AS A USSF REFEREE,
SANCTIONED GAMES TAKE PRIORITY
Once you have completed your referee courses, you will be offered many opportunities to work games by many different types of assignors. It is important to remember that first, and foremost, your job is to work USSF/CSA-sanctioned games through your local leagues and tournaments. High school, college, indoor and independent association leagues all have opportunities for you to work but your first priority should be games offered to you by US Soccer-sanctioned assignors for US Soccer affiliated and CSA league games.
LEAGUE ASSIGNMENTS
On completion of your initial clinic, processing of your registration and receipt of your US Soccer referee badge, you should establish communication with an assignor(s) in the areas you want to work and let them know you are a registered referee ready to work. The best way to do this is to immediately establish your CSA Referee Assignors account in the assignr.com platform. Most assignors in Colorado use this platform for their sanctioned games and will see your availability within it immediately.
TOURNAMENT ASSIGNMENTS
Many clubs host sanctioned tournaments. These are published on the CSA website under Tournaments, and listed on the Event Calendar on this website as well as the CSA website. Most youth tournaments are assigned through the unified CSAREFEREESASSIGNMENTS.assignr.com platform so you can specify availability for specific tournaments in that calendar. For those that are assigned outside of that platform, instructions will be available on the tournament website's referee page
COMMUNICATION IS KEY!
Referees must constantly communicate accurate availability to assignors to let them know you are or are not available for games. Assignors may use various systems for scheduling referees. Most assignors in Colorado use our unified platform CSARefereeAssignors.assignr.com You DO NOT need to create a new user name and password for each assignor's group in this platform.
Setting Up Your Assignr.com Account
Setting Up Your Payment and W9 Information
Important Info
- Once your club/assignor processes payments for your games, you will receive an email notification from Assignr.com letting you know that you have funds available in your Assignr.com account.
- For Direct Deposit, funds can be released to your bank account daily. There is no additional charge from Assignr.com to the official when using direct deposit as a pay method. It can take your bank 1-2 business days for your payment to show on your account statement.
- No Check by Mail Option - must use electronic funds transfer
About Referee Payroll
On any given game day -- even at the same fields -- you may work different leagues which will result in payments from different entities. Payment for all games are not completed at the same time, and funds do not release at the same time for all leagues.
When a payroll date is posted on the calendar or as listed on the season's pay date information it means that this is game processing week for pay. The date posted is not the date that your funds will show in your GOPay or bank account.
Leagues all pay on slightly different schedules. In our group, we always process the CSA advanced league games and MRL games together followed by the developmental leagues (FRL, REC).
Colorado Soccer Association (CSA) funds all advanced league games and all MRL (Mountain Region League) games Individual clubs fund the recreational league games - (FRL, REC)
Your referee assignors are not responsible for referee pay, they process the games and submit to the club or league for funding.
Referees must be aware of what games they have worked for what league and know that payment will come a slightly different schedule, but all games will be processed in the same week.
For example, a referee works on Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm. The first game is an FRL (Front Range league) and Club A is the home team. The next game is an advanced league game also with Club A as the home team. And the third game – at the same location – is an advanced league game and Club B is the home team. Each of these games would pay through a different group and may fund on a slightly different schedule.
- Club A’s games paid by CSA (Advance League) would be processed first
- Club B’s games paid by CSA (Advance League) would be processed second … etc
- Club A’s games paid by Club A (FRL, in house games) would be processed AFTER all of the CSA paid games are processed.
Because the games are funded by different paying entities, you may see payment on a slightly different schedule. The pay dates published with the schedules are when the assignors process the games and send them to the clubs NOT when the money will arrive in your account and then be sent to your bank.
Adult leagues are on their own pay schedule and tournaments pay usually within two weeks (business days - no bank processing on weekends).
Please watch your account and your email notices to see which funds are being distributed OR if your assignments are not through Assignr.com, ask your assignor how payroll is handled for the games you are working.
Give all of the clubs/CSA/tournaments at least 5 business days (not including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) after the processing date to fund the payroll.
Your referee assignors are not responsible for referee pay, they just process the games and submit to the club or league for funding.
Referee Premium Pay Program
The premium pay only applies to CSA advanced league games (Centennial League, Colorado Champions League, Secondary League) and not to recreational games or tournaments unless those events opt in to the program.
Premium Pay is earned for the upcoming registration year as a 'recertification' requirement. Once you have met the premium pay requirements, submit the documentation form between 12/1/23 and 03/01/2023 to earn premium pay for the 2024 registration year (for example - submit form by 03/1/2024 to earn premium pay for applicable games during the entire 2024 registration year.
To qualify for premium pay, you must have been certified for at least one year (in second year of certification) and have worked more than 10 advanced league centers
2024 Premium Pay Incentive Program
Premium Pay Documentation Submission form (opens 11/15/2024 for submission by 02/28/25)
Assignment Priorities
While each U.S. Soccer Match Official is expected to keep the assignments they accept, there are certain occasions where a individual should be released from a lower level assignment to officiate in a higher level competition.
To this end, the following games are listed by priority for assignment:
- International and National Team games assigned by U.S. Soccer
- Games assigned by the Professional Referee Organization (PRO)
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup assigned by U.S. Soccer
- Youth National Team games assigned by U.S. Soccer
- Regional and National competitions assigned directly by U.S. Soccer's Affiliate Members. Includes, but is not limited to:
- USASA
- US Youth Soccer
- US Club Soccer
- U.S. Soccer Affiliate Members
- State level competitions assigned directly by U.S. Soccer and U.S. Soccer's Affiliate Members. Includes, but is not limited to:
- State Adult Associations
- State Youth Associations
- League games assigned by U.S. Soccer
- U.S. Soccer Affiliate Members
Please note that this policy does not apply:
Within 72 hours of the scheduled game time unless an emergency situation exists When a substantial financial commitment has been made for the assignment (e.g., non-refundable airline tickets)
Responsibility of Officials
Keep the lines of communication open about upcoming national and international appointments as far in advance as possible Communicate the receipt of a higher priority appointment to their assignor, State Referee Administrator, and U.S. Soccer (if applicable) as soon as possible Report an assignor that refuses to release the official for a higher priority assignment to their State Referee Administrator and the U.S. Soccer Referee Department
Diagonal System of Control
The diagonal system of control consists of one referee and two assistant referees. All competitions sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation require the use of this officiating system and certain competitions may require the use of a fourth official.
In order to comply with the Laws of the Game all games sanctioned directly or indirectly by member organizations of the U.S. Soccer Federation must employ the diagonal system of control and be assigned according to the following order or preference:
- One registered referee and two registered assistant referees
- One registered referee, one registered assistant referee and one unregistered club linesperson*
- One registered referee and two unregistered club linespersons*
- One registered referee only if no unregistered club linespersons are available or if one registered referee is appropriate for the level of competition
(Club linespersons are only allowed to signal for the ball in and out of play. The preference should always been given to unregistered club linespersons who have no affiliation to the participating teams.)
Responsibility of Assignors:
Identify the highly experienced officials on your assignment roster who are likely to be assigned to a higher priority assignment and always be prepared to fill these slots on an emergency basis
Cooperate with officials and other assignors on those rare occasions when the game priority policy is invoked
Report any concerns to the State Referee Administrator
Assignor Code of Ethics
- I will maintain the utmost respect for referees and other officials of the game and I will conduct myself honorably at all times.
- I will make the assignments based on what is good for the game and what is good for the referee.
- As a member of the United States Soccer Federation, my actions will reflect credit upon the organization.
- I will contribute to the continuous development of referees in the National Referee Development Program.
- I will conduct myself ethically and professionally in the assignment process.
- I will respect the rights and dignity of all the referees and I will not criticize them unless it is in private, constructive, and for their benefit.
- I will offer equal opportunity to all qualify referees and I will not discriminate against or take undue advantage of any individual or group on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
- I will cooperate fully in the timely resolution of any grievance hearing or complaint.
- I consider it a privilege to be a part of the United States Soccer Federation and my actions will reflect credit upon that organization or its affiliates.
- I will safeguard USSF confidentiality of the Referee List.
- I will give priority to USSF affiliated matches when assigning games.
- The use of USSF affiliated game assignments shall not be used to persuade USSF registered referees to accept game assignments for non-members of U.S. Soccer.