Referees

Our referees range from experienced adults to youth players who are facilitating games for younger age groups.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to our ref coordinator, Kay Emmert.

For details on how to be a ref in each MAYSL age division, please see Ref Training.

Register

If you have a current US Soccer Referee license, just sign up with us. If you’re new, we’re partnering with Mariposa Soccer this year to host a course in person. Referees with expired licenses can renew online.

Sign Up With MAYSL so we have your contact info:
- All Referees: Register with MAYSL Here
Sign Up With US Soccer so you can take the courses.

Pick one of these:
- 2026 New Ref Training
  Woodland Park, Aug 2, 2026, 9am-12pm.
- 2027 Referee Recertification - Cal North
  Online (we’ll set up a hands-on refresher before the season starts)

Facilitators

MAYSL has a group of trained referees who are authorized to facilitate games only for our league.

Facilitator uniforms include:

yellow t-shirt or collared shirt with the official badge iron-on
all-black shorts with pockets
all-black socks
primarily-black shoes

Eligibility

According to California North Referee Association (CNRA), “there are no minimum age requirements to become a referee. However, many local leagues may require a referee to be older than the players that they are officiating. Parents are advised to assess the maturity level of their child prior to permitting them to take one of the Entry Level Referee Courses.”

As a league, MAYSL requires that a referee or facilitator is 1-2 years older than the age of the players they are officiating.

We typically hire youth 13 years and older to be officials for the younger divisions, and adults and older teenagers for our 12U, 15U coed, and travel matches.

Referees should havve an active certification from US Soccer, and they will need to renew it every 2 years.

Equipment

Game Day

Officials should bring to every game:

pen
whistle
large coin
clock
stopwatch
ref flags
appropriate uniform

Arrive at games 30 minutes early to meet up with the other officials.

Referee Uniforms

Every referee must provide and wear a USSF approved uniform whenever they are officiating games.

Uniforms for MAYSL games include:

yellow jersey with black stripes
all-black shorts with pockets
black socks with 3 white stripes at the top
primarily-black shoes

Purchasing Uniforms and Equipment

MAYSL typically provides yellow referee jerseys to our youth officials as part of our onboarding & training program.

You may buy the other gear online through any soccer store or through many sporting goods stores or other soccer stores in the Fresno Area. They do not need to be any specific brand.

Local options:

Soccer Express, 6751 N Blackstone @ Herndon in Fresno / 559-432-7511

Tell them you are a MAYSL referee & receive a 15% discount. They have gear packages for referees, as well as individual items.
Pro Soccer, 6929 N Willow @ Herndon in Clovis / 559-299-5363

They have ref gear packages. They will give MAYSL refs a discount on individual gear items.

Schedules

Schedules are managed by the league reffing coordinator, Kay Emmert.

Schedules are completed on a weekly basis. we try to give everyone who completed the clinic an equal opportunity to referee games. We are committed to developing referees of all ages in the Mountain Area. Some players have schedule conflicts with their own games so when they have a weekend off we offer them the games first. We also try to put an experienced ref with a new ref for the first few games. Availability and assigning is done electronically.

The coordinator will check the schedule and assign games by email. Please confirm your games by email otherwise they will be reassigned to someone else if they are not confirmed by Thursday. Sometimes we have cancellations so we will call on Friday if we have additional games that we need covered. In the past we have had to make last minute changes on the fields due to postponements so refs must be flexible.

Pay

Game cards are used not only to keep a record of the games, but also to track time for paying referees. On each game card, every participating referee or facilitator should print their name. Ensure that the date and age group are included as well.

Rates as of 2026 (work in progress):

U6-U8: $20/game if alone, $15/person if shared
U10: $25/person/game
U12-U15: $45/person/game if paired, $45 for lead & $30/helper if 2 helpers
Travel games: paid for by District 7, according to their pay scale

In the spring league, all rates are determined by District 7. MAYSL pays referees for travel games and District 7 reimburses the league.

Course fees: We typically reimburse our youth referees for taking US Soccer’s referee certification courses. Costs are reimbursed over the course of the season as the individual works more games.

Game Day Highlights

Player Safety

Learn about concussion symptoms and how to deal with potential head injuries. Print out a copy of the Concussion Recognition Tool that was provided as part of the US Soccer safety course. Familiarize yourself with it and keep it with your field bag or clipboard. You’ll have it available if one of your players has any sign of a head injury.

Heat-related ilness is a real risk here in central California. Take a look at the Recognize to Recover Heat Guidelines.

Rule Highlights

Within US Youth Soccer, the FIFA Laws of the Game are used, but various accommodations for small-sided games with younger players are made to create a journey that encourages age-appropriate fun and skill development. See Growing with the Game on the Rules page for specific insights.

Please see Ref Training for guidance on how to apply rules in each MAYSL age division.