Local Courses: Locally is Davis, we offer Safe Haven, Parent Referee, Basic Referee, and Intermediate Referee courses, in addition to Assistant Referee and topical in-service refereeing classes. For current referee training opportunities, please see our Referee Clinics page for the dates and times for the upcoming classes.

Golden Gate Camp: Golden Gate Camp will be at Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont CA. This is the annual advanced training camp for certification at the Advanced and National levels, Referee Instructor, Referee Instructor Evaluator, and Assessor. If interested in attending you can register at the Section 2 web site at http://www.section 2.org Davis AYSO will reimburse the cost for Davis AYSO referees. Pre-registration confirmation must be obtained from the Davis Referee Administrator at:

Section Conferences: The Section 2 Conference is held annually in the Winter/Spring, and provides the opportunity for AYSO Volunteers to meet volunteers from other Sections and Areas, and to attend a variety of classes for coaching, refereeing, and regional management.

Attn: Regional Referees: you now have another reason to upgrade to an Intermediate Referee. As an incentive for Regional Referees to upgrade to Intermediate certification, Davis AYSO is now offering reimbursement for the purchase of a new style referee jersey to any Davis AYSO referee becoming an Intermediate Referee. This is a great way to build up your alternate color jerseys while upgrading your referee skills.

Laws of the Game

Please see the following resources for the current FIFA Laws, and additional USSF and AYSO publications and local aids…

Pre-Season Reminders.
Guidelines for Tie Breakers and Kicks from the Mark.

Restarts: What can go wrong?
U6-U8 Parent Referee Field Guide.
Refereeing Spring Soccer.

AYSO Publications and Referee references (incl. LotG, Guidance for Referees & Coaches, National Referee Program,...).

USSF Publications and Referee references (incl. LotG, Advise to Referees, Guide to Procedures, …).
USSF Position Papers (e.g. Handling Injuries, Offside).

‘Ask A Referee’ (USSF).
‘You Make the Call’ – video clips and quiz (USSF).
For the Integrity of Soccer (Bob Evan’s Blog).

Ask A Soccer Referee (USSF's answers to Laws of the Game and Practical Refereeing Questions).

Season and Tournament Rules

Fall Season (September-November): Season, U10/U12 Jamborees, Regional Tournament, Area Tournament.
Select Season (January-March): Season, Tournament.
Spring (April-May): Season.
Davis World Cup (Memorial Day weekend): Tournament.

Scheduling

Online Scheduler.
Instructions for registering and signing up.
Field Locations/Maps.
Game Signup Histories:

Davis World Cup (Memorial Day Weekend)

Forms

Referee Upgrade Application.
Referee Assessor Upgrade Application.
Referee Instructor Upgrade Application.
AYSO/USSF Cross Certification: Through an agreement between AYSO and USSF, referees can Cross Certify between organizations. Please see the AYSO/USSF Cross Certification form.
Misconduct form (PDF, Word) – for reporting send-offs, ejections, and other incidents involving players, coaches, spectators or referees.

Electrical Storm Safety

The recommendation of the National Referee Advisory Commission regarding electrical storms, as stated in the AYSO publication "Guidance for Referees and Coaches," is: "It is said that lightning can strike out of a clear blue sky within a radius of ten or more miles from an electrical storm. It is therefore strongly recommended that practices and games be terminated immediately upon hearing thunder or seeing lightning."

"If you can see it - flee it; if you can hear it - clear it."

The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) currently recommends that all individuals should leave the game site and reach a safe structure or location when lightning is within 6 miles.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Lightning Safety Guidelines indicate that since lightning can strike out of a clear blue sky as far away as ten miles from a rain storm, when the "Flash-to-Bang" count is thirty seconds or less, everyone should leave the game site to a safe location.

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) position is that if you can hear thunder you are within reach of lightning and that referees must protect the safety of all participants by stopping game activities quickly, so that participants and spectators may retire to a safer place before the lightning threat becomes significant. Applying the 30-30 rule is recommended and to wait thirty minutes or more after hearing the last thunder before leaving shelter.

Just remember: "If you can see it - flee it; if you can hear it - clear it."

...more specific for referees will soon be posted here for our Region 218.

Referee Honor Roll

2007

2008 Referee Recognition: Congratulations to Alan Lee for attaining AYSO's highest referee certification when he became a National Referee on February 20, 2008. Alan first became an AYSO referee in the fall of 1999, and since then has been a dedicated volunteer with Davis AYSO having served as Regional Director of Referee Instruction, Regional Referee Administrator, and Davis World Cup Tournament Director in 2004 and 2005. Great Job, Alan!

Master plan: Fields, Game, and Player

Contacts

Mike Goodison, Referee Administrator () or by phone by calling the AYSO Main line at (530) 979-1344) – for any questions/requests regarding being a referee, Laws of the Game, the Davis AYSO Referee Program, issues during games (see also the misconduct form), ...
Fred Main, Director of Assessment ( ) – for mentoring, Intermediate upgrade observations, Advanced and National upgrade assessments.
Robert Scott, Director of Instruction ( ) – for all questions/requests regarding referee instruction.
Bruce Hartsough, Referee Clinic Registration () – for registration for upcoming referee clinics.
Mike Anderson, Coordinator of Scheduling ( ) – for questions/requests regarding the referee scheduling, the online Scheduler, or tournament assignments.
Richard Plant, Coordinator of Parent Referees ( ) – for questions/requests regarding U6/U8 Parent Refereeing.
Tom Starbuck, Davis World Cup Referee Administrator ( ) – for questions/requests regarding the refereeing during the DWC.

Note: These positions are generally 2-3 year positions. If you're interested in being a part of the regional referee staff, please contact the Referee Administrator!

Special Season Announcements:

[posted: 1/11/2010]:

Select Season schedule and information

Select Season 2010 Rules

[posted: 9/10/2009]:

Hello, Davis AYSO referees.

I'm Alan Lee, interim Regional Referee Administrator for Davis AYSO. I'm "interim" because I'm temporarily taking the place of Mike Goodison who is taking a short leave to be a football coach.

First, let me thank you for the generous contribution of your time and energy to the kids of AYSO and to our referee program. As you may know, except for a few paid staff in the AYSO national office, all the work of putting on AYSO soccer programs, here in Davis and across the country, is done by volunteers. Your contributions, small and large, are making a big difference.

Here are a few items for your consideration:

REQUIRED: VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM
Volunteer application forms (VAFs) are required annually. We need to receive a VAF from you at least each fall season. If you have not yet submitted your form, go to www.eayso.org to update your personal information if needed, then print two copies. Bring them in person with a photo ID to the AYSO Building at one of these times:
Saturday, 9/12, 7:30-9:30 a.m. or 5:00-6:00 p.m.

After 9/19, referees who have not submitted their VAFs will be removed from our online scheduling software until the VAFs are received.

SUPPORT OF YOUTH REFEREES
We are thankful that several youth referees are part of our referee corps. Let us adult referees assure that these youths are well supported by officiating with them, encouraging them then you see them on the fields, and by not tolerating any criticism or abuse of any sort by coaches or spectators. We are working toward identifying youth refs on our online scheduler so that adults can sign up to officiate with them. If you become aware of any problems related to youth referees, please let me know as soon as possible.

U10 TEAM REFS: SIGNING UP FOR GAMES
If you are a referee who is associated with a U10 team, please sign up for your teams' games in the online scheduler. Doing so will allow referees not associated with U10 teams to step in when needed (and to officiate non-U10 games if U10 needs are met).

WATER, WATER, WATER
If the weather remains hot, assure that you are well hydrated. In U16 and U19 games, feel free to incorporate a 1-2 minute water/rest break approximately halfway into each half.

UPGRADE
Nationwide, only a tiny percentage of AYSO referees get past the Regional Referee level ("Regional Referee" is the badge you get after successful completing the Basic Referee course). We in Davis are working to reverse that trend and are managing to get many referees into the "upgrade path." I invite you to join these referees, as follows:

> If you are a U8 Official (aka Parent Referee) and want to get the full instruction to be a Regional Referee, look forward to taking the Basic Referee course.

> If you are a Regional Referee, we strongly encourage you to take the Intermediate Referee course. There are no prerequisites except to be a Regional Referee. The course will reinforce what you learned in the Basic Referee course and cover some new topics to help you be a better referee. The next Intermediate Referee course is as follows: 9/14 (6-10 p.m.), 18 (6-10 p.m.), and 20 (1-5 p.m.), AYSO Building. Must attend all three dates. To register, send an e-mail to

ASSESSMENTS AND MENTORING
There is no better way to improve than by officiating games and having a more experienced referee watch you. To get someone to watch you, to request a formal assessment, or to volunteer to mentor others, contact Fred Main, our Director of Assessment at

FOR SERIOUS REFEREES, FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BE, OR FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT SERIOUS REFEREES SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT...
AYSO's mother organization, the United States Soccer Federation, provides a weekly, detailed review about officiating in that week's professional games. Go to www.ussoccer.com, select Referees from the menu across the top, then Week in Review. Granted, we are not professional referees, but we can learn from their successes and mistakes. USSF encourages referees of all levels to learn from these reviews. (Thanks to Steve Culberson for bringing these reviews to our attention.)

PROBLEMS
Please feel free to contact me about any officiating issues you have. If you have any problems with coaches, I need to hear from you.

GAME CARDS
The tan tri-fold game cards are required for U8 and older games. After your game, give the completed card to the winning coach. Exceptions: 1) If the winning team is from out of town, give the game card to the Davis coach; 2) if there was any misconduct or serious problems with coaches, the referee is to mail in the game card to the P.O. Box printed on the card.

MISCONDUCT REPORTS
If you send off a player or expel a coach, you must submit a misconduct report, ideally within 24 hours (a report is not required solely for cautions). The report is available at www.davisayso.org. Select Referees from the menu across the top, then Forms. Open the Word version, fill in the details, and e-mail the form to

SUBSTITUTION OPPPORTUNITIES IN U16 AND U19 GAMES IN AREA 2D
Substitutions may be made by either or both teams AT ANY STOPPAGE OF PLAY with the referee's permission. Permission may be denied only in limited circumstances: 1) the substitution request occurs just as the ball in being put into play; or 2) a team requests a substitution but the substitutes are not ready at the halfway line. See Advice to Referees 3.5 and 3.6. See Law 3 for the substitution procedure. Remember that Law 7 empowers you to add time for substitutions and other unusually long stoppages, but you also want the following game to start on time.

Games outside of Area 2D use different substitution rules (substitution at certain stoppages).

GAMES TIMES FOR U16 AND U19
U16: 40 minute halves
U19: 45 minute halves
Games between U16 and U19 teams: 40 minute halves

IN-SERVICE MEETINGS
Throughout the year, we will have occasional in-service meetings to provide information and training. Look forward to information about these sessions.

INSTRUCTION
Bob Scott, our Director of Referee Instruction, has done an excellent job to organize our instructors to put on many referee courses, including the U8 Official course (aka Parent Referee course, oriented for officiating U6 and U8 games) and the Basic Referee course (oriented for officiating U10 and older games). If you have questions about the Laws of the Game, want to help with instruction, or want to become a certified AYSO referee instructor, please contact Bob at

Area D is planning on having a mini referee training camp with Intermediate and Advanced referee courses, to be held late November or December. If you would be interested in participating in either of these clinics, please send an e-mail expressing your interest to

Let me know if you have any questions. I wish you a fun, rewarding season.

Alan Lee
Regional Referee Administrator (interim)
Davis AYSO

530 902-9200

General Information for Referees.

Referee Training