Administration

The Referee Administrative Handbook is meant to be used as a guide to the administrative processes of the U.S. Soccer Referee Program. It contains information about policies, by-laws and requirements that affect all referees. Of importance, are the various recertifying and upgrade requirements should any referee wish to consider moving to a different grade. Many questions can be addressed by the State Referee Administrator who may be more familiar with certain state procedures and protocols. If you do not know how to contact the State Referee Administrator in your area, you will find a list, with contact information, on our web site, www.ussoccer.com.

• Click here to download "Referee Administrative Handbook, 2010-11 Edition" 

The U.S. Soccer Federation Bylaws and Policies pertaining to referees include the following:

• Bylaw 531
• Bylaw 532
• Policy 531-1
• Policy 531-2
• Policy 531-3
• Policy 531-4
• Policy 531-5
• Policy 531-6
• Policy 531-7
• Policy 531-8
• Policy 531-9
• Policy 531-10
• Policy 531-11

Official Sports International is the official supplier of referee uniforms for U.S. Soccer.

The official referee uniform, shorts and socks are pictured here:

Only manufacturer's logos and U.S. Soccer approved badges and/or emblems may be on the uniform.

The diagonal system of control consists of one referee and two assistant referees.  All competitions sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation require the use of this officiating system and certain competitions may require the use of a fourth official. 

In order to comply with the Laws of the Game all games sanctioned directly or indirectly by member organizations of the U.S. Soccer Federation must employ the diagonal system of control and be assigned according to the following order or preference:

• One registered referee and two registered assistant referees
• One registered referee, one registered assistant referee and one unregistered club linesperson*
• One registered referee and two unregistered club linespersons*
• One registered referee only if no unregistered club linespersons are available or if one registered referee is appropriate for the level of competition

*Club linespersons are only allowed to signal for the ball in and out of play.  The preference should always been given to unregistered club linespersons who have no affiliation to the participating teams. 

Each official is expected to keep all assignments that they accept. However, there are certain occasions when an official has duty to the U.S. Soccer Referee Program to release a lower level appointment and accept a higher level assignment.
Therefore, the following games are listed by priority for assignment:

• FIFA
• CONCACAF
• International “A”
• U. S. National Team
• Division 1 Professional League
• Foreign Professional Team vs. Foreign Professional Team
• Division 2 and 3 Professional League
• U.S. Soccer Development Academy
• National Youth Championships and National Adult Cup Finals
• Regional Youth Championships and Regional Adult Cup Finals
• National Tournaments
  - Youth and adult games with match length recommended by U.S. Soccer Best Practices
• Interstate Adult National Cup Competitions
• National Adult Leagues
• Intrastate Adult National Cup Competitions
• State Cup Competitions
  - Youth and adult games with match length recommended by U.S. Soccer Best Practices

Please note that this policy does not apply:

• Within 72 hours of the scheduled game time unless an emergency situation exists
• When a substantial financial commitment has been made for the assignment (e.g., non-refundable airline tickets)

Responsibility of officials:

• Keep the lines of communication open about upcoming international and national and International appointments as far in advance as possible
• Communicate the receipt of a higher priority appointment to their assignor as soon as possible
• Report an assignor that refuses to release the official from a higher priority assignment to their State Referee Administrator and the U.S. Soccer Referee Department

Responsibility of assignors:

• Identify the highly experienced officials on your assignment roster who are likely to be assigned to a higher priority assignment and always be prepared to fill these slots on an emergency basis
• Cooperate with officials and other assignors on those rare occasions when the game priority policy is invoked
• Report any concerns regarding the to the State Referee Administrator

The completion and submission of reports can be an important duty of an official.  If required by the competition, the U.S. Soccer Referee Report can be used to submit game information.  If needed, and in addition to the U.S. Soccer Referee Report, the U.S. Soccer Supplemental Referee Report should be used for incidents involving misconduct, abuse or assault. 

• U.S. Soccer Referee Report (hyperlink coming soon)
• U.S. Soccer Supplemental Referee Report (hyperlink coming soon)

Some competitions may provide individualized game, misconduct and supplemental reports. 

In addition to the U.S. Soccer Federation Policy 531-9, officials should consider the following when submitting a U.S. Soccer Supplemental Referee Report related to instances of misconduct, abuse or assault:

• Complete a U.S. Soccer Referee Report to record the basic game data
• Provide a clear, concise and factual account of what happened
• Include all relevant information to identify the persons involved
• Do not give opinions or recommendations
• Confirm the details in the report with all other officials
• File the report within 48 hours of the incident
• Retain a copy of all reports for future reference
• Multiple incidents may require the use of multiple supplemental reports

At a minimum, supplemental reports should be sent to the following:

• Competition authorities (e.g., local league, tournament director, cup coordinator, etc.)
• State President with jurisdiction for the competition
• State Referee Administrator and/or the State Youth Referee Administrator
• Local police department (if charges are filed by the official)

 After submitting reports related to misconduct, abuse or assault, an official should acknowledge all correspondences related to the report and advise any authorized panel of availability to attend a disciplinary hearing if requested.  If requested to participate in a disciplinary hearing, either in person or by phone, an official should cooperate fully throughout the proceedings.

Registered and certified officials have the responsibility to officiate games among youth, adult and professional teams which are affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation so that affiliated teams do not have a shortage of qualified officials for their competitions. 

Unaffiliated competition refers to teams and leagues that meet any of the following criteria in relation to the U.S. Soccer Federation:

• Have never been affiliated with
• Suspended by
• In bad standing with
• Left voluntarily (while in good standing at the time of departure)

In addition to the U.S. Soccer Federation Polices 531-1 and 531-6, officials should take steps to prevent any appearance of a conflict of interest. 

An active official may serve on the administrative committees or board of a competition or State Association (except as restricted by U.S. Soccer Federation Policy 531-1).  An active official may officiate in a competition or State Association while also being a member but should adhere to the following:

• Disqualify themselves from participating in any disciplinary proceeding in which the subject is a team, player or other person where there is a vested interest
• Disqualify themselves from participating in any disciplinary proceeding involving a game where they served as a game official
• Not officiate in any match where there is a vested interest

“Vested interest” is defined as when the official or a member of the official's family (spouse, child or parent) or that person’s team may be affected by the outcome of the proceeding or match.

Eddie Pearson Award

The award is presented to an individual from the referee community that displays the following:

• Distinguished contributions to the U.S. Soccer Referee Program
• Involvement with the program has spanned at least 10 years

Each State Association, State Referee Committee or State Referee Administrator may recommend a candidate based on the criteria listed above. Recommendations are submitted to the U.S. Soccer Referee Department where the criteria for each candidate will be reviewed by a selection panel comprised of previous Eddie Pearson Award winners. The final selections will be confirmed by the U.S. Soccer Referee Committee based on the recommendations of the selection panel.

Previous recipients:

• Pat Smith (1979)
• Don Byron (1980)
• Ray Morgan (1981)
• Roger Schott (1982)
• Paul Avis (1983)
• John Best (1987)
• Harry Baldwin (1988)
• Robert Sumpter (1989)
• Don Philipson (1990)
• Keith Walker (1991)
• Robert Evans (1992)
• Angelo Bratsis (1993)
• Heinz Wolmerath (1994)
• Thomas Webb (1995)
• Jack McCabe (1996)
• Richard Giebner (1997)
• Michael Wuertz (1998)
• Fernando Alvarez (1999)
• Peter Johnson (2000)
• Ed Bellion (2001)
• Robert Wertz (2002)
• Alfred Kleinaitis (2003)
• Jim Allen (2004)
• Herb Silva (2006)
• Dave McKee (2008)
• Rodney Kenny (2010)
• Toros Kibritjian (2011)

William Schofield Award

The award is presented to an individual from the referee community that encompasses the following characteristics:

• Thorough dedication to the art and profession of refereeing
• Courage and will to recover from a major physical setback
• Unparalleled treatment of fellow officials with respect and friendship

Each State Association, State Referee Committee or State Referee Administrator may recommend a candidate based on the criteria listed above. Recommendations are submitted to the U.S. Soccer Referee Department where the criteria for each candidate will be reviewed and then selections will be confirmed by the U.S. Soccer Referee Committee as appropriate.

Previous recipients:

• Robert Singer (1990)
• Reinhold Spath (1991)
• George Hall (1992)
• Robert Evans (1994)
• Steve Oliver (1997)
• Dennis La Versa (2000)
• Fred Parrish (2008)