Updated  2/20/2020 – REFEREE INSTRUCTIONS AND POLICY

Welcome to the Spring 2020 WVSL recreational referee sign up. Spring games with pre-assigned referees are held on Sunday’s at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Spring 2020 dates are: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 19, 26, and May 3^rd. Read and follow all the referee rules.  THEN, SCROLL DOWN TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN SLOTS.

Sign Up:  Accurately enter the complete information when you sign up.  DO NOT SIGN UP FOR ANY HEADQUARTERS SLOT UNTIL ALL SLOTS ON EVERY FIELD ARE COVERED FOR THE ENTIRE DAY.  Please do not sign up for a headquarter slot because it fits your schedule but there are other slots open with scheduled games at any time during the day you are working.  Those Headquarter slot sign ups will be deleted and you will need to work another date/time to fulfill the obligation.

Cancellation Policy: While we do not encourage cancellations, we understand issues may arise. Volunteer cancellations may only be made up to 5:00pm on the Saturday prior to your shift. We are counting on you to honor your volunteer commitment.  The system timestamps when you sign up and when you cancel. Please cancel in the system - do not send an email/text/call to cancel during the week.

AFTER 5:00 PM SATURDAY - LAST MINUTE EMERGENCY/LATE/CANCEL

YOU MUST TEXT Paul Clifton - 818-634-9111.  Provide ref name, assignment (i.e., Pierce 17 at 11:00 am) and reason. Advise if late or not able to make it for all assignments that day. FAILURE TO DO SO RESULTS IN DOUBLE HOURS ASSIGNED.  

CLICK FOR REFEREE INSTRUCTIONS: Please read prior to game day

Training: If you need referee training, do NOT sign up for the first game of the day. If you are training for the first hour of your day, please arrive one hour before your scheduled start and check in with the field coordinators (they will be wearing STAFF shirts). Provide your name and they will mark it down so you can receive credit.  1 hour of referee training = 1  hour credit.   After your one hour of training, you will proceed to the field you signed up to referee.

If you do not need training, arrive at the field 10 minutes prior to your game and check in with the field coordinators. Be prepared to tell the coordinator which game you selected. Late arrivals may lose their opportunity to referee. Your name will be checked off the list and you will be provided with a whistle.

Clothing: Wear comfortable shoes and black or dark shorts. Wear a RSC/WVSL Tee shirt if you have one. Don't forget sunblock and water.

Number of Referees: There are two referees per field and we encourage signing up with a buddy. Please do keep in mind though that if we have a shortage on another field (i.e., no referee), you may be assigned to cover that field so that everyone has a referee for their games. IF YOU SIGN UP FOR QUANTITY 2 - YOU MUST LIST THE SECOND REFEREE'S NAME IN THE COMMENT SECTION - FAILURE TO DO SO - QUANTITY REDUCED TO 1 AND OPEN FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO FILL.

Inclement Weather:  Check the WVSL website.  Do not assume the games are off. CREDIT is not granted for rain outs, fire, smoke cancellations.

PLEASE KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR SIGN UP AND HONOR YOUR SERVICE OBLIGATION.  WE CANNOT RUN THE PROGRAM WITHOUT YOU. 

NO Walk-Up Referees: Every referee must sign up online in advance to receive volunteer credit.

Age Restrictions for Referees: Make sure that games you select are age appropriate for you and your skill level. Referees must be 12 years or older and two or more years older than the age group they referee (e.g. a 14 year old may only referee 12 year old and under games).

Field Coordinators and Field Help: WVSL coordinators will be roaming the fields throughout the day. Please do let them know if a team or coach is being particularly difficult. If you don't see the coordinator during the game, please seek them out afterwards and provide details on any difficult situations. Referee abuse will not be tolerated and it is important to provide the coordinator with as much factual data as possible. Please be positive and forgiving of coaches, parents and players when possible, but seek help from the coordinators if you need it. We want the experience to be a positive one for all parties.

Families must complete their own volunteer hours before signing up to help others. If you are covering hours for someone else, be sure the player who is to receive credit is noted in the sign up, along with their team name. WVSL reserves the right to discontinue use of a coverage referee if it is deemed solely by WVSL leadership that the referee is not abiding by the rules or is demonstrating inappropriate behavior. The referee may be sent off during a game, or asked not to return as a coverage referee. In that instance, no credit will be given for service.

Note - Volunteer Hour Requirements:

· 0 hours – The designated team manager and up to one co-manager per team for a competitive team. The person(s) must be identified by time of team registration. If there are co-managers, please be prepared to provide documentation on how the duties are split.

· 0 hours – An individual who is a HEAD coach in the WVSL recreational program or RSC program. The recreational coach must be registered in the WVSL database as a HEAD coach. Assistant coaches or team parents do not qualify. 

All others have four (4) hours per player in the club to serve as a referee in our recreational program.  Players receiving financial assistance must complete their hours by November 16th.  No exceptions please. Players who join January 1 or after in the seasonal year are assigned (2) hours which must be worked in the spring referee program.

Those who opted out by paying $200 at time of team registration or $300 after team registration are exempt.  

Thank you for making the program a success by doing this important job.

SIGN UP FOR REFEREE SLOTS