AYSO's National Referee Program provides comprehensive referee training for all levels of play that use referees in AYSO, starting with 8U and continuing through 19U. Because the time commitment for training is not significantly different between 8U, called "8U Official", and 10U, called "Regional Referee", We recommend starting with Regional Referee.
The five AYSO referee certification levels are
• 8U Official – Not recommended
• Regional Referee – Required for 10U and above
• Intermediate Referee – Recommended for 12U and above
• Advanced Referee – Recommended for 14U and above
• National Referee – Recommended for 16U and 18U
Login to ayso110.org and find a volunteer position to get started.
Note that Youth Referees need their own account on this website because that is the username and account the youth will use to login to AYSO U for online training.
Volunteers NOT associated with a specific team, should register under the "MY2025 Floating Referees and Board Members " program.
Volunteers for a specific team and age division should select "2025 Fall Core 2025".
A series of certifications are required and are outlined in the following guide:
Hillsborough Coach & Referee Certification Guide
The Regional Referee training and most
safety courses are offered through AYSOU which will take you to a linked etrainu site. The AYSOU menu option is only visible after volunteering for a role.
Regional Referee training can be done entirely in person through the course titled "Regional Referee - Full In-Person Course" or through
the "Regional Referee Online + In-Person Companion Course" which has an online component followed by a shorter field training.
Hillsborough will offer this training on one or two dates near the start of the season, but you are welcome to take either format at your convenience from any AYSO Region. If you do the split class, you must complete the online portion before the in-person field training.
Please try to complete training before opening day!
Returning referees need to make sure their certifications are current. A Risk Status certification is usually valid for 18 months and SafeSport is required each year.