Welcome!

Welcome to another season of soccer! And a sincere Thank You! to all of our referees for your continued support of VYS.

The information presented below is for referees wanting to work VYS house/recreational club league games and VYS home ODSL travel league games assigned by the VYS Referee Assignor.

See NCSL Referee Information if you want to work NCSL and WAGSL travel league games assigned by others.

The responsibilities of a referee must be taken seriously. Remember that you are the symbol of integrity, the ultimate authority at every game ensuring fair and safe play. Many people including players, coaches, spectators, other referees, and league officials are depending on you to show up on time to your game assignments, prepared to perform your game official duties to the very best of your ability.

Please refer any concerns, issues, or problems to the VYS Referee Assignor.

Eligibility

A referee wanting to work games assigned by the VYS Referee Assignor must satisfy the following minimum requirements:

• Age 12 (7th grade) or older;
• Complete a USSF referee certification course (see Referee Training);
• Purchase an official referee uniform;
• Register your profile by e-mail with the VYS Referee Assignor;
• Attend the VYS Referee Sign Up event held each pre-season (see the Calendar).

The referees required for a VYS house/recreational club league game are as follows:

• U12 and over (1) Center Referee and (2) Assistant Referees.
• U19-U11 (1) Center Referee only.
• U5-U8 No referees.

The referees required for an ODSL travel league game are as follows:

• U11 and over (1) Center Referee and (2) Assistant Referees.
• U9-U10 (1) Center Referee only (experienced and preferably age 16 or older)

A Center Referee must be at least two years older than the division age group of play. For example, the Center Referee for a U11 game must be age 13 or older. Also, a newly certified (inexperienced) referee may only be a Center Referee for U10 and under house/recreational club league games (no travel league games). Contact the VYS Referee Assignor to request an exception to this age restriction for a particular game.

There is no age restriction for Assistant Referees. This is to encourage young referees to gain experience at all levels of play as Assistant Referees.

Registration

After you have completed a USSF referee certification course, register your referee profile with VYS by e-mailing the following information to the VYS Referee Assignor:

• Full name;
• Mail address (street address, city, state, zip code);
• Phone number(s) (home, office/work, mobile/cell);
• E-Mail address;
• Date of birth;
• Date of most recent USSF referee certification course;
• Referee grade (8 or 9);
• Seasons of experience.

You will be added to the VYS referee list on the MySoccerLeague.com online referee assigning system. You will receive account login credentials (user id and password) so that you may login to view/request/accept/decline VYS house/recreational club league game assignments and VYS home ODSL travel league game assignments.

And, you will be added to the VYS referee list on the ODSL.org online referee assigning system. You will receive account login credentials (user id and password) so that you may login to view your ODSL travel league game assignments and to submit game reports.

Also, your phone number(s) will be added to the VYS voice messaging distribution list so that you will receive urgent club messages by automated voice messaging, unless you request otherwise.

All referees should keep their referee profile information current with the Metro DC-Virginia State Referee Program and with those accounts you may have with local referee assignors and online referee assigning systems.

Assignment

All referees should attend the VYS Referee Sign Up event held each pre-season. Referees can not request game assignments on MySoccerLeague.com until after Referee Sign Up is held and the Referee Assignor has announced by e-mail that you may begin requesting games.

To request a game assignment, login to MySoccerLeague.com. An open/unassigned game will have an I'd Like It button that you select to request that game. After you request a game, you will receive a follow-up e-mail confirming whether or not you have been assigned that game.

If you are not assigned a game, it is most likely because several referees requested the same game and the Referee Assignor assigned it to just one of them. The Referee Assignor distributes assignments as fairly as possible.

If a game is open/unassigned and you do not see an I Like It button, try removing your date of birth from your user profile to get the button to appear. If you are still having a problem, please contact the VYS Referee Assignor for assistance.

If you did not request a game that was assigned to you by the Referee Assignor, then you MUST login to MySoccerLeague.com to accept/decline that game assignment as soon as possible. If you do not accept the assignment by Wednesday midnight before the game, that game will be returned to the open games list.

Cancellation Policy

Do not cancel a game assignment unless absolutely necessary.

The Referee Assignor understands that travel league schedules sometimes change at the last minute and that referees do get sick.

If you need to cancel a game assignment, you MUST do so by Wednesday midnight before the game. Any cancellation after the Wednesday midnight deadline will require a detailed explanation to be e-mailed to the Referee Assignor. If the Referee Assignor is not satisfied with your explanation, or if you repeatedly cancel after the Wednesday midnight deadline, then the pay you would have earned will instead be deducted from your paycheck and you may no longer be permitted to referee for VYS.

To cancel a game assignment:

• Notify the VYS Referee Assignor by e-mail as soon as possible;
• If it is after the Wednesday midnight deadline, include a detailed explanation;
• If it is within a day before the game, also call the VYS Referee Assignor by phone;
• If possible, try to find a replacement referee for your game(s).

Responsibilities

IMPORTANT – No Shows: Coaches expect to see referees at their games and are very vocal about letting the Referee Assignor know when a referee fails to show. Failure to show up for an assigned game is very bad. This is a real job with players, coaches, spectators, other referees, and league officials depending on you. Showing up at the wrong time or at the wrong field is the same as not showing up at all.

If you fail to show up for an assigned game, the pay you would have earned will instead be deducted from your paycheck. The second time you fail to show up for an assigned game, you will no longer be permitted to referee for VYS. No excuses. No exceptions.

Every referee is expected to perform their assigned game official duties to the very best of their ability. The following are key reminders:

• Check your online game assignments before leaving for your game to be sure that you have correctly noted the assigned day, date, time, field, and league division of play;
• Know the Laws of the Game for the house/recreational club league or travel league division of play;
• Bring the necessary equipment including an alternate shirt or pinny color to resolve a color conflict with a team uniform;
• Arrive at the game field 30 minutes prior to kick-off with a good attitude;
• Survey the field for safe playing conditions: goals anchored; field clear of debris/defects; immediate touch lines and goal lines clear of spectators, equipment, and dogs;
• Confirm that the game ball is the correct size, of match quality, and fully inflated; and that a spare game ball is available on a field with difficult or hazardous boundaries;
• Take control of the game and make calls with a loud, firm voice;
• Be a good teacher to young players by letting them know what call was made and why;
• Know your role; do not become over zealous such that you unduly disrupt the flow of the game and/or interfere with its outcome;
• Do not engage players, coaches, and spectators in frivolous conversation and/or argument;
• Expect the unexpected, use common sense, and make safety a priority (allow extra time outs on a very hot day).

Report serious game-related problems concerning players, coaches, spectators, or other game officials to the VYS Vice President of Referees.

Inclement Weather

In the event of inclement weather, check Field Status for VYS field closure status before going to the field. You may also receive a voice message from VYS and/or an e-mail notification from the Referee Assignor announcing VYS field closure status.

If you are away from Internet access and did not receive a call, then call the VYS Referee Assignor to confirm field closure status.

If you can not confirm field closure status, then go to your game assignment! Do not assume that a game is canceled because it is or was raining.

If a field is closed and games are canceled and you do not work, you will not be paid. If a field is closed after you arrive at the field or after a game begins, you will be paid for the entire game.

Pay & Reimbursement

Referees will receive separate paychecks at the end of the season according to their game assignments maintained on each online referee assigning system and subject to the respective referee pay scales. You do not need to submit/mail-in a pay card or game report card to secure your pay:

• Paychecks will be issued by VYS for VYS house/recreational club league game assignments on MySoccerLeague.com. See the VYS Referee Pay Scale;
• Paychecks will be issued by ODSL for ODSL travel league game assignments on ODSL.org. See the ODSL Referee Pay Scale.

IMPORTANT – ODSL Referee Game Report If you are the Center Referee for an ODSL travel league game, you MUST login to file an ODSL Referee Game Report within 48 hours of the game or else you will not be paid for that game.

It is the referee’s responsibility to ensure that their work record is accurately maintained/updated online to reflect the games they actually worked so that their pay is correct. If you happen to work a game assigned to another referee, you MUST notify the VYS Referee Assignor to update the online game assignment and then confirm that this has been done so that you will be paid for that game.

*For VYS house/recreational club league games only.

One-Time Uniform Reimbursement A new referee is eligible for a one-time reimbursement of $25 toward the cost of their uniform AFTER working (5) VYS games within a calendar year. E-Mail your request for this reimbursement at the end of the season to the VYS Referee Assignor.

Annual Certification Reimbursement A referee is eligible for an annual reimbursement of $45/$65 toward the cost of their USSF referee certification/recertification course AFTER working (10) VYS games within a calendar year. E-Mail your request for this reimbursement at the end of the season to the VYS Referee Assignor.