• General Policies and Renewal Instructions
• Annual Renewal Requirements
• Physical Fitness Requirements

The following information has been extracted from the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook and recent memoranda.

Referees who are registered with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) must renew their registration annually. National Referees must renew through the USSF National Office with the collaboration of the State Referee Administrator. Registrations must be submitted between September 1 (of the year prior to the registration period) to June 30 of the registration year.

Procedures

New Referees

1. Forms that are postmarked after June 30 will be processed for the following year's registration period. New referees registering from June 30-August 31 will be registered for the following year's registration period and receive the appropriate badge.
2. New referees will be considered registered after the State Referee Administrator has accepted the registration, provided that United States Soccer Federation policies and procedures have been followed, and may be added to state assignment lists thereafter.

Re-certifying Referees

1. Forms must be postmarked on or before June 30 of the registration year.
2. No recertification forms will be processed between July 1 and August 30 for the current registration year.
3. Re-certifying referees will be considered registered when they are in compliance with all United States Soccer Federation registration rules and regulations and may be added to state assignment lists at that time.
4. National Referees and National Referee Candidates must be registered by December 15 of the year prior to the certification camp.

Instructions for Completing Your Registration

Please visit CNRA.net for complete instructions for registration.

A referee may be downgraded if the referee fails to meet any of the criteria for that grade. A referee can only be registered at the level where the criteria of a particular grade are met. If referees are downgraded, they do not have to spend a year in the lower grade. Referees may be upgraded when they have met the standard for that grade.

It is the responsibility of the official to notify the national office of an address change immediately. Address changes must be in the national office before May 15 of each year to insure delivery of the registration renewal packet to the new or corrected address.

If a referee does not receive a badge and card, and has moved since the registration was processed, the badge and card may have been mailed to the former address. Referees should ask their State Referee Administrator to check the status of their registration with the national office. A five ($5) dollar service charge must accompany each request for a second badge/card mailing if there has been a change of address.

Any referee who was not registered with the U.S. Soccer Federation the previous year may be certified at the grade previously held after taking and passing the written qualifying examination, fitness test, and assessments. The following policy applies to referees who were previously certified and registered with the Federation:

1. Grade 8 referees who miss 1-2 consecutive years of registration can be reregistered as a grade 8 after completing a Referee Re-certification clinic.
2. Grade 8 referees who miss 3-4 consecutive years of registration can be reregistered after taking the Referee Bridge (Grade 9 to Grade 8) Course or the entire Entry Level Referee Training Course.
3. Grade 8 referees who miss 5 or more consecutive years must re-take the entire Entry Level Referee Training Course.
4. Grade 7 Referees and Higher - Referees can only be registered at the grade they qualify for. Referees who were Grade 7 or higher should be downgraded a minimum of one (1) grade, as per current policy (as long as they have met the criteria for that grade). Once they retake the appropriate course as listed above for grade 8 referees and have completed all the requirements for the previously held grade, they may be upgraded.
5. Grade 9 Referees who miss one or two years of registration may be re-certified after fulfilling all re-certification requirements for that grade. A Grade 9 Referee who misses two years of registration can be eligible to take the Bridge Course (9-8) after he or she has met the requirements to be re-certified as Grade 9.
6. US Soccer Federation Referee Instructors who wish to re-certify as a referee after a lapse in referee registration may be registered as a grade 8 referee upon meeting current re-certification requirements, no matter how long it has been since they last registered as a referee, if they are currently registered as a US Soccer instructor and have taught, at a minimum, one entry-level referee training course in the last two years.

Referees are registered annually, for the period January 1 to December 31. Current year Referee, Assignor, Instructor, and Assessor registration forms are accepted by the National Office from September 1 of the previous year to June 30 of the current year (10 months). Referees who did not have the opportunity to re-register during the prescribed current year registration period may register for the following year without penalty. (e.g. A referee last registered in 2002 may take a 2004 re-certification course in August 2003 without having to pay a 2003 registration fee.) HOWEVER, recertifying referees who wait until after June 30 to re-register should not be added to assignment lists until the following January 1. (e.g. A referee last registered in 2002 may take a 2004 re-certification course in August 2003 but shall not be assigned until January 1, 2004.)

Every referee registered is entitled to receive a registration card and badge from the National office upon completing registration requirements.

Every renewing referee will also receive a copy of the Laws of the Game from the U.S. Soccer Federation.

In California-North, all newly certified referees will receive a copy of the Laws of the Game at their certification clinic.

Annual renewal requirements vary according to your referee grade.

• Recreational Referees — Grades 9 and 12
• Referees — Grades 7-8
• State Referees — Grades 5-6
• National Referees — Grades 3-4
• Notes

Note 1. Grade 3 referees must meet all published criteria and be recommended for grade level by the U.S. Soccer Referee Technical Committee. Grade 3 designation will be based on game assignment level and field evaluations. Certification and re-certification for grade 3 can only come through the technical committee.

Note A, Registration and Upgrading: Registration, annual renewal and requests for upgrading must be made through the appropriate State Referee Administrator. Referees who have registered as grade 8 or higher may not re-register as grade 9.

Note B, Retaking Exams (grades 9, 8, 7): If a person does not pass the written examination, the entire examination must be retaken after a minimum waiting period of one month.

Note C, Retaking Exams (grades 6, 5): If a person does not pass the written examination, the entire examination must be retaken after a minimum waiting period of three months.

Note D, Assessments: For all referees seeking an upgrade to the next referee level, the assessments, if required for upgrade, should be completed within a twelve-month time period. No more than two failing assessments can occur within that time period. If a candidate for upgrade fails two assessments in that 12-month period, the referee must start the upgrade procedure over for the next registration cycle, starting with zero assessments.

*For annual maintenance assessments for State and National referees: Assessments for National Referee must be by a currently registered USSF National Assessor or an assessor approved by the Director of Assessment and the national office. They must be on games approved by the Referee Committee and played within the dates specified (Dec 1- November 30). The minimum acceptable score is 80. (See note J for additional information.)

The first failure will require only one additional passing assessment (1 for 1). For the second, and any additional failures, the two for one criteria applies. (i.e. two passing assessments needed to offset the failed assessment). Make up assessments must be on the same level game, or higher, as the failed assessment.

National Referee candidates must get their upgrade assessments in the December 1- November 30 time period in the year prior to National camp attendance.

Note F, Declaration: State Referees who wish to be assigned to professional games to receive assessments for upgrade to National Referee must complete the appropriate "New Candidate Declaration" form and submit it to the SRA. The SRA will forward the application to the National Office. Forms are accepted between December 1 and December 31 of the year prior to the year the referee will be a candidate. National Referee Candidates must attend a regional professional clinic and pass the physical fitness test to be eligible to receive assignments to professional games.

Note G, Professional Games: The Referee Committee may approve other games to count toward the requirement for professional games. Approved games are listed on the referee web page: www.ussoccer.com

Note H, Fast Track: Candidates for upgrading to National Referee must be acceptable to the US Soccer Referee Committee. Requirements other than age, game level, professional game counts and assessments may be waived at the discretion of the US Soccer Referee Committee.

Note I, Assessment requirements for FIFA Referees: Three (3) Professional League Division 1 matches as a referee. Assessment requirements for FIFA Assistant Referees: Three (3) Professional League Division 1 matches as an Assistant Referee.

Note J, Assessment requirements For National Referees working a minimum of five (5) Division 1 Professional League matches as a Referee: Two (2) assessments as a Referee on professional league matches and one (1) assessment as an Assistant Referee on an amateur division 1 (or higher) game. You will be asked to list these assessments on your National Camp application.

Assessment requirements For National Referees working a minimum of five (5) Division 1 Professional League matches as an Assistant Referee: Two (2) assessments as an Assistant Referee on professional league matches and one (1) assessment as a Referee on an amateur division 1 (or higher) game. You will be asked to list these assessments on your National Camp application.

All other grade 3 and 4 referees: See chart above.

A physical fitness test is required for registration, annual renewal and upgrading for the referee classes shown. The test can be administered by designated United States Soccer Federation Instructors. A document signed by the individual conducting the test is required. Fitness tests must be taken within a six-month period preceding the start of a new season or the date of registration.

The referee must pass all of the events that are part of the test at the same testing session. A reasonable rest period should be allowed between events. The procedure is to run the Endurance Test first.

Physical fitness requirements vary according to your referee grade.

• Referees — Grades 7-8
• State Referees — Grades 5-6
• National Referees — Grades 3-4
• Referees Working Division 1 and 2 Professional League Matches

Conducting the Test
The referee must pass all of the events that are part of the test at the same testing session. A reasonable rest period should be allowed between events. It is recommended that the Endurance Test be run first.