Upcoming First-Time Referee Courses
Sign up now for a course being held in Santa Cruz County
FIRST-TIME REFEREE COURSE with the United States Soccer Federation.
Saturday, August 22nd 3pm - 6pm in Santa Cruz and Saturday August 9th 1pm - 4pm in Scotts Valley.
Become a certified USSF Soccer Referee, and support youth soccer. We are offering two local courses. You must be 13 to register for the course and become a referee. Pay rates for games refed vary based on age, playing level, and position. Starting pay is $32/game.
You will have to attend a mandatory 3-hour field session on
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Harvey West Park, Field 5/6326 Evergreen St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
https://learning.ussoccer.com/referee/courses/available/10000006/details/20013348
OR
Saturday, August 9, 2026
Skypark
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
https://learning.ussoccer.com/referee/courses/available/10000006/details/20013201
After registering for the course you are required to complete several online assignments PRIOR to attending the 3-hour in person Field Session.
The online potion takes approximately 6-10 hours to complete.
To Register for a different date or location follow the instructions below:
REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: SIGN UP IN THE US SOCCER LEARNING CENTER
Navigate to https://learning.ussoccer.com/referee
Select “Sign Up” in the upper right corner
Enter your information (Must have the referee’s email address as primary, parent’s email is secondary)
STEP 2: COMPLETE THE COURSE
Select “Register for a Course” on the top navigation bar: The system will automatically load the Available Courses menu upon arrival.
In the menu on the left side of the screen, select First-Time Referees
Click “Go to Course List“
Select a course with a field session that is in your area or a field session that you can attend and register for the course. VIEW COURSE LIST HERE.
Complete the online assignments BEFORE attending the 3-hour field session. If assignments are not complete you may be transferred to a later course.
Attend the field session.
Your badge will be mailed to you upon completion of the field session.
Students that successfully complete these courses will receive a Referee badge for the current year and can begin refereeing immediately. Referees are required to renew their license annually for the upcoming season.
Please reach out to Tami if you have any questions. refassignor@santacruzsoccer.com