Region 43's U7/U8 Referee Procedures

Games scheduling

U7-U8 games are not assigned to you on WebYouthSoccer like we do for higher level games.
You are expected to referee your child's team each time you can attend a game (especially the "home games").
So remember to bring your yellow referee shirt and your whistle!

Each game requires 2 referees since teams are split up on 2 fields.
If there are too many referees priority goes to the home team referees that day.
If only 1 referee is present for both teams, one of the coaches will referee on the 2nd field.

How to check the schedule and the availability of other referees

You can view the whole Saturday schedule by clicking on the Region Game Grid on your Referee home page (see image below).
The home team is the first number listed for each time slot (BTW your child's team number appears under the parent menu in case you forgot it)

If you cannot make it to a home game please check that another referee will be there.
You should have received a roster of all U7/U8 referees from your RRA (Laurent), if not ask for one.

Note: There is also a way to self-assign games to yourself if you want to print your own game cards. Just edit the game cards for that day (as explained further below) and edit the referee list.

Pre-game instructions

Arrive early. Make sure the field is clear of hazards.
Get the game cards from both coaches, mark the players absent that day.
Get 2 size-3 balls from the home team.
Start on time (parents and players need to learn to be on time!)
Synchronize your whistle with the adjacent field so that you both start and call half time at the same time.

Note: If 1 team is short of players coaches must agree on the number of fielded players: the mininum is 4 v 4, the maximum is 6 v 6 If some players are subs they get to play at least 2 quarters of the game.

During the game

Don’t worry about making mistakes :-) We all learn something at every game.
As long as it is Fun, Fair and Safe you’re doing a good job!
Stop the game after about 10 minutes for a quick water break (when the ball is out of play) but do not stop your watch.
Stop for a 5 mins half time at 20 minutes.
Ask for each team to play against the other one during the 2nd half (coaches may switch players too if it is too unbalanced)
Remember to record goals on your game card.

More U8 advice to handle your games.

After the game

Make sure the home team puts the goals and corner flags away if this is the last game
Make sure you have the game cards filled out from both fields (who scored, who was absent or injured). Most of the time there won't be any sub.
1 of the 2 referes must enter the game cards on WebYouthSoccer no later than Sunday... (I don’t like reminding people each week!) This is important information to check players' playing time and be able to balance teams the following year.

How to enter game cards

The way to enter game cards is simple:

Click Game Cards under the referee menu
Select the date, region 43, Rosita 1, 2, or 3, and then the game you refereed as shown below.
Don't forget to edit the list of referees to add your name + the list of the other ref if there was one.

Questions? Need mentoring?

Share your experience with other referees on the field. Don't hesitate to contact your RRA if you have questions. It is also possible to assign a more senior referee to mentor you if you ask in advance.

If you lost the green booklet given to you during your training here is the PDF of our Policy of Play for the detailed U8 rules.

Have a great season!

--Laurent

Advice to U8 Referees Back to AYSO 43