Referee Competition! Ken Aston Referee Cup

The Ken Aston Referee Cup is an annual referee “competition” within an AYSO Invitational tournament that promotes refereeing excellence through feedback from experienced referee evaluators. Teams of referees are evaluated on their performance during tournament matches.

In 2024, The Cup will be presented in conjunction with the 29th Annual Camarillo Strawberry Cup Tournament on May 4-5, 2024 at the Camarillo Village at the Park Sports Complex in Section 10. Participation is open to currently registered AYSO referee volunteers.

Competition will take place in both an Advanced and an Excellence division.

The Advanced Division is open to volunteers with a certification level of Advanced, Intermediate or Regional Referee. Matches will be drawn from the U12 and U14 age divisions. 

The Excellence Division is open to volunteers with a certification level of National, Advanced, Intermediate or Regional Referee. Matches will be drawn from the U16 and U19 age divisions.

Sections 1, 10 and 11 will each select 3 person referee teams to compete in Advanced and / or Excellence Divisions. Each three person referee team will be evaluated on three matches within their division. Each individual on the three person team will have the opportunity to be the referee once and assistant referee twice. Evaluations will be conducted by experienced referee evaluators and feedback will be provided to each referee team after each match. Scores will be assigned in several key categories and tabulated for the full tournament.

There will be a Saturday event for all Cup participants to socialize and a Sunday awards ceremony.

If you would like to be considered for a Section 10 referee team, you must indicate your interest in participating with the names of your three-person crew no later than April 13, 2024, to Chris Doucette at agreferee@yahoo.com.

Referee Assessor Training

 Advanced Referees needed as Referee Assessors!

Referees in our area are looking to upgrade to Advanced Referee but that can't be accomplished without a couple of assessments.  There can not be assessments without certified referee assessors.  

Consider taking a referee assessor course in the future, like this one being offered by Area 1P or at the next Ken Aston Camp in June! We appreciate all of your help!

Advanced Referee Training - February 24-25

 

Advanced Referee Training hosted by Area 10S 

Date change from January 20-21 to February 24-25 due to Regional Playoffs.  

Join us for this 2 day in-person class complete with fitness test and optional online law review.

Sign up via AYSOU.  We look forward to seeing you in class!

Intermediate Referee Training - February 24-25

Intermediate Referee Training hosted by Area 10S 

Date change from January 20-21 to February 24-25 due to Regional Playoffs.

Join this 2 day in-person class February 24-25! An optional online law review will be available January 17th.

Sign up in AYSOU today.  We look forward to seeing you in class!

Referee Mentor Certificate Training September 19th

 Ready to become a Certified Referee Mentor?  

Register for the class hosted by Area 10S, Region 677 via AYSOU

Lost your registration email and need to access the Google Meet?  Join us at meet.google.com/psn-quam-ozh

How to complete the Online +In-Person Regional Referee Companion Course

First of all, thank you for volunteering to become a referee!

 

The online companion course consists of two components - an online learning module conducted in AYSOU and an in-persion session hosted by an AYSO region.  In addition, you'll need to complete the other mandatory online trainings, such as Safe Haven, Concussion Awareness, etc.

First, log into the Sports Connect system via your regions website (usually Blue Sombrero). Then find the Volunteer section in the left hand menu.

On the Volunteer page, you'll find AYSOU on the top right hand corner of the main page area.

Click on it to sign into AYSOU. Once you are within that system, go to the Training Library on the left hand side menu.

Find the Refereeing tile and either click the down arrow or the blue View Courses button to see refereeing courses.

Find the NEW - Regional Referee - Online + In-Person Companion Course and enroll.

To begin the course, or to complete the course in multiple sessions, go to the My Training page by selecting it from the left hand side menu.

Find the training from your list of enrolled classes and click View.

A new page with multiple tiles will appear, each are modules within the online class.  Work through each one by clicking Start.  Once a module is complete, you can select Review to go back and watch the video again, if needed.

Work through all chapters of the course and complete the online exam. Congrats - you've completed the first portion of the Online + In-Person Regional Referee Companion course. Print or screen shot your certificate of completion (located in the Skills Passport section) for your records and to show the instructor at the in-person session if the completion isn't showing in your account.  

If you cannot located the certificate, an alternate option is to screen shot the page where you accessed the various chapters with the final exam showing complete.

In order to complete your regional referee training, you must also complete an in-person session. To find an in-person course, select Training Event from the left hand side menu.

Manipulate the calendar selection tools to find a course offered at a location and time that works for you. You do not have to take a course in your specific region for which you will be volunteering. 

Select the course that you would like to take, and Enroll yourself.

If your schedule has changed, you can always Unenroll and then Enroll in another course that meets your schedule.

Most in-person sessions are around 3 hours - however, this can vary by Region.  Some regions have found that the best learning is done in-person and have expanded this component to ensure that volunteers are properly prepared to perform at their best.  Regions want you to succeed, so come to class prepared to ask clarifying questions about any of the online modules.  Be comfortably dressed and with proper footwear for some possible time outside working with flags, signals, and positioning. Most importantly, have fun!

Last note: Don't forget to finish all of the other required certifications for volunteers!

Pre-Season Training

 Get your flags and whistles ready; fall season is about to begin! 

Take this time to level up and take a referee course.

There are a number of referee courses being offered during the month of August in our Area.  Take the time to sign into your volunteer blue sombrero account, and then explore AYSOU for all of your options, including:

Referee Mentor Certification Course - ONLINE

Intermediate, Advanced, and National referees are highly encouraged to attend. This course offers benefits for all experienced referees, from youth to national. Gain skills that will help you become the best referee mentor possible, albeit as part of your region's structured mentor program, when working with others as a referee crew, or when you organically develop a mentor relationship with another referee.

The 30 minute on-line class is followed by a brief quiz offered by:

Area 10S ARA via Region 678 - Google Chat (meet.google.com/uia-pkvc-hcm) on Thursday, August 17th at 7:30pm

Regional Referee In-Person Companion Course

This is the first level and introductory course to refereeing. Complete the online training available in AYSOU, then attend one of these in-person sessions to complete the required training for the Regional Referee badge. Signup in AYSOU for the course that best suits your schedule:

Region 1441 in Castaic on Wednesday, August 23rd at 6:30pm

Region 677 in Canyon Country on Saturday, August 26th at 8:00am

Region 677 in Canyon Country on Sunday, August 27th at 8:00am

Online Law Review

This online law review is open to any referee that wishes to refresh for the season; however, the primary focus is information that will assist students in passing the Intermediate Referee Exam.  No AYSOU pre-registration required to attend. The online law review is being offered by:

Area 10S ARA - Google Chat (meet.google.com/buz-kcej-sxp) on Wednesday, August 23rd at 7:00pm

Intermediate Referee In-person Course

Level up from Regional Referee to Intermediate by taking this 2 day in-person course. This course is designed for you to develop the skills necessary to referee at the 12U level and also prepares you for transition to 14U. The online law review is optional and open to all students of this class. Attend the mandatory in-person training being offered by:

Region 677 in Canyon Country on Saturday, August 26th through Sunday, August 27th

Risk Status

What's your Risk-Status?

You just volunteered for another year of soccer! Congrats and Thank You! 🙌

But did you know that your volunteer Risk Status (aka background check) does not auto-renew with your volunteer application?  Every volunteer's risk status expires on a different date - and that date may actually be in the middle of regular season play.

I would encourage all volunteers to go into their Blue Sombrero account, hit that "volunteer" button and take a double look at their qualifications. Most specifically, glance at the Risk Status qualification.

You should see an expiration date that's in the future 🤞, the word "Green" under the status column 🟢 and a check mark showing compliance ✔.  If you don't see these things, then it's time to take action!

Renewing your background check prior to expiration is easy and can be done weeks in advance. Don't wait for your status to expire, otherwise you will not be able to volunteer again until you're back in compliance.  In addition, the background check process could take even longer if you expire, as it's treated as a brand new background check rather than just an update.

.

Stay GREEN

Check and update your RISK STATUS

 

Kudos to the National Games Referees!

The 2023 National Games were held July 24-30th in Irvine, CA. Of the 391 volunteer referees, Area 10/S had 5 participating referees including: Noel Mason (677), Isai Flores (677), Joe Bryant (677), Seyed Monenmian (678), and myself, Jenelle Hamilton (677).  

In addition to refereeing numerous regular pool play matches during the week, Isai Flores and Joe Bryant were selected to officiate several of Sunday's consolation, semi-final, and final matches. 🏆

A heartfelt 💗 THANK YOU 💗 to our volunteer referees who showed up in the heat, give it their all, and contributed to a memorable experience for our youth players.

Seyed Monenmian (678) assists with player check in on a 14UB match.

Seyed Monenmian (678) and Joe Bryant (677) pause for a photo between matches.

Isai Flores (677) keeps a close eye on the goal line during a boys upper division match.

Intermediate Referee Training

 

LEVEL UP TO INTERMEDIATE REFEREE

Are you a Regional Referee who has been thinking about leveling up their game for the fall season? 

Now is the time to register for the Intermediate Referee class!

Log into your Blue Sombrero account and then access AYSOU - your one-stop shop for referee training and education - and sign up for the Intermediate Referee course. Taking the course will advance your education about the laws, game strategy, and your referee knowledge and skills to take your game to the next level.

Whether your child is advancing into the 12U age group, you're a youth referee ready to advance, or you've been a long-term Regional Referee, there will be something for everyone at the Intermediate Referee course.

Upcoming local training opportunities:

• Area 10V hosted in Burbank, August 5-6, 2023
• Region 678 hosted in Santa Clarita, August 12-13, 2023

An online law review will be available to all referees who are interested:

Monday, July 31 · 6:00pm – 7:30pm

Google Meet Video call link: https://meet.google.com/mip-nurr-apb

Who's your soccer hero?

Everyone has a soccer hero in their life. Albeit a major league soccer player playing for the world cup, a dedicated partner who volunteers all of their time to AYSO, or the cutest and bravest niece or nephew playing out there on the 10U field, we all have a hero. 

For me, my hero is my dad. And on July 4th, he was the "Hero of the Game" for the LA Galaxy v. LAFC competition held at the Rose Bowl. Together, along with our closest and dearest 82,110 friends, we celebrated my hero in style on the eve of his 75th birthday.

Second to him, my hero would be all of the other service men and women of our great nation, including those veterans who are now dedicated in service to our AYSO community. Please don't tell my mom that she came in 3rd place. 😂

Comment below and tell us about your soccer hero or send photos of your soccer heroes to me at jello1369@yahoo.com so we can celebrate them all!

#GoArmy #ThankYouVeterans #Hero #VolunteerHeroes

There's an app for that - IFAB!

 Stay up to date with the IFAB app!

Are you up to date with the new law changes for 2023/2024? If you don't have the IFAB app, go to your phone's app store and download it today. It's the best way to carry the laws with you, no matter your location.  In addition, the app has a great Q&A section to help you stay on top of your referee game.

If you already have the app, it's time to go in and change to the latest edition of the laws.

First, open your app.

Then select the three dots in the bottom right hand corner to open the "More" menu.

The last option on the More menu is "Edition." To download the new laws, select this option.  Then select the edition you want to download and then click "Save" at the botton of the screen.

If you ever want to view the laws from a previous timeframe, follow these steps again and select the edition you would like to view.  *Don't forget to revert back to the 2023/2024 edition once you're finished.

Ken Aston Camp 2023

 

From left to right: Advanced Referee Seyed Monemian (Region 678), National Referee Candidate Rebecca Stockwell (Region 678), Advanced Referee Candidate and Regional Commissioner Chris Stockwell (Region 678), National Referee Candidate and Area Referee Administrator Jenelle Hamilton (Region 677)

Four Area 10/S referees attended the 2023 Ken Aston Camp over this past weekend at Chapman University, in Orange.  The courses attended by our area included Referee Assessor and Advanced Referee Instructor.  This year’s principal instructor is Pedro Trejo Jr., Ph.D. Pedro is the Manager of Referee Development in U.S. Soccer’s Referee Programs Department. In addition to their regular course instruction, campers received additional instruction by Dr. Trejo regarding handball and penalty kicks.

(All-Camp Training by Dr. Trejo)

Ken Aston Camp is a great way to receive fantastic training while having an opportunity to meet and learn with referees from all over the Southern California and beyond - there was a referee from New York attending camp this year!

Visit KenAstonCamps.org for more information about this great opportunity! I highly encourage regions to promote camp to their referees for 2024.