Becoming a Soccer Referee

To become a referee you need to be at least 14 years of age to referee in the State of Alabama. Exception: If turning 14 before February 1 of the following year, you may still register (after August 1 of the current year) for an entry level course and become certified, but you will not be able to referee until you turn 14 .

New Referee Training

Clinics are held throughout the year starting from August 1 of the current year and continuing until Feb 28 of the following year. The Grassroots Initial Entry Course has two parts, training done online and the rest spent in an in-person field session in designated cities across the state.

Requirements:

Age limit Must be 14 to be assigned to games.
Enrollment Course Registration
Training 4-5.5 hours online and attendance at a 2 hour field session
Safety and Compliance SafeSport Trained, Safe Soccer Training and Background Check (18 yrs and older)
Laws of the Game Quiz On-line - Grassroots Quiz
Cost For 17 year olds and younger total $100 and $130 for 18 years and above. This fee includes $20 for the online Grassroots course, $80 In-Person Clinic fee, USSF Registration fee and Alabama registration fee and $30 Background Check fee (only for 18yrs and older)

There are 5 steps to follow (Click on each for more info): You can download these instructions here

Step 1 - Create a Profile at U.S. Soccer Referee Learning Center (LC)

You must first create a profile with US Soccer Referee Learning Center (LC).
  • You will need a unique account identifier, which is an email address. Parents may not use their lone email address to register multiple referees. Each referee needs their own email address. Parents may add a secondary email address to each account in order to receive any emails their child is receiving from either U.S. Soccer or the Alabama State Referee Committee.
  • A known issue while creating an account in the LC is a browser timeout. If this occurs for you, U.S. Soccer recommends to clear your browser history, cache, and cookies. Close your browser, and try again. Alternatively, try a different browser or device to create your account.
  • If you already have an existing profile in the LC, log in using the same email address and password. You can navigate and create a referee profile from there. Please note that U.S. Soccer will need to support the merging of your referee data to your new profile in this circumstance. Contact referee@ussoccer.org to initiate this process

Step 2 - Complete the US Soccer NCSI Background Check (mandatory for 18 years and older)

You must complete the NCSI Background check if you are 18 years old and older before you can register for a course. If you are 17 years old or younger, go to step 3.
  • Available inside the Learning Center under Available Courses-Supplemental Courses-Background Screening
  • Valid for 2 years
  • Mandatory for all referees 18 years of age or older
  • Cost of the background check is $30 once every 2 years
  • Background check must be completed to obtain certification.
  • Background check process may take up to 10 days.

Step 3 - Register for an In-Person Grassroots Entry Course

After creating an account and completing the background check(18 and over), the prospective referee must register for an in-person course in Alabama. The system will not let you register for a course unless you have completed the background check (18 and over)
  • Logon to US Soccer Referee Learning Center (LC).
  • Click Courses-Available Courses-Grassroots-First time Referees-Go to Course List
  • Use the "Host" drop down menu and select Alabama State Referee Committee or the Location drop down to select "Alabama" to find a course near you
  • You should see the courses listed.
  • Click on course details then Proceed to Registration
  • You will need to pay your registration fee at his time ($100). The cost includes the USSF registration fee, Alabama registration fees and the cost of the course (both online and in-person portions)
  • New courses in various locations are continually being added as local leagues and clubs request to host courses in their area
  • In-person entry level courses are typically held from July through February. Courses are not offered on or after March 1st. In order to allow sufficient time for completing online requirements, registration for all courses will close three days prior to the scheduled date of the course.

Step 4 - Download the Laws of the Game.

The Laws of the game are available here. The LOTG can also be found under "Resources" tab once you register for an in-persone course. They are also available as an app on both Android and IOS.

Step 5 - Complete All-Online Assignments and Attend the In-Person Course

NOTE REGARDING COVID-19: For the 2021 registration cycle (courses beginning in August 2020), all in-person entry level referee courses will be held virtually using Zoom. Relevant details will be posted under the course description in the Learning Center.
All online assignments must be completed before attending the in-person course, including the Online Grassroots Referee Course, 2021 Grassroots Referee Certification Quiz, 2021 Introduction to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments, and 2021 Safesport Training (18 years of age and older). All of this is found under the “Assignments” tab after registering for the course. Referees will not be fully registered and certified until they have both attended the in-person course AND completed all online assignments through the Learning Center..
The in-person course is approximately two hours. The course includes both classroom and field session activities
Students should plan to attend the in-person course dressed appropriately for light, outdoor exercise. They should also bring the following with them: whistle, yellow/red cards, and a flag. This equipment can be purchased . This equipment can be purchased from Official Sports, the official supplier of U.S. Soccer referee uniforms and equipment. The Alabama SRC recommends buying the short sleeve Yellow shirt first. You can buy a kit that includes the shorts, socks, flags and cards.
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