Mustang’s Youth Referee Policy - Mustang Soccer League believes that youth referees must be well-trained and mature enough to withstand the pressures which can be placed on referees. As such, it is the policy of the club that referees must be at least 14 years old as of 12/31 of the current year, and must be certified at Grade 8, in order to referee Mustang games. If you are old enough and are interested in becoming a referee, click on a link to the left to sign up for a Grade 8 training class.
Referee Grades – The US Soccer Federation trains, assesses, and certifies referees from Grade 9 to Grade 1. It’s a wide range: a grade 9 referee is certified to referee some recreational soccer matches, and a Grade 1 referee is certified to referee international matches such as World Cup and Champions League matches! At Mustang, we focus on training and developing Grade 8 and 7 referees, since this represents the vast majority of referees who do games at the youth level.
Mustang’s Grade 9 Referee Program - The Grade 9 program is designed to fulfill a specific need: training referees for younger recreational play. At these levels, the primary goal of the referee is ensuring player safety. As such, the training for Grade 9 referees is must shorter, taking only 8 hours compared to the 18 hours of training received by Grade 8 referees. Due to the need for younger referees to be well trained, only parents are permitted to take Grade 9 referee training. Grade 9 referees are only expected to officiate their children’s Rec (Division 4 or 4+) level games when a certified Grade 8 referee is not assigned (which will be the majority of games due to a shortages of qualified grade 8 referees). Grade 9 referees do receive a GameOfficials account and thus do not receive assignments. Grade 9 referees who desire to upgrade to grade 8 may take a Bridge Class to obtain their Grade 8 certification.
In-service Clinics – In-service clinics are held during the season and provide supplemental training to referees and also provide a social forum for referees to meet and discuss topics of interest. Grade 7 and below referees must attend 5 hours of in-service training annually in order to renew their registration. While Grade 8 referees do not need to submit attendence certificates to renew their registration, these clinics are a great way to receive additional training and all referees are highly encouraged to attend. Mustang holds a number of In-Service clinics each year, typically on weekday evenings from 7-10 pm.
Fitness Test and Written Exam – Also known as the “Fun Run”, the USSF requires Grade 7 and below referees to pass an annual fitness test and written exam to renew their registration. Mustang typically sponsors one Fun Run per year.
Click HERE for the 2011 Referee Training Course Description.
Click HERE for the 2011 Referee Training Course Schedule.
Registration is now open for the May Grade 8 Training Course. Registration for the July Grade 8 Referee Training Course will open on June 13.
To register for a Referee Training Course, click on the course registration link on the left.
