San Mateo AYSO Region 36  P.O. Box 5316, San Mateo, CA 94402 650-341-4112

Frequently Asked Questions in San Mateo AYSO

Referees, Coaches, Volunteering:

How much do the Board Members, Coaches, and Referees get paid?

Board members gets the lowest pay, $0. Coaches and referees are more important so they get paid double, $00. We are an all volunteer organization. We do not receive any monetary incentives for being a board member, a coach, or a referee. Working with children and seeing them develop is our reward.

What should I do if I'm having problems with the coach?

If a serious problem should arise concerning the coach, the parents should:

• Talk with the coach in a calm manner and try to work out the problems like adults, away from the players (preferably this meeting will be done outside of practice or games) 
• If no solution can be reached at this meeting, the parents should contact the Division Coordinator.  
• If the problem should persist, set up a meeting with the Chief Coach, Division Commissioner and Coach. 

Problems can usually be solved through communication. 

Katie doesn't get along with her coach. Can she change teams?

Discuss the problem with your child and the coach and try to resolve the problem between yourselves. It is impossible to move teams around after they're assembled.

I have some comments about the refereeing of my child's game.

The referee administrators are your point of contact regarding referee issues, and are available to discuss any of your concerns.  Please remember that the referees, like all other officials in AYSO, are volunteers who have dedicated a large amount of time and energy in training and refereeing every week.  Your child's game may be the referee's third or fourth game of the day.

What do the referee badges mean?

Soccer referees in every league come to the game with differing degrees of training and experience.  The badges represent the level of training the referee has accomplished.  Ask a referee what his badge represents to him!

What should I do if a referee makes a terrible call? 

As upsetting as it may be, the best course is to try to forget about the mistake and get back into the game. The referees are human, so they will make mistakes just like everyone else. Put yourself in their shoes and think how you would like people to respond if you made a mistake.  Also, please keep in mind that the referee is on the field and is seeing the game from a completely different location than you, and that his interpretation and application of the laws may differ from yours.  

Remember that, above all, the coaches, referees, and all other AYSO staff are volunteers. 

I see some real bad referees out there. What can we do? 

Contact the Regional Referee Administrator and find out when the next referee class is. Then, come to class and become a certified referee. We need people that know the game and can make the calls as they see them. What you cannot do is harass the referee no matter how poorly you think he is performing. His poor performance may be the result of the lack of understanding of the laws on your part. Volunteers willing to referee games are difficult to come by.

I have never played soccer and I don't know anything about soccer. Can I still become a coach or a referee? 

You sure can. AYSO will provide you with all the training for free. The only thing we as for are your time and commitment. Contact the Regional Coach Administrator or the Regional Referee Administrator to learn more. If coaching or refereeing is not for you, there are others way you can help. Talk to the Commissioner or a board member and ask how you can take part in bringing this quality soccer program to our community. You'll be glad you did.