Information: FAQ

Requirements to become a LWYSA Referee

All Crossfire Premier, Select, and Rec games are assigned by East King County Soccer Referee Association. (www.ekcsra.org)

Eligibility to be a Referee for LWYSA

In order to be assigned to referee games for LWYSA, either as referee or assistant referee, all of the following conditions must be met:

1. You must be at least 14 years of age as of the date of your assignment.
2. You must hold a current US Soccer Federation referee license. The level of license you hold may impact the level of match your are eligible to officiate. For example, A USSF Grade 9 referee may not serve as a center referee on "competitive matches". A USSF Grade 8 (or higher) referee is eligible for consideration to work any level match assigned by LWYSA, subject to the conditions described under "Referee Ranking".  To obtain your referee certification, please visit https://www.wareferees.org/Registration/HowToBecomeAReferee.aspx
3. You must comply with the Risk Management requirements of Washington Youth Soccer, such as Safesport Training and a background check.  
4. You need to sign up with a local referee association to be eligible to work as a USSF soccer referee.  The organization that all LWYSA home games will be listed in for self-assignment by a certified referee is EKCSRA.  
5. You may be required to comply with any government requirements related to workers. This includes:
   • Minor Work Authorization
   • Taxpayer Identification information (i.e. W-4, W-9)
   • Employment Eligibility (i.e. I-9)

Obtain a USSF Soccer Referee License

The United States Soccer Federation provides training each year for referees. In Washington State, the entry level clinic is a "Grade 8" clinic, (also called the "Entry Level Clinic"). The class is about half online (16 modules taking about 4-6 hours for a new referee) and about eight hours of classroom/field education - taught either as 2-3 short sessions or one long day. LWYSA sponsors several of these classes during the course of the year. A listing of all Washington Clinics is found on the Washington_State_Referee_Committee page site. You may attend ANY clinic, not just those sponsored by LWYSA or our area. Your license is valid throughout the United States. To find the nearest clinics - narrow the list to District "02-East King County". (In our area - you will usually find 2-3 clinics taught in March/April - with the dates set some time late January or early March. By around June, clinics for July and August will start to appear in numbers. There will usually be around 10 total in the Eastside area.)

Register on the EKCRSA Web Site

LWYSA assigns its referees using this web site.