Grassroots Referee Course DECORAH

The minimum age requirement to become a registered referee with U.S. Soccer is 13.

Training for the referee course is specific to:

• youth and adult competitions
• small-sided 7v7, 9v9
• full-sided 11v11
• outdoor matches

SIGNUP INSTRUCTIONS

Create a Learning Center Profile

All referees must have a Learning Center Profile. Your account Profile will contain your unique e-Mail address, password, mailing address, phone number, etc. To create a Profile, go to the US Soccer Learning Center and click on ‘Sign Up’. Follow the instructions provided in Learning Center Signup.

After you’ve created your Profile, click on ‘Courses’. Then, click on ‘Go to Course List’ to find the location of this course, and click “Course Details.”

Undergo a Background Check

If you are age 18 or older, you must next initiate a National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI) Background Check. You cannot register for this or any other course until you have completed a background check. Follow the instructions described in Initiating a Background Screen to initiate the process from your Profile. The cost is $30 and is good for 2 years. You pay online with a credit card. Determinations take between 7-10 days.

NOTE: Even if you are a coach who has had a background check recently through the Iowa Soccer Association (ISA) by Reference Services, Inc. (RSI), you must still have the NCSI Background Check performed. It is the only one that will be accepted.

Register for this Grassroots In-Person Course

After you have completed your NCSI Background Check or if you are under 18, click on ‘Proceed to Registration’. Fill in the required fields and then ‘Proceed to Payment’ to provide your credit card information. Once your $60 payment is processed, you’ll enter the course Classroom. Click on the ‘Assignments’ tab to open. The course has 4 assignments:

• Online Grassroots Referee Course(4 hour module – go at your own pace)
• SafeSport Training(90 minute module required for ages 18 and older)
• Introduction to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments(30 minute presentation)
• Grassroots Referee Certification Quiz (25 questions)

Click on the Online Grassroots Referee Course assignment to begin. As you complete each assignment, click on ‘Save and Confirm’.

Subsequent Logins to the Learning Center

You do not have to complete all the assignments in one sitting. You can go at your own pace, e.g., working 20 or 30 minutes at a time, closing the assignment, and then logging-out of the Learning Center. Later, when you want to resume:

• Log in to the Learning Center
  • Click on ‘Courses’ in the upper left of the screen
  • Next, click on the ‘My Courses’ tab
  • Find this course and click on ‘Go to Classroom’ on the right
• Click on the ‘Assignments’ tab
  • Open the assignment that you want to resume and pick up where you left off

IMPORTANT: The assignments are prerequisite, i.e., you must complete them all before you show up for the in-person course.