The AYSO Section 1 referee staff is committed to supporting the development of our referees so that all players in AYSO Section 1 are provided with well-trained and experienced officials.

AYSO Section 1 National Referee Assessment and Certification Policy and Procedures

In order to maintain consistency at the highest levels of officiating within Section 1, the policies and procedures below define requirements for all Section 1 upgrades to the National Referee level as well as for upgrade to National Referee Assessor. Current policies as well as the current list of National Assessors in Section 1 may be found through the links below:

Questions on an assessment for National upgrade?  Contact Ed Williams, Section 1 Director of Referee Assessment.

Preparing for National Assessments

Assessments for upgrade to National Referee are intended to be a positive experience for upgrade candidates. They are to provide the referee candidate with positive feed back on areas of strength and areas that may be improved.

Preparation is key to a positive assessment experience. The materials listed below contain the standards and checklists used in the assessment of National referee candidates. You may have seen them before, but it can’t hurt to look them over again before an assessment.  On the other hand, if you’ve never seen them before then be sure to review them because they’ll help you understand what is required to get the most out of your assessment.

  • National Referee Program Manual defines the standards for assessing a National Referee starting on page 41 and the standards for assessing a National Assistant Referee start on page 43.
  • The Referee Assessment Checklist will be used by your assessor to identify skill areas for potential improvement for Referees. The Assistant Referee Assessment Checklist is used for the Assistant Referee Assessment.
  • Preparing for Assessments is a summary of the assessment process and identifies preparations you can make to ensure that your assessment is a positive experience.
  • Notes from the Ken Aston Camp National Referee Course “Preparation for National Assessment” contain some useful help in the form of real-world advice and also some things that many National Assessors consider “deal-breakers.”

Part of preparation is asking questions. Contact your Assessor in advance of your match if you have any questions.

Referee Physical Test

One requirement of the National and Advanced Referee upgrade is successful completion of a physical test. The referee physical fitness test is designed to test the referee’s ability to stay up with play and to react to match situations encountered at these levels. This document contains the criteria for this test for Advanced and National candidates.

Intermediate Observations

The National Referee Program Manual contains the standards for the Intermediate Observation and describes the skills and proficiencies that candidates for upgrade to Intermediate Referee are expected to demonstrate.

AYSO Help for Assessors

Fill-in forms for assessors are available on this site:

AYSO/USSF Cross-Certification

Cross-Certification to USSF is available to AYSO Intermediate, Advanced or National referees who have been certified as referees for six months or more and who are not currently certified with USSF. All games officiated for AYSO or USSF may be applied toward the certification requirements of either AYSO or USSF.

Details on the Forms for Referees page.

Updated: August 1, 2023 at 5:35 PM