a little different from that for parent volunteers. Go here for Teen Referee instructions.

These are the steps that need to be completed to register for a course. Some of them only need to be done once, if they're done properly. Please try to do these in order. It will cut down on problems and having to repeat any of these steps.

1. Volunteer as a referee by logging into your WSSL InLeague account and checking the box for Referee on your parent profile (if you have not done this already at registration)
2. On the WSSL InLeague website click on the mortarboard icon at the top right of the screen to go to eTrainU. Click on the green Login to eTrainU button.
3. Go to the Training Library and under "Safe Haven" click on "View Courses".
4. Complete the "AYSO's Safe Haven - Online" course.
5. Complete the "CDC Concussion Awareness - Online" course.
6. Click on "Training Events" 
7. Select the class you want. Hint: In the "Regions" Filter, type "Region 611" (that's us!). You will see a list of all available in-person courses. Choose 'U8 Official' or 'Regional Referee Course", etc., as needed. Please note the course prerequisites explained on the "How to Become a Referee" page.
8. Click on "Enroll". Review the details for the class (time and place and requirements). Put the class on your personal calendar!

The above courses are offered online and can be taken at any time at your convenience.

1. Go to  eTrainU (see above).
2. Click on "Training Library".
3. Find the course you need: Safe Haven, CDC Concussion or Regional Referee Companion Courses Online
4. Click the blue "ENROLL" button.
5. When you are ready, on the next page click START to complete the course.

For Safe Haven and Regional Referee Courses, all modules for each course must be taken for the course to be considered complete.