Without officially certified AYSO referees, all games are scrimmages. We need adult volunteers at every level to help manage the game to keep it safe, fun, and fair. AYSO provides training for new referees at the start of the season and by participating, you get to be closest to the action of the game!
Become a part of our growing Referee community and support the kids!
U8 officials: Each game requires 1 (Center) referee per game. Each team is expected to have at least 2 team officials.
U10 & U12 officials: Each game requires 1 Center (CR) and 2 Assistant (AR) sideline referees. Each team is expected to have at least 3 team officials.
U14 and up: Each game requires 1 Center (CR) and 2 Assistant (AR) referees. Our 14U divisions are growing, so experienced referees are especially welcome at this level.
Regional Badge (for U10 and U12):
To complete the Regional Badge, both an self paced online training via eTrainU and a scheduled field Training is required, Please see the Volunteer Training Guide for information on how to complete the online portion which is required before the field training.
Field sessions are offered in Palo Alto and nearby regions throughout the year. Palo Alto usually holds its class in early October, with Area 2J sessions in late October; dates are posted in eTrainU and emailed to registered referee volunteers. Register via eTrainU and contact rra@ayso26.org with any questions.
Thank you for Volunteering to participate and enrich the lives of children through sport.
AYSO's training LMS is eTrainU and can be accessed through your SportsConnect account. To get started, please review our Volunteer Training Guide to learn how to use the resource.
Please note, in order to access eTrainU, you must first complete the Volunteer registration process by selecting "find Volunteer roles" selecting a role (referee, coach) and completing the disclosure forms and background check.