Referee Questions? Contact the Regional Referee Administrator:Mitch Faigen The offside rule (animated explanation)
FAQs for Referees
Can I referee my child's match?
For Under-10 and older matches:
We try to discourage being the Referee for your own child's match. The best referee for these games is a neutral referee. On the contrary, we encourage you to sign-up to be the Assistant Referee for your child's match.
If no Referee signs up or shows up to officiate the match, then follow the following guidelines:
Any youth referee will be given first opportunity to be the match's referee.
A certified referee in uniform from the Home Team is given first opportunity to be the Referee.
A certified referee in uniform from the Visiting Team is given first opportunity to be the Referee.
If both coaches agree to allow a coach to be the referee, then -- as long as the coach is a certified referee -- the match may be played and the results will stand. No protests will be accepted.
A certified referee is required for all matches.
What are the substitution rules?
All players must play 3/4 of the game in Region 97 standard league games (e.g. Recreation league, even when Recreation league is scheduled as a multi-region activity). All players in Plus or Spring Select play must play at least the AYSO National minimum of 1/2 of the game. If a you find a coach is not playing a player either the required 3/4 (rec.) or 1/2 (Plus) of the game, please ask them to change their substitutions in the last quarter (or last half). In Recreation league, it is easy to observe simply by tracking time "out" of the game on the game card. No player may sit more than 1 quarter in sucession, so if they are "out" a second quarter, something is wrong.) There are no rules at the AYSO National level, Section 11 level, Area Q level, or Section11-APP-Program-Level or Region 97 level restricting the amount of time that a player may play the GOALKEEPER position, except in region 97 play for U8 and U7 play. Region 97 recommends that players (even great goalkeepers) play at least one quarter in a field position, but that is a recommendation and can be ignored (to the players detriment). The kids are there to player soccer and have fun first, develop second, and win third. Failure to properly play players the required portion of the game results in a forfeit for the team for that game, the forfeit is determined by the league (the regional board), not the referee. If a referee observes that this has happened, please report the situation by email to the Referee Administrator and Coach Administrator (see the Contact Us tab) and they will take it from there. In U8 and U7 play, no player should play goalkeeper for more than a single quarter in any single game, goalkeepers are not used in U5 and U6 play.
YOUTH VOLUNTEERS (below AGE 14, e.g. 13 and younger)
Youth aged 13 and younger cannot register as a volunteer via the eAYSO.com system. That system is not currently configured to allow children 13 and younger to register online. We would still love to have these youth as referees though! To register in this age bracket (and ONLY if you are 13 or younger!) then print out this Youth Volunteer Form three times, sign, have your parent or guardian sign, and send to the address on the Contact Us page.
