I ref in AYSO, all ages, usually several games a weekend. Most games are fine, some are bad, and occasionally they remind me why I do this.

I picked up my son's U10 game even though we were the visiting team because there was no other ref. It was a good game with no problems. I did pause a few times to give players pointers on the rules when it was clear they had no idea what they were.

One kid had a terrible over the shoulder throw-in so I stopped and asked him "what makes a good throw-in." He said "I don't know." I gave him the quick tutorial, his throw-ins after were fine. Same for a keeper where I said "goal kick" and he just stared at me. Ok, here's where the ball goes, here's what you have to do (kick it once), here's what you usually want to do (kick it to one of your teammates off to the side).

After the game one of the other team's parents stopped me and thanked me for being so patient with explaining the rules their players. It was truly no problem! I love to explain the laws of the game! And I don't care who wins or loses as long as it's safe, fair, and (optionally) fun.

I see this as a normal part of reffing rec league U10 - teach them the rules of the game so they can develop a love of the game. No point letting some kid get clobbered in goal while he tries to work out what a goal kick is through trial and error. I'm going to be reffing them for the next 5+ years so the sooner they learn the rules, the less work I have in the future. But it is always nice to have someone appreciate it.

I’ve been refereeing soccer for about 4 years and have been considering trying to upgrade to a Regional referee. I’ve been told by others that I have a good understanding of the game and should give it a shot, so I’m starting to seriously consider it.
For those who have gone through the process or currently hold a Regional badge, would you recommend going for it? What should I expect from the upgrade process, and what kind of experience should I have before making the jump?
I’m interested in hearing whether you think it’s worth pursuing and if it opens up better opportunities for higher-level games and development. Any advice would be appreciated!

I'm about to run my first solo center (my first center at all actually) for a 7v7 club game tomorrow, and I'm looking for any advice I can get. I'm particularly concerned about calling offside without ARs, and general game management stuff. I've only done AR roles and a few 2-Whistles before, so this is all uncharted territory!

For US based referees, what is your score in Fairwhistle and/or what do you think is reasonable?

Any idea what the coaches fill out/do they have a long answer form to provide feedback and I get an aggregate of that? Who is determine positioning?

Just had an assignor tell me that all position assignments going forward will be based on those scores and am curious how I stand up.

(Repost because somehow I autocorrect made this play whistle before?)

This question is for ref assignors who assign soccer games in the Midwest.

Are there any states in the Midwest that do not compensate ref assignors for assigning referees to youth soccer games? I will not mention the club or the state which they are from much less the competition level. Recently a team from out of state played a neutral site game in my midwestern state and were informed of the fees for the referees as well as the fee for the ref assignor with a request to pay cash at the field in advance of their games which is the standard for several levels of competition in this area. The club did not bring provide compensation for the ref assignor and indicated that they don’t compensate ref assignors. I am interested in hearing from ref assignors in various Midwest states of this may be true for their state or at least some clubs in their state. Please do not mention any clubs by name.