WSSLWSSL

Online and In-person Referee Classes

Please consider what level of Referee certification you need and then refer to the instructions below. 8U Official is the name of referees for divisions 6U to 8U. Divisions 9U to 12U require a Regional Referee certificate. For 13U and older divisions, the Intermediate Referee course is preferred.

Referee volunteers can take the 8U Official and Regional Referee (online component only) self-study courses at any time, however in order to be eligible to referee games in WSSL there are additional in-person requirements. Please see the green box and referee class instructions below for details.

Please read the instructions for How To Become a Referee before enrolling for a class. There are several steps to the process and it is important that they are completed in the correct order. All courses and a referee uniform are provided free of charge.

ALL TRAINING MUST BE ENROLLED FOR AND COMPLETED USING YOUR OWN EMAIL AND LOGIN, NOT THOSE OF A FAMILY MEMBER.

DUE TO LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, WE CANNOT GIVE CREDIT FOR TRAINING COMPLETED USING SOMEONE ELSE’S LOGIN.

Referee Certification Classes

**COURSE PREREQUISITES

Before enrolling for any class, AYSO requires that all volunteers have:**

  1. Registered on the WSSL.org website under Player & Volunteer Registration. This includes players who want to also be a referee (player registration is not sufficient). Registration as a volunteer kicks off an annual background check for adult volunteers which is a legal requirement. Volunteers under 18 years of age do not need a background check; and,

  2. Completed the online Safe Haven course; and,

  3. Completed the online CDC Concussion Awareness courses. See below.

  4. Volunteers over 18 years old must also complete the SafeSport online course. Unlike Safe Haven, this is an annual requirement. Please visit SafeSport for more information and instructions on taking the class.

Next, pick the level of referee certificate that is relevant to your needs:

LEVEL 1 (Beginners): The 8U Official online course is the entry-level course for volunteers with little or no refereeing experience (including even talented players of the game!). You will be eligible to referee games in 6U, 7U and 8U after completing this course and the other requirements. We love it when coaches are also certified referees, and also welcome players and siblings who are over 10 years old.

Course Prerequisites: Please see the green box above.

The course is split into two components, both of which are mandatory:

a) 8U Official Online course (online at eTrainU). You can complete the online 8U Official course at any time, at your own pace. Here’s how:

  1. Login to the WSSL inLeague website USING YOUR OWN EMAIL ADDRESS and click on the mortarboard icon at the top right of the screen to go to eTrainU. Click on the green button “Login to eTrainU (Powered by eTrainU).”
  2. Go to the Training Library and under “Refereeing” click on “View Courses.”
  3. Find the “AYSO - 8U Official” course and click “Enroll.” The course will be moved to your “My Training” folder and should open automatically.
  4. Once at the “AYSO - 8U Official” course, click “Start.”
  5. Complete the training at your own pace. It takes about an hour. Once you have completed and passed the quiz (75%+) you may click “Exit.” You will receive an email to confirm completion.

b) Once you have completed the online component, attend a 40-minute “WSSL 8U Official seminar” to cover some specifics of being a referee in WSSL. If you intend to take an in-person Regional Referee class very soon then you do NOT need to attend the seminar as well. The 8U Seminar is offered regularly either on Zoom or in person, usually at the start of each season. Here are the materials that will be covered: 8U Seminar. Once you register as a referee volunteer you will receive email alerts with Zoom details for upcoming seminars (also below). Please email the referee instruction team if you need to request a Zoom seminar at a different day or time.

Where and When: The next 8U seminar on is on September 11th at 4:00pm.

To join the Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77248770420?pwd=qu9Rlt098HqGK9a9IjD8euKUfaeoNy.1

LEVEL 2: The Regional Referee - Online + In-Person Companion Course is our second-level course. You will be eligible to referee games up to and including 12U after completing this course.

Course Prerequisites: Please see the green box above. In addition, BEFORE ATTENDING A ZOOM SESSION, ALL ATTENDEES MUST FIRST TAKE THE ONLINE PORTION OF THE REGIONAL REFEREE ONLINE + IN PERSON COMPANION COURSE!

The course is split into TWO components which must be completed in order:

a) Regional Referee Online course (online at eTrainU). This is the self-study course offered by AYSO National Office. You can complete the online component of the Regional Referee course at any time, at your own pace.

  1. Login to the WSSL InLeague website USING YOUR OWN EMAIL ADDRESS and click on the mortarboard icon at the top right of the screen to go to eTrainU. Click on the green button “Login to eTrainU (Powered by eTrainU).”
  2. Go to the Training Library and under “Refereeing” click on “View Courses.”
  3. Find the “Regional Referee Online + In-Person Companion Course” course and click “Enroll.” The two courses (Regional Referee and In Person Companion) will be moved to your “My Training” folder.
  4. Select the “Regional Referee” course and click “Start.”
  5. Complete the training at your own pace. It takes about two hours. You can stop and come back later. Once you have completed and passed the exam you may click “Exit.” You will receive an email to confirm completion.

b) Regional Referee - In-Person COMPANION class to the online learning course (classroom or Zoom)

The companion course is a three-hour class that assumes you have learned everything in the online class and will be focused on confirmation of learning, answering any questions, and highlighting WSSL “local rules”.

Where and When: The next Regional Referee In-Person Companion to Online Learning course will be held on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 6:30pm to 9:30pm via Zoom. Registration is via AYSOU. This Zoom session is the “in-person” component of the Regional Referee Online + In Person Companion Course. BEFORE ATTENDING THIS ZOOM SESSION, ALL ATTENDEES MUST FIRST TAKE THE ONLINE PORTION OF THE REGIONAL REFEREE ONLINE + IN PERSON COMPANION COURSE!

The same class will be offered again on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:30pm to 9:30pm. The same pre-class requirements apply.

LEVEL 3: The Intermediate Referee class is strongly recommended for referees in 13U to 19U and is mandatory if you plan to be Center Referee in those divisions. The course includes in-depth modules on fouls and misconduct, advantage, offside and positioning. The class is aimed at experienced referees who have a strong understanding of the Laws of the Game.

Course Prerequisites: Significant practical experience at the Regional Referee level. A good knowledge of the Laws of the Game is assumed and not taught at this class but will be on the test. Hence some pre-course preparation is recommended to brush up on the IFAB Laws of the Game.

Where and When: Not currently scheduled in WSSL. The WSSL Intermediate level class is usually scheduled in February/March each year. Please check in eTrainU for Intermediate classes in other regions by clearing the Regions filter.

LEVEL 4: An Advanced Referee class is aimed at experienced referees who want to be ready to take on demanding games.

Course Prerequisites: Intermediate Referee Certification, a thorough knowledge of the Laws of the Game is assumed as well as significant accumulated practical refereeing experience. Please see the green box below.

Cost: No fee. Lunch included.

Where and When: Not currently scheduled in WSSL. Please check eTrainU for classes in other regions (clear the Regions filter).

How to Register for a Class

Please see the instructions below and email our Director of Referee Instruction, Michael Titowsky, and our Regional Referee Administrator, Michelle Gurk, with any questions or requests for training. [Click here]

If you would like to prepare ahead of the class, check out the Referee Survival Kit for lots of useful information. More information about referee training can be found here.

Teen Referees

Young people aged 10 years and over, including Core and Travel soccer players and their siblings, and are very welcome to attend referee classes. Please bear in mind that classes are quite intense and take approx. 3½ hours. WSSL awards community service credit for time in class and refereeing on the field, subject to approval by the school. The Teen Referee program welcomes new members and will make sure that you have fun as well as serving the league!

Volunteer registration for young people is a little different from that for parent volunteers. Go here for Teen Referee instructions.

How to Register for a Referee Class

These are the steps that need to be completed to register for a course. Some of them only need to be done once, if they’re done properly. Please try to do these in order. It will cut down on problems and having to repeat any of these steps.

  1. Volunteer as a referee by logging into your WSSL InLeague account and checking the box for Referee on your parent profile (if you have not done this already at registration)
  2. On the WSSL InLeague website click on the mortarboard icon at the top right of the screen to go to eTrainU. Click on the green Login to eTrainU button.
  3. Go to the Training Library and under “Safe Haven” click on “View Courses”.
  4. Complete the “AYSO’s Safe Haven - Online” course.
  5. Complete the “CDC Concussion Awareness - Online” course.
  6. Click on “Training Events”
  7. Select the class you want. Hint: In the “Regions” Filter, type “Region 611” (that’s us!). You will see a list of all available in-person courses. Choose ‘U8 Official’ or ’Regional Referee Course”, etc., as needed. Please note the course prerequisites explained on the “How to Become a Referee” page.
  8. Click on “Enroll”. Review the details for the class (time and place and requirements).
  9. Put the class on your personal calendar!

Safe Haven, Concussion Awareness and Regional Referee Companion Courses Online

The above courses are offered online and can be taken at any time at your convenience.

  1. Put the kettle on.
  2. Go to eTrainU (see above).
  3. Click on “Training Library.”
  4. Find the course you need: Safe Haven, CDC Concussion or Regional Referee Companion Courses Online.
  5. Click the blue “ENROLL” button.
  6. Make yourself a nice hot cup of tea or coffee and grab a biscuit or two.
  7. When you are ready, on the next page click START to begin the course.
  8. Pro Tip: take a screenshot of the completion screen / certificate and keep it safe in case the system does not update correctly.

For Safe Haven and Regional Referee Courses, all modules for each course must be taken for the course to be considered complete.

SafeSport

All adults, 18 years or older, must complete Federally-mandated SafeSport training for adults involved in youth sports. If you have completed this training with another sports organization, your certificate is also valid for WSSL. Details are on the SafeSport page.