How to upgrade your badge: First read the requirements to be sure you qualify for an upgrade. If you do, there are several choices open to you. Region 16 is a part of Area 1F, the Area provides classes one to two times a year. A calendar of referee events can be found on the Area's website at:

http://www.aysoarea-1f.org/calendar/calendar_switch.htm and choose Referee Events from the sidebar

Other Areas offer upgrade classes as well.  During the Summer, Ken Aston Clinic brings together some of the United States most knowledgeable instructors to teach upgrade classes. For more information, contact your Referee Administrator

Upgrade to Intermediate Referee

1. Age 14 or older.

2. Officiate 25 games with at least 5 as a center in U12.

3.  Take the Intermediate Referee class and pass the Intermediate Referee Exam with a score of 90% or better.

4. Have one Referee Mentor observation as a center Referee.  Suggest a Referee Mentor observation as an Assistant Referee.

5. Be recommended by the Regional Referee Administrator.

6. Approval by the Area Referee Administrator.

 Upgrade to Advanced Referee

1.  Age 16 or older.

2. Officiate 50 games with at least 10 as a center in U14 and 5 as an assistant in U14.

3. Take the Advanced Referee class and pass the Advanced Referee Exam with a score of 90% or better.

4. Pass the Advanced Referee fitness test.

5. Assessed as a center Referee and as an assistant Referee in a U14 game.  Assessment should be done by an assessor outside of the region.

6.  Complete 5 service units.

7. Be recommended by the Regional Referee Administrator.

8. Approval by the Area Referee Administrator.

 Upgrade to National Referee

1. Officiate 100 games with at least 30 as a center Referee in U16 or higher (at least 15 games as a center in U19) and 25 as an assistant Referee in U16 or higher (at least 10 in U19).  Non-AYSO games may be included in this count. 

2. Take the National Referee class and pass the National Referee Exam with a score of 90% or better.

3. Pass the National Referee fitness test.

4. Complete two assessments as a center Referee with at least one assessment in U19.  Recommend that one assessment be in a girl’s game and the other in a boy’s game.  Complete one assessment as an assistant Referee in a U16 or U19 game.

5. Hold a Section or Advanced Referee badge for at least 1 year.

6. Complete 5 service units.

7. Approval by the Section Referee Administrator or Section Director of Assessment.

A Service Unit consists of:

• Observer-Friend observations

• mentoring of referees for development or upgrade

• serving as a Referee Administrator, Director of Referee Instruction, or Director of Referee Assessment. Serving on the referee staff.

• instructing Assistant Referee and Referee Training Courses

• instructing Referee Assessor Training Courses

• if certified, assessing candidates for certification upgrade

Note: No more than two (2) service units may be credited by an applicant for mentoring/observing an individual referee, or one (1) service unit per instruction, or one (1) service unit per year for an administrative function.

The requirement for performing service units is waived in the case of candidates who are under 18 years old.