Referee

Welcome San Mateo Region 36 Referees

Each year, starting in the fall and continuing through winter and spring seasons, we need 200+ referees to help 1,000+ players from ages 5 to 19 play soccer. We invite parents and youths (12 year old or over) to serve as AYSO referees. Youth referees may satisfy middle or high school community service requirements by volunteering to referee AYSO games. No prior experience or knowledge of the Laws of the Game is required. All volunteers are trained, certified, equipped, and mentored to be great referees!

Each 6U and 8U team needs to have at least 2 team referees. Details on how to become a 6U/8U Referee for your child's team are on the 6U-8U Divisions page under Registration and Training.

Each 10U and 12U team needs to have at least 2 team referees. Details on how to become a Regional Referee for your child's team are on the 10U-19U Divisions page under Registration and Training.

Referees who wish to officiate at 14U or higher are highly encouraged to upgrade their referee badge level. Details are on the 10U-19U Divisions page.

Latest Updates, as of November 10, 2024

10U-12U Tournament Rules

Our regional tournament will be held on November 16-17, 2024. Review our 2024 10U-12U Tournament Rules.

Referee Registration

Want to help your child play better and be involved in their development? Check out the Registration and Training section below for more details and follow the Referee Volunteer Registration step-by-step guide.
Our 6U/8U referee classes and Regional Referee field training sessions have been set. Refer to the 6U-8U Divisions page and 10U-19U Divisions page for details.

Training

Review the Registration and Training section below for how to be a trained and certified referee volunteer.
In addition to your online training, if you are becoming a new 6U-8U referees, go to our 6U-8U Divisions page for find an in-person 6U-8U class that fits your schedule. All classes will be at Beresford Park (2720 Alameda de las Pulgas), sheltered picnic area just West of the tennis courts and North of basketball court. Nearest parking is on the street on Parkview Way or 27th Avenue.
In addition to your online training, if you are becoming a new Regional (10U-12U) Referees, complete your NEW - Regional Referee Online + Companion online course at etrainu and find an in-person Regional Referee Companion field session on 10U-19U Divisions page.
Want to improve your referee skills? Join us at one of our 6U-8U or Regional Referee Companion field sessions and/or upgrade to Intermediate, Advanced, and National Referee certifications.

Signing up for Matches

For 10U through 14U, all certified and trained referees may sign up for specific matches at https://referee.aysosm.org/. If you do not have an account on the referee website, please contact William at [email protected].
For 16U and 19U, referees sign up at www.pensra.org. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to officiate at 16U/19U matches.

Law Changes and Referee Guidance

The 2024-2025 IFAB Laws of the Game are available at the IFAB website or downloadable as an app from Apple Store or Google Play.
6U-8U Referee cheatsheets: get them from our 6U-8U Divisions page, under Resources.
10U-12U Referee guidance: get a 2-page summary for referees officiating in the 10U and 12U Divisions on our 10U-19U Divisions page, under Resources.
14U: Unlimited substitutions. At the discretion of the Referee, EITHER team may substitute during a stoppage in play. Substitutes must be ready to enter the field, at the halfway line, before play has stopped and enter the field only when beckoned by the referee.

General Referee Resources

Registration and Training

All referee volunteers must follow the following three steps in order to referee.

STEP 1: Register as a volunteer in the National AYSO database.

Please visit www.aysosm.org and select the Register Now button (if you have not registered before in Sports Connect) or Login button and register as a volunteer for this season.
A parent must submit the application for a youth volunteer. The youth volunteer will need their own Sports Connect user account.
Instructions are available on our Referee Volunteer Registration page.

STEP 2: Complete the following online classes in AYSOU / etrainu.

1. Go to www.aysosm.org, login with your Sports Connect user account, select Volunteer in the lefthand menu, and click on the AYSOU button.

2. Once your browser has reached etrainu, select the Training Library in the lefthand menu and select View Courses button under the Safe Haven course category.

You will take the following courses, if you have not taken them before:

AYSO Safe Haven
AYSO CDC Concussion Awareness
Sudden Cardiac Arrest
SafeSport

Enroll in the course(s) you need to complete. When you complete a course, your certification will appear in your Volunteer profile in Sports Connect.

STEP 3: Finally, take the age-appropriate referee course, if you have not taken it before.

6U-8U Referee Class for 6U and 8U divisions. Refer to the 6U-8U Referee page for the 6U-8U Referee class schedule.
10U-12U (Regional) Referees - Under Training Library > Refereeing, enroll in the Regional Referee Online + In-Person Companion Course (2 Part Bundle) course. Once you have completed the online course, find a Regional Referee Field Session in San Mateo (schedule on the 10U-19U Referee page or a neighboring region).