Who needs to be certified?

Every coach and assistant coach. If there are multiple assistants then each one must be certified in order to work with the players during practice. Certification means having passed the appropriate class for the age division (meaning, a 8U coach must be certified for 8U; a 10U certification by itself is not valid for 8U), and other mandated courses (Safe Haven, etc.).

How are games handled that don't have a certified, qualified referee?

This policy applies to all Division levels that use Referees.

• There’s a distinction between Referee Certifications and Referee Qualifications:
  • Certified: Completed necessary training, tests, etc. and has earned the Referee badge appropriate to each Division level. 10U = Regional Referee; 12U = Intermediate Referee; 14U = Advanced Referee.
  • Qualified: Completed necessary steps to be an active volunteer for Region 42 for this year including Volunteer registration, Background check, Live Scan fingerprinting, Safe Haven, SafeSport, etc.).
• Games: As long as the center referee is both certified (at the correct badge level) AND qualified, the game can be played. Win/loss points will count and that referee (and any certified AND qualified ARs) can earn Ref Points.
• Games: If there is a certified (at the correct badge level) AND qualified center referee and one or two certified but NOT qualified assistant referee(s), those AR’s can perform all the duties of an AR (not just the ball out-of-bounds calls that club linesmen can make), but they will NOT earn Ref Points.
• Scrimmages: If there is no certified (at the correct badge level) AND qualified center referee for a given match, that match becomes a scrimmage and win/loss points won’t count for both teams.
• For scrimmages (i.e. no CR at the correct badge level), any referees who are certified (at a LOWER badge level) AND qualified CAN earn Ref Points for officiating the scrimmage.
• For scrimmages, if there is a certified (at the correct badge level) but NOT qualified center referee available, that referee can officiate the scrimmage IF there are qualified coaches at the game who can provide the oversight required at any AYSO event, including a scrimmage. That referee would NOT earn Ref Points for officiating the scrimmage.
• For scrimmages, if there are no certified referees available, the coaches will manage the scrimmage as they would when scrimmaging during practices. The coaches would not, of course, earn Ref Points for these scrimmages.
• Note that for many games there may be at least two certified and qualified referees (namely the team referees who are there to watch their own child’s game). If they are certified (at the correct badge level) and qualified, they can step in to referee the game and WOULD earn Ref Points for doing so (within the constraints of Ref Points per week).
• Note that if a team had a scheduled game that became a scrimmage due to the constraints above, their win/loss/tie points from all of their other games in the season will be weighted for comparative team standings. All Ref Points earned during the season would be counted and not weighted.
  • For example:
  • One team plays all 10 games during the season with 5 wins, 2 ties and 3 losses and they earned 2 Ref Points per weekend (up to the maximum of 14 for the season). Their cumulative standings points would be: 5x3 + 2x1 + 3x0 + 14 = 31.
  • Another team plays 9 games and 1 scrimmage during the season with 4 wins, 2 ties and 3 losses in their games (the scrimmage scores don't count) and they earned 2 Ref Points per weekend (up to the maximum of 14 for the season). Their unweighted standings points would be: 4x3 + 2x1 + 3x0 + 14 = 28. However, their win/tie points would be weighted by 1.1 (10/9). Therefore, their weighted standings points would be 4x3x1.1 + 2x1x1.1 + 3x0 + 14 which equals 13.2 + 2.2 + 0 + 14 = 29.4.

I coached 5U/7U last year, do I need to re-certify for 6U/8U?

No. If you coached 5U/7U last year then you should already be 6U/8U certified. The certification levels for the younger divisions are applicable for two years.

I coached several years ago; do I need to re-certify for the same age group?

No. Once you are certified for an age group, that certification is valid forever. However, if it has been a good number of years since you last coached, it might be wise to take the course again just as a refresher.

What happens if I'm out of town and cannot attend a clinic?

Apart from the July and August clinics hosted in Newbury Park, there are several offered by neighboring regions that you may attend. Clinics hosted by Areas E (eastern Ventura County), V (San Fernando Valley) and W (western Ventura County) have an agreement where our Region is not charged. If you plan on attending a clinic outside of these Areas you may be required to pay a fee, which Region 42 will reimburse. Please contact your Division Director or the Coach Administrator for details. Courses are listed on AYSOU; see the volunteer page for instructions on how to access.

I took the concussion course for a different sport. Do I have to take it again for AYSO?

No, but you must email proof of completion to [email protected] so that it can be properly logged in the AYSO database.

Who is eligible to coach in the post-season?

Priority will go to coaches in good standing that have coached during the current season. If none of these coaches are available then a certified assistant coach will be considered. If we still need coaches then any other certified person may be considered.

How can assistant coaches get the "Coach Manual"?

The coach manual is available to everyone. Click here for the PDF version.

Where do we practice?

We have several permitted practice locations that you may request and receive a guaranteed spot to train your team. Many coaches choose to use various neighborhood parks. This is fine, but you need to understand that they are on a first come first served basis.

How does refereeing work at 7U and 8U?

All 7U and 8U teams are required to have at least one team referee, which should not be one of the coaches (but may be the assistant if no one else volunteers). Coaches will not be allowed to simultaneously coach and officiate a match. If no referee is assigned to the match, the HOME team will be expected to provide the referee. All referees must be certified with at least the "8U Official Course" or higher. This class is available online at AYSOU or in-person with nearby regions (Newbury Park does not offer this class).

My USSF 'E' license should be good enough, right?

Yes and no. There is some reciprocity between AYSO and Club soccer. Exact information can be found on the AYSO Volunteers site. However, this will not substitute for 6U, 8U or 10U certification.

I’m a coach trying to find referees for tournaments in the post season, can you help?

Yes, please see the Tournament Referees List. This lists Region 42 referees who are interested in refereeing in post season tournaments. You can e-mail any or all of them to see if they’re available for your tournament(s). Please include the name and dates of the tournament(s) when you e-mail them. You can email the referee administrator  if you have further questions on the process.

What are the End of Season processes - Ref Points, Tournaments, Area Playoffs, Etc.?

Definitions
Core Season 10U, 12U, 14U
     10U: Weeks 1 - 10
     12U & 14U: Weeks 1 - 9 for win/tie points AND Weeks 1-11 for ref points
End-of-season tournament 12U, 14U
     12U & 14U: Weeks 10 and 11 (Week 10 is End-of-Season Tournament night games, Week 11 is End-of-Season Tournament finals)
League Playoffs (aka Area Playoffs) 10U, 12U, 14U
     League Playoffs are an AYSO Area 10E competition that brings the top league teams from Agoura/Westlake Village/Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, Malibu, Simi Valley, Moorpark and Newbury Park together for a Playoffs tournament. Typically, this tournament runs the first weekend of December for 10U,12U and 14U.

Division Specifics
10U
The first two weeks for 10UB and 10UG (2024-2025 season) are practice games. After that teams get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss. Ref points are added to team standings, up to 14 ref points per season. A minimum of 5 referee points is also required.
Ref points earned during the first two practice weeks DO count toward a team’s total season ref points.
The top two teams (2024-2025) will qualify for the League Playoffs, based on win/tie/loss/ref points standings from weeks 1-10.
In the event of a tie for the last playoff spot, there will be a head-to-head competition to determine who gets it (weather permitting). 

12U
12U Summary
- Standings from win/tie points from weeks 1-9 AND Ref points from weeks 1-11  determine the Core Season 1st place team which secures the 1st spot in League Playoffs. If needed (see below), the same points will determine the Core Season 2nd place team. 
- Standings (win/tie/ref points) from weeks 1-9 determine seeding in the End-of-Season Tournament.
- If we are allocated a second League Playoffs spot, it will be given to the End-of-Season Tournament winner, or the Core Season 2nd place team if the 1st place Core Season team is the End-of-Season Tournament winner.

- All games, starting in week 1 onward, count towards standings. Teams get 3 points for a win, and 1 point for a draw. Ref points are added to team standings, up to 14 ref points per season. A minimum of 5 referee points is also required.
- The top team at the end of the core season for 12U will qualify for the League Playoffs (aka Area Playoffs). Note that the core season comprises weeks 1-9 for wins/losses/draws points but comprises weeks 1-11 for ref points. That is, ref points earned during the end-of-season tournament (weeks 10, night games and 11, finals) will also count in the determination of the core season top 2 teams. 
- There will be an End-of-Season Tournament in the 10th week (night games) and 11th week (tournament finals), where seeding will be determined by position in the standings table, including ref points earned to date, as of week 9. If we are allocated a second playoff spot, it will be given to the End-of-Season Tournament winner, or the Core Season second-place team if the first-place team (from end of Core Season standings) is the winner of the End-of-Season Tournament. NOTE: A minimum of 5 referee points is also required for a playoff berth.

14U
This year, 14U teams will play against teams from other regions in Area 10E, and these games are run by Area. Please see their page for complete scores and standings. If there are an odd number of teams in a division, one team will not play (have a bye week).

However, in order to determine which teams we will send to the League Playoffs, we are keeping our own separate standings. The top team will qualify. There will also be an End-of-Season Tournament in weeks 10 (night games) and 11 (tournament finals), where seeding will be determined by final position in the table as of week 9 (including ref points as of week 9). If we are allocated a second playoff spot, it will be given to the tournament winner, or the season second-place team if the season first-place team is the tournament winner. NOTE: A minimum of 5 referee points is also required for a playoff berth.

Still have questions?

Please see "The Coaches Clipboard" on the AYSO web site. For anything not covered there, contact the coach administrator.