Referees | U.S. Soccer Official Website

Referees

Referees are critical to the success of the game at all levels. In partnership with members and State Referee Committee, the U.S. Soccer Referee Program is focused on:

More referees: We’re investing in the growth of the referee pool and have seen a 13%+ increase at the grassroots level in the last year. One area of focus in this area is the Green Badge Program for Youth Referees, which identifies and supports referees under 18 years old creating a safer environment for younger officials while raising awareness among players, coaches, and spectators. We also run the Women’s Initiatives (WI), an in-person development initiative focused on increasing female regional referees. This program has achieved a 20% increase in female regional referees.
Better experiences for referees: We’ve improved the abuse prevention policy, introduced a new penalties framework, developed resources to drive positive change, and are rolling out the Safe Soccer Clearance platform to make it more user friendly and cheaper for referees to comply with Safeguarding standards. As part of Phase 3 of our referee abuse prevention policy, we are also centralizing reporting through this platform to enhance accountability and streamline the reporting process.
Better pathways and support: We’re rolling out The U.S. Way for Refereeing strategy, to elevate education and development nationwide, while also partnering with PRO to identify and develop the next generation of professional referees. As part of this focus, we introduced a formal Referee Coach Pathway to elevate instruction, consistency, and professional development across the referee education system. This pathway includes updated curriculum, practical tools, and instructor support. We also released a library of 101 field-ready practical training sessions for all levels of referees as well as in-person courses. To continue development, we launched RefEval, a referee evaluation platform that enables standardized, structured feedback and development support for referees at every level.
Celebrating referees: We introduced three new national referee awards, including the inaugural Fernando G. Alvarez Referee Champion Award, presented to Don Wilbur. We have reached a record 42 FIFA-recognized referees and continue to celebrate the contributions of referees across all levels of the game.

Referees

Referees are critical to the success of the game at all levels. In partnership with members and State Referee Committee, the U.S. Soccer Referee Program is focused on:

More referees: We’re investing in the growth of the referee pool and have seen a 13%+ increase at the grassroots level in the last year. One area of focus in this area is the Green Badge Program for Youth Referees, which identifies and supports referees under 18 years old creating a safer environment for younger officials while raising awareness among players, coaches, and spectators. We also run the Women’s Initiatives (WI), an in-person development initiative focused on increasing female regional referees. This program has achieved a 20% increase in female regional referees.
Better experiences for referees: We’ve improved the abuse prevention policy, introduced a new penalties framework, developed resources to drive positive change, and are rolling out the Safe Soccer Clearance platform to make it more user friendly and cheaper for referees to comply with Safeguarding standards. As part of Phase 3 of our referee abuse prevention policy, we are also centralizing reporting through this platform to enhance accountability and streamline the reporting process.
Better pathways and support: We’re rolling out The U.S. Way for Refereeing strategy, to elevate education and development nationwide, while also partnering with PRO to identify and develop the next generation of professional referees. As part of this focus, we introduced a formal Referee Coach Pathway to elevate instruction, consistency, and professional development across the referee education system. This pathway includes updated curriculum, practical tools, and instructor support. We also released a library of 101 field-ready practical training sessions for all levels of referees as well as in-person courses. To continue development, we launched RefEval, a referee evaluation platform that enables standardized, structured feedback and development support for referees at every level.
Celebrating referees: We introduced three new national referee awards, including the inaugural Fernando G. Alvarez Referee Champion Award, presented to Don Wilbur. We have reached a record 42 FIFA-recognized referees and continue to celebrate the contributions of referees across all levels of the game.