All of the referees in the OSLRG have been certified by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in the past, with the few exceptions being international FIFA Referees that may have received their certification and badge from outside of the United States. Currently, the majority of the OSLRG Referees are still certified with the USSF. Information about USSF certification levels and background is provided here to demonstrate that there is a significant effort on the part of referees to reach and maintain higher level refereeing status in accordance with USSF Guidelines. Greater detail and information can be found on other websites such as www.ussoccer.com and some of that information is provided below for quick reference.
GRADE LEVEL NORMALLY INDICATES ASSIGNMENT LEVEL:
USSF uses a grade level system that indicates at what level of competition the referee is theoretically able to accept assignments. More details are listed below and at the www.ussoccer.com website.
THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF GRADE LEVELS: 1-11
USSF has 11 levels, where the level 1 is THE HIGHEST LEVEL- a FIFA Referee where they can officiate all International and Professional matches, down to Level 11, which is a youth assistant level referee able to accept assistant referee assignments on youth games only. The difference between the levels can be extreme. It is also important to note that the higher levels are very difficult to obtain and only a few percent ever make it to the top levels.
ONLY ABOUT THE TOP 10% MAKE TO GRADE LEVEL 6 OR BETTER:
There are approximately 80,000 referees in the United States, with approximately 7300 in Southern California. With only about 10 FIFA Referees from the United States, you can see that their percentage of the referee population is about 0.001%. The same is true for the number of Assistant FIFA Referees, at about 0.001%, which implies that seeing a FIFA Referee anywhere is rare, let alone on your local soccer field of play. Additionally, there are about 250 USSF National Referees in the United States, which are referees who have obtained the highest level with USSF, just below the FIFA level. Thus, a USSF National referee is also very rare and comprises less than 2% of the entire referee population. Thus FIFA REFEREES are considered grade level 1, Assistant FIFA Referees are considered grade level 2. USSF National referees are considered grade 3 and grade 4. USSF State Level referees are considered grades 5 and 6, and they are all generally considered in the top 10% of the refereeing population.
OSLRG REFEREES ARE GENERALLY AT THE TOP 10-20%
The OSLRG is focused on the top range of these officials, the top 1 to 10% is where most of the OSLRG Referees are in grade level and/or competence at or better than grade 6, a State Level Referee. In some cases we also recognize and accept individual referees who are on their way to certifying to State Level, but may not have received their certification upgrade yet. Also, in certain situations when we at the OSLRG, evaluate the ability of a referee, and if we determine their performance to be equivalent to be that of at State Level Grade already, even though, for any number of reasons the individual may not have been certified at that the higher level yet , we bring them into our group, because we feel their on field performance as a referee, which is the best measure, is at the appropriate level. We also consider and accept many of these referees, who are just below the State Level grade 6, who are up and coming and/or already performing at that level to be a welcome addition to our group. We would consider that the majority of these referees are still at among the high level, most likely falling into the category of the top 10 to 20% of the referee population.
Below, is a list of the USSF Referee Grade levels and their assignment levels.
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USSF Referee Grade
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Minimum Age
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Badge
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Assignment Level
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10. Assistant Referee
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None
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USSF Assistant Referee
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Youth Games
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9. Associate Referee
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None
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USSF Associate Referee
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Youth Games Through Age 14
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8. Referee Class 2
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None
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USSF Referee
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All Youth Games
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7. Referee Class 1
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17
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USSF Referee
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All Youth Games and mixed leagues, assistant referee in all amateur games below the top division
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6. State Referee 2
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18
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USSF State Referee
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All youth and amateur games through second division and assistant referees in the top amateur division and amateur cup games
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5. State Referee 1
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19
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USSF State Referee
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All youth and amateur games including first division and assistant referees in professional league and international cup games
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4. State National Referee
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25
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USSF National Referee
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All games except formal FIFA international matches; assistant referees for international matches
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3. National Referee (International Panel Candidate)
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26
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USSF National Referee
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All games except formal FIFA international matches
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2. International Assistant Referees
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26
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FIFA Assistant Referees
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All games
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1. International Referee
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26
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FIFA
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All games
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Below, is a set of criteria for referees to utilize when upgrading their level. As you can see, to get to a State Level, grade 6 and 5, is not easy and no wonder why only about 10% ever make it that level. Furthermore, you can see how difficult it is for a referee to get to USSF National Referee Status, grade 4 and 3, where they are certified to referee at the professional level matches, thus it is no surprise that only about 2% of the referees will ever achieve this level and now we can see that obtaining a FIFA Assistant Referee or FIFA Referee Status is normally impossible, with less than about 0.001 percent ever achieving either of those levels.
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The following information has been extracted from the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook and recent memoranda.
Referees who are registered with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) may upgrade to the next referee grade once they have satisfied specific requirements.
Upgrading requires:
· Minimum age
· Game experience at the appropriate level
· Time in present grade
· Training courses
· Written examination
· Assessments
· Physical Fitness Test
If you wish to upgrade to National Referee (Grade 4) from State 1 Referee (Grade 5), you must contact the State Referee Administrator, listed in the Directory, for complete information. Some information is available under News. The process is very complex, and the requirements are very demanding and difficult to achieve.
CRITERIA FOR CERTIFYING AND UPGRADING
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CRITERIA FOR CERTIFYING and UPGRADING
REFEREE GRADES 9 - 11
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CRITERIA
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ASSOCIATE REFEREE
(Grade 11)
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ASSISTANT REFEREE
(Grade 10)
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RECREATIONAL REFEREE
(Grade 9)
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1. Minimum Age
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None
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None
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None
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2. Experience (minimum cumulative career outdoor games at designated level)
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Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
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a. Game level to be counted for advancement
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Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
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b. Time in present grade
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Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
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Not Applicable
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3. Training Course Requirements
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Successfully complete USSF Small-sided Games Training Course
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Successfully complete USSF Assistant Referee Training Course
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Successfully complete USSF Recreational Referee Training course
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4. Written Examination
(See Note B)
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75% minimum score on USSF Associate Referee Exam
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75% minimum score on USSF Assistant Referee Exam
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75% minimum score on USSF Recreational Referee Exam
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5. Field Evaluation by currently registered USSF Assessor
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Not required. It is recommended that each new referee by observed in one of his first 10 games
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Not required
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Not required. It is recommended that each new referee by observed in one of his first 10 games
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6. Physical Fitness Test
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Not Required
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Not Required
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Not Required
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CRITERIA FOR CERTIFYING and UPGRADING
REFEREE GRADES 7 & 8
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CRITERIA
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REFEREE CLASS 2
(Grade 8)
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REFEREE CLASS 1
(Grade 7)
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1. Minimum Age
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None
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17
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2. Experience (minimum cumulative career outdoor games at designated level)
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Not Applicable
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Referee: 75
Assistant Referee: 25
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a. Game level to be counted for advancement
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Not Applicable
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USSF Games (DSC)
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b. Time in present grade
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Not Applicable
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12 months as Referee Class 2
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3. Training Course Requirements
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Successfully complete USSF Referee Training Course
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5 hours of USSF Intermediate Level Training
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4. Written Examination
(See Note B)
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75% minimum score on USSF Referee Exam
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85% minimum score on USSF Referee Exam
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5. Field Evaluation by currently registered USSF Assessor
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Not required. It is recommended that each new referee by observed in one of his first 10 games
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Pass one evaluation as referee in an U-19 or higher level game employing the DSC
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6. Physical Fitness Test
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Not Required
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Required
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CRITERIA FOR CERTIFYING and UPGRADING
REFEREE GRADES 5 & 6
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CRITERIA
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STATE REFEREE 2
(Grade 6)
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STATE REFEREE 1
(Grade 5)
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1. Minimum Age
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18
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19
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2. Experience (minimum cumulative career outdoor games at designated level)
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Referee: 100
Assistant Referee: 25
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Referee: 150
Assistant Referee: 50
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a. Game level to be counted for advancement
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U-19 competitive leagues or higher level (using DSC)
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Of the 150 games, a minimum of 50 must be on adult Division 1 league games (using DSC)
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b. Time in present grade
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12 months as Referee 1 prior to application
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12 months as State Referee 2 prior to application
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3. Training Course Requirements
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19 hours of State Referee Training
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7 hours of In-Service State Referee Training
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4. Written Examination
(See Note C)
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75% minimum score on USSF State Referee Exam
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85% minimum score on USSF State Referee Exam
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5. Field Evaluation by currently registered USSF Assessor
(See Note D)
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Pass two field assessments as a referee and one as an assistant referee in U-19 competitive league or higher (using DSC)
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Pass two field assessments as a referee and one as an assistant referee in top adult Division 1 leagues or higher (using DSC)
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6. Physical Fitness Test
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Required
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Required
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CRITERIA FOR CERTIFYING and UPGRADING
REFEREE GRADES 3 & 4
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CRITERIA
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NATIONAL REFEREE 2
(Grade 4)
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NATIONAL REFEREE 1
(Grade 3)
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1. Minimum Age
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23
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24
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2. Experience (minimum cumulative career outdoor games at designated level)
(See Note F)
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Referee: 150 (50 must be Div. 1 adult or higher; 5 must be professional games)
Assistant Referee: 100 (5 must be professional games)
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10 additional games
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a. Game level to be counted for advancement
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Adult league or higher
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Professional League Division 2 or higher
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b. Time in present grade
(See Note G)
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2 years as State Class 1 prior to application date; must have been a USSF referee for a minimum of 1 year (foreign trained referee)
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12 consecutive months as National prior to application date; must meet FIFA requirements for selection to international panel
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3. Training Course Requirements
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Attend and successfully complete the National Referee Certification Session
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Same as for Grade 4
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4. Written Examination
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Must pass a special National Referee Examination
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Same as for Grade 4
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5. Field Evaluation
(See Notes D, E, F)
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Pass 3 field assessments as referee and 2 as assistant referee. 2 of the assessments as referee and 1 as assistant referee must be on professional games
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Pass 2 field assessments as referee (one on professional game) and 1 as assistant referee
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6. Physical Fitness Test
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USSF Physical Fitness Test required
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FIFA/Cooper Physical Fitness Test required
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7. Citizenship
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U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
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U.S. Citizen
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Notes and Comments
Note A, Registration and Upgrading:
Registration, annual renewal and requests for upgrading must be made through the appropriate State/Overseas Referee Administrator. Referees who have registered as grade 8 or higher may not re-register as grade 9. There is no upgrade path from any of the grades 9, 10 or 11.
Note B, Retaking Exams (grades 11, 10, 9, 8, 7):
If a person does not pass the written examination, the entire examination must be retaken after a minimum waiting period of one month.
Note C, Retaking Exams (grades 6, 5):
If a person does not pass the written examination, the entire examination must be retaken after a minimum waiting period of three months.
Note D, Assessments:
Each failed assessment requires one additional passing assessment as an offset.
Note E, Assessments for National Referee:
Assessments must be by a currently registered USSF National Assessor or an assessor approved by the Director of Assessment and the national office. They must be on games approved by the Referee Committee and played within the dates specified (Jan 1-Dec 31). The minimum acceptable score is 80.
Note F, Professional Games:
The Referee Committee may approve other games to count toward the requirement for professional games.
Note G, Fast Track:
Candidates for upgrading to National Referee must be acceptable to the National Referee Committee. Requirements other than game level, professional game counts and assessments may be waived at the discretion of the National Referee Committee.
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