Rhode Island Referee Handbook, Updated Sep 22, 2014.

1. RI Referee Handbook Revised: July 21, 2014 Section 1: Referee Administration 1. The duty of the Rhode Island State Referee Committee (SRC) is to administer the National Referee Development Program of the US Soccer Federation (USSF), and to improve the overall quality of soccer officiating in the state of Rhode Island. 2. The SRC By-Laws is the primary governance document of the SRC. In the case of any conflict between this handbook and the By-Laws, the By-Laws will take precedence. 3. The SRC has jurisdiction over referees registered with USSF that designate Rhode Island as their state referee association. Any administrative or disciplinary issue involving an out-of-state referee will be referred to that referee’s State Referee Administrator (SRA). The SRC has the authority, subject to the terms of Section 7 in this handbook, to sanction referees by: a) Issuing a written warning b) Suspension pending completion of additional training at the referee’s expense c) Suspension pending payment of a fine d) Suspension for a fixed term e) Dismissal from the Federation 4. Communications from the SRC to referees will primarily be done via email using the addresses on file with USSF. If a referee’s email address changes, it is the referee’s responsibility to update their record in GameOfficials, and update any online referee assigning systems that they use. Section 2: Registration 1. In order to be registered as a referee in Rhode Island at any grade, prospective referees must:

2. a) Maintain a legal residence in Rhode Island or intend to do their primary officiating in Soccer RI or RISA affiliated leagues. b) Successfully pass the appropriate written examination. c) Pay a registration fee. 2. Any person wishing to become a referee for the first time must successfully complete new referee training. a) No prior experience is required for entry into Grade 9 new referee training. b) Candidates for Grade 8 referee training must have met one of the following criteria: i. Reached 16 years of age; ii. Worked 5 games as referee at the U11 competitive level or higher 3. Referees taking the Grade 7, Grade 8 or Grade 9 referee training will have one week to complete the grade-specific certification exam after the last class. After the one week period has elapsed, US Soccer registrations will be approved and submitted for all referees that have passed the exam. a) If a referee completes the exam after the one week window has expired, they must notify the SDI, who will approve and submit his or her registration at the SYRA's convenience. 4. Candidates for Grade 9 Recreational Referee must complete the following course of instruction in order to be certified: a) Complete online Grade 9 Recreational Referee training from US Soccer with a passing score. b) Complete a 4-hour on-field training session. 5. Associations may request, at their own expense and paid for in advance, a private Grade 9 Recreational Referee course. The association will be responsible for providing an indoor facility for a 4-hour period configured for soccer and payment of instructor fees. The course will be restricted to those individuals designated by the hosting association.

3. 6. Candidates for Grade 8 Referee must complete the following course of instruction in order to be certified: a) Complete online Grade 8 Referee training from US Soccer with a passing score. b) Complete a 10-hour classroom training sequence 7. Associations may request, at their own expense and paid for in advance, a private Grade 8 Referee course. The association will be responsible for providing a classroom-style facility for 4 2.5 hour sessions and payment of instructor fees. The course will be restricted to those individuals designated by the hosting association. 8. Candidates for Grade 7 Referee must complete the Grade 7 Referee Course in order to be certified. 9. All exams have a passing score of 80% 10. Any referee who arrives more than 15 minutes late for any instructional event will be denied entry. Any referee who departs prior to the scheduled end of any instructional event will not be credited with attendance. 11. In order to re-certify as a referee at any grade, the referee must complete in- service training. In-service training includes formal training events administered by the SRC or other events which are designated as an in-service training opportunity by the SRC. All re-certification training events will be two hours in length and require registration in GameOfficials. a) A referee who registers for an SRC-sponsored in-service training event but does not attend will be assessed a $5 fine. b) Grade 8, 9, and Emeritus Referees must complete 4 hours of in-service training. c) Grade 7 Referees must complete 6 hours of in-service training. d) State Referees must complete 8 hours of in-service training. 12. Eligibility for in-service training by Grade: a) Pre-season youth league meetings for small-sided or recreational divisions: Grade 9

4. b) Intermediate-level youth league meetings: Grades 9-8 c) Advanced-level youth league meetings: Grades 8-6 d) Monthly seminars: Grades: 8-6 e) Field training: Grades: 9-8 f) PRO Clinic: 8-6 g) Academy programs: Grade 8 h) Regional Appointments: Grade 8-6 i) State Cup Training: Grade 8-6 j) Online training: Grade-specific training as listed 13. Local referee coordinators may conduct in-service training “in-house”, provided that the coordinator is a certified instructor and completion of the training is documented in GameOfficials in a manner directed by the SRC. Qualifying local coordinators who choose to pursue this option must notify the SRC so that a coordinator-managed virtual clinic can be established. Local coordinators who choose to exercise this option will be responsible for managing the virtual clinic and collecting and forwarding any registration fees not paid online. 14. Any certified instructor who is assigned to and conducts in-service training in fulfillment of formal referee training events scheduled by the SRC is granted credit for the training as if they were an attendee, provided that the training conducted by the instructor is applicable to the instructor’s referee grade. 15. In addition, referees grade 7 and above must meet the following requirements during the prior calendar year: a) Officiate at least 10 affiliated matches that are sanctioned either by Soccer RI or RISA, or are played within the boundaries of Rhode Island, at least 5 of which are as a referee, at the following level: i. Grade 7: Under-17 or higher, to include affiliated leagues with a “high school” division ii. Grade 6: Adult amateur or higher

5. 16. A State Referee that fails the state referee exam but scores within 10 points of passing on their best attempt, and otherwise meets the requirements for registration as a State Referee Grade 6, may choose to register as a Referee Grade 7. 17. A referee may register as a State Referee Emeritus provided the following requirements are met: a) In three (3) prior registration years, the referee was registered as a State Referee grade 6 or higher. The three registration years need not be contiguous. b) A minimum score of 70 on the State Referee Exam. c) Payment of the annual registration fee. 18. The SRC may grant exceptions to the requirements in 2.7 on an individual basis in the case of extenuating circumstances 19. A referee that fails the referee exam, but scores within 10 points of a passing grade and otherwise meets the requirements for registration as a referee grade 8 may choose to register as a recreational referee grade 9 rather than retake the test. 20. Any referee who fails to meet any requirement in this section may choose either to: a) Delay registration until such time as the requirements are met; or b) Register at the highest grade for which all requirements are satisfied. 21. Any referee may choose to register at a grade lower than the one he/she qualifies for. 22. The SRC may deny registration to any person who is not in good standing with RISRC or with USSF. 23. The online pre-payment fee for new referees includes the cost of a referee uniform, which includes 2 jerseys, shorts, and socks. 24. The purchase of a uniform from the SRC at the time of registration is optional.

6. 25. All assessors, assignors, mentors, and instructors must attend two training events per year. 26. Registration Fees are as follows (as of registration for the 2014 season): a) For new referees: i. Grade 9 - $120: $60 Registration / $60 Uniform ii. Grade 8 - $135: $75 Registration / $60 Uniform b) For re-certifying referees: i. Grade 9: $55 ii. Grade 8: $55 iii. Grade 7: $140: $60 Registration / $80 Assessment iv. Grade 6+: $170: $90 Registration / $80 Assessment v. Emeritus: $85 c) For assessors: i. Grade 9: $85.00 ii. Grade 7: $90.00 iii. Grade 6: $120.00 iv. Grade 5: $120.00 v. Grade 3: $145.00 d) For instructors: i. Grade 11: $75.00 ii. Grade 9: $75.00

7. iii. Grade 7: $80.00 iv. Grade 5: $110.00 v. Grade 3: $135.00 e) For assignors: $15 27. A late fee of $10 per month will be assessed on all registration activity after December 31, except for those individuals with a valid college identification card. Those college-aged individuals would be given until February 1 before incurring late fees. Section 3: Referee Upgrades 1. Referees who qualify for upgrade on the basis of prior game experience must provide documentation showing completion of the required minimum lifetime game experience as documented in a game log which includes at a minimum, date and location of the match, league, and age division. 2. Referees who wish to upgrade from Grade 9 to Grade 8 must: a) Complete the Grade 8 Referee course. Entry to the Grade 8 course is restricted to individuals that have reached 16 years of age OR have worked 5 games as referee at the U11 competitive level or higher. b) Pass the USSF Grade 8 Exam 3. Referees who wish to upgrade from Grade 8 to Grade 7 must: a) Complete the Grade 7 Referee course. Entry to the Grade 7 course is restricted to individuals that have worked 5 games as referee in 80 minute competitive matches or higher. b) Pass the USSF Grade 7 Exam 4. Referees who wish to upgrade from Grade 7 to Grade 6 must: a) Complete the State Referee Course. Entry to the Grade 6 course is restricted to individuals that have worked 5 games as referee in adult men’s amateur matches.

8. b) Pass the FIFA Sprint and Interval Test at the standard established by the SRC. c) Pass two assessments by a State Assessor 5. Referees who pay for an upgrade which includes an assessment, but do not complete the classroom portion of the upgrade process, will be credited the assessment fee, and the assessment will not be conducted. 6. A referee who fails an upgrade assessment may request an additional upgrade assessment which, if passed, will qualify for upgrade. If a referee fails two attempts at an upgrade assessment, upgrade will be denied and may be re- attempted in the following registration year. 7. Upgrades to Grade 5 National Candidate are handled by USSF directly, and will be facilitated by the SRA. Section 4: Assignments 1. Referees will receive match assignments by various methods of communication; the referee must accept or decline the assignment in a timely manner as determined by each assignor. 2. Failure to accept an assignment in a timely manner may result in removal from the assignment. 3. Failure to appear at an accepted assignment may result in disciplinary actions described in Section 8. 4. Priority of assignment is given to referees in the following order: 1. National Referees 2. National Candidates 3. State Referees 4. Grade 7 Referees that have completed fitness and assessment requirements 5. Emeritus Referees (if ability permits)

9. 6. All other Grade 7 Referees 7. Grade 8 Referees 8. Grade 9 Recreational Referees 5. It is the responsibility of each referee to inform their assignor(s) of their availability to officiate matches, which includes updating their availability on all assigning websites. It is the intent of assignors to only assign referees to matches at times in which they are available. Referees are given priority of assignment based on grade; in general, higher-level assignments are given to referees of a higher grade. Assignors may choose to reduce the number of assignments given to referees who frequently decline assignments for reasons other than conflicts with other assignments. 6. Each referee is expected to keep all assignments that are accepted. However, there are certain occasions when a referee has previously accepted an assignment and receives a higher priority assignment which takes precedence as described in the Referee Administrative Handbook. The referee must contact the assignor of the lower-priority match to be released from that assignment. In accordance this this policy, when assigned at least 48 hours in advance, State Cup Competitions have precedence over any other match within the state. 7. For in-state assignments, received at least 72 hours before the match, a referee is encouraged to contact his/her original assignor in order to be released if assigned to a higher-level match. Assignors, in order to further referee development are highly encouraged to release that referee without prejudice. 8. In the event that circumstances beyond the official’s control cause the referee to miss an assignment, the official must contact the match assignor as soon as possible. Section 5: Game Day Procedures 1. All members of the referee team are expected to be at the field at the time prescribed by the rules of competition, at the time set by the referee or, if no time is prescribed, at least 30 minutes prior to kick off. The referee should contact the assistants to establish a time and place to meet. All members of the referee team should enter the field area together. You should meet in a prescribed area if possible and then walk to the field together and introduce yourselves to the coaches of both teams. Please wait for your partners before entering the field.

10. 2. In the event that circumstances beyond the official’s control prevent timely arrival at the field, the official should attempt to contact the other match officials or the match assignor as soon as possible. 3. Match officials must be properly uniformed and dressed in matching uniform colors and sleeve length. The match Referee determines which uniform the team of officials shall wear. If there is a conflict in colors between the teams and the game officials, it is the responsibility of the referee team to choose a non- conflicting alternate color. In the event the referee team does not possess 3 matching and non-conflicting jerseys, a mix of sleeve lengths is permitted. The use of matching pinnies is permitted for the assistant referees (ARs). As a last resort, a referee may wear a pinnie so as not to conflict with the teams. Match officials do not need to have matching styles of uniform, so long as the colors match, unless otherwise specified by the rules of competition. 4. The referee team is required to inspect the field, including the goals, corner flags and lines, to ensure that the field is playable and the equipment is safe. If the Referee decides that the field or playing conditions are not suitable for playing the match, or are not compliant with rules of play or are unsafe for competition, the match shall not be played, and the referee shall note this in the Match Report. Each official for that match shall receive the lesser of $25 or the game fee for travel expenses. 5. The referee is responsible for conducting a pre-game conference between match officials to convey instructions and expectations to the ARs and if applicable, the fourth official. 6. If a full complement of officials is not present at the scheduled starting time of the match, the match may be played with volunteers. These volunteers shall be considered club assistants, responsible for signaling that the ball has gone out of play and nothing else. The volunteers shall receive no compensation, unless stated otherwise by the league’s rules. The fees for the absent officials shall be evenly divided and returned to the teams. The referee shall note the absence of officials and return of fees in the Match Report. Under no circumstances may referees officiate a match using a two-man system in which both officials use whistles. 7. If one or both teams cannot field enough players within the league’s grace period, or 15 minutes if no grace period is provided, the match shall not be played, and the referee shall note this in the match report. The officials for that match shall be entitled to a full match fee. If not paid at the field, the referee will submit a request to the SRC for payment. 8. If a game is cancelled on the field by the referee prior to it starting, the referee fees are to be returned to the teams. If the game starts and the referee cancels the

11. game before the 60th minute of the match, the referee fees are to be returned to the teams, unless otherwise provided for by the league rules. 9. If all referees are assigned to the wrong field or time for the match, they will be paid the lesser of $25 or the game fee for travel expenses. The fee will be paid by either the league or the SRC, dependent upon where the error occurred. 10. If a full complement of officials is not present at the scheduled starting time of the match, the match may be played with volunteers. These volunteers shall be considered Club Assistants, responsible for signaling that the ball has gone out of play and nothing else. The volunteers shall receive no compensation, unless stated otherwise by the league’s rules. The fees for the absent officials shall be evenly divided and returned to the teams. The Referee shall note the absence of officials and return of fees in the Match Report. 11. If a referee is assaulted during a match, the referee must follow the guidelines in the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook so that administrative and enforcement agencies can properly do their job. A copy of the USSF Referee Report can be downloaded from the SRC web site. Referees are expected to make copies of this report for their own use. In the event of a referee assault, a fully executed original or duplicate original of this report must be submitted immediately after the match to the appropriate league president, the SRA, and the governing body of the match. In addition, a call should be placed immediately after the match to the SRA advising him/her of the assault. Section 6: Game Reports 1. Referees are required to fully complete all game reports, and to submit them to the proper authority within 24 hours of the end of the match. It is the referee’s responsibility to be aware of the reporting requirements for the matches being officiated; referees must comply with any additional reporting requirements mandated by the league. 2. Failure to properly submit a game report shall subject the referee to the disciplinary actions described in Section 8. 3. For any leagues which do not currently specify a game report, a copy of the USSF Referee Game Report can be downloaded from the SRC web site. This report should be accompanied by the appropriate rosters and submitted to the governing body of the league within 24 hours. Section 7: Match Assessments

12. 1. All field assessments will be unannounced. In the event that the match is deemed insufficiently difficult by the assessor, an additional unannounced assessment may be conducted with the cost paid for by the SRC. 2. If a referee fails a maintenance assessment, they will be automatically downgraded by one grade. 3. A referee who fails a maintenance assessment may, at their own expense and paid for in advance, request one additional unannounced maintenance assessment, scheduled by the SDA. If the referee passes their second maintenance assessment attempt, they will be restored to their previous grade. If no suitable assessment opportunity occurs before the end of the calendar year, the assessment fee will be returned. 4. If a referee fails two attempts at a maintenance assessment, the referee may attempt to upgrade to their prior grade no earlier than the following registration year. 5. A referee who fulfills the annual game count requirements in Section 2 will not be penalized in the event that a maintenance assessment of sufficient difficulty is not completed. 6. The assessor must provide a copy of the assessment to the match officials within one week of the match. 7. An Assessor assigned to perform an assessment shall be paid $25 for travel expenses if a match is not played due to insufficient players or unplayable pitch conditions, or if the assessor (and referees) are sent to the wrong field or have the wrong time for the match. 8. Referees wishing to travel to another state for an assessment MUST have permission from the Rhode Island SDA who will then contact the SDA in the state to which the referee is traveling. The SDA can be contacted by email at sda@risrc.net. Out of state assessments that do not adhere to this policy will not be counted towards upgrade or maintenance requirements. Section 8: Disciplinary Actions and Appeal Process
1. Any complaint of wrongdoing on the part of a referee, administrator, assessor, instructor, or assignor registered in Rhode Island will be submitted to the SRA. Upon completion of the SRA’s investigation, the accused individual will be notified of any penalty imposed by the SRA and may either accept the penalty or

13. appeal within ten (10) days. Appeals will be handled in accordance with USSF policy 531-10.
2. The following penalties are established as disciplinary guidelines. The SRA may choose to impose lesser or greater penalties based on mitigating or aggravating factors. Multiple offenses are counted within the same calendar year.
a. Missed assignment (within the referee’s control):
i. First offense: A fine equivalent to one game fee.
ii. Second offense: A fine equivalent to two game fees.
iii. Third offense: A fine equivalent to two game fees, and suspension from assignment for six months.
b. Failure to submit a game report:
i. First offense: A written reprimand
ii. Subsequent offenses: a $20 fine, with an increase of $20 for each subsequent offense.
c. Bad conduct during a match or while dressed as a referee, excluding decisions made during the course of a match as provided for by the Laws of the Game:
i. First offense: Suspension from assignment for 1 week.
ii. Second offense: Suspension from assignment for 3 weeks.
iii. Third offense: Suspension from all federation activities for 1 year.
d. Match fixing:
i. Suspension from all federation activities for 1 year.
e. Withdrawal from a regional or national match or tournament appointment after a rostering deadline, with the exception of cases of bona fide and documented injury or inability to perform:
i. Suspension from out-of-state appointment eligibility for the remainder of the year and through the following calendar year.
f. Dismissal from a regional or national match or tournament appointment as a result of violation of a signed good conduct agreement or as a result of behavior which brings disrepute to the state association.
i. Suspension from out-of-state appointment eligibility for five (5) years and a $200 fine.
g. Assessed fines will be imposed against the following year’s registration fee.
3. An accused individual who is found to have knowingly made false statements during the course of an investigation of a complaint of wrongdoing is subject to double the ordinary penalty.
4. Any complaint of wrongdoing on the part of a player, coach, team official, or spectator, shall be reported in writing to the SRA within 48 hours of the incident, who will forward the complaint to the president of the association that sanctions

14. the league or tournament in which the alleged misconduct occurred, or, if the incident occurred out of state, to that state’s SRA. Section 9: Travel Policy 1. For the purposes of consistency, and due to the small geographical size of Rhode Island, officials will not be compensated for travel to league or tournament matches under the jurisdiction of RISA or Soccer RI, even when those matches are held outside of Rhode Island. 2. Referees are registered by US Soccer through the State Referee Association and are considered independent contractors. Referees in good standing will not be prohibited from working affiliated games out of state. As a matter of courtesy, referees should inform the SRA/SYRA when traveling out of the state association to work games. Referees who choose to work out of state remain eligible to work games in Rhode Island. Referees that work more games in a state other than Rhode Island may be denied registration in the following year at the SRA’s discretion and directed to register in the other state, which would be in a position to more appropriately meet that referee’s needs. 3. In order to be eligible for appointment to regional tournament delegations or for reimbursed travel under this section, referees must have passed the FIFA Sprint and Interval test at the State Referee standard within the prior 6 month. 4. While US Soccer policies do not require a referee coming into Rhode Island to provide written permission from his or her SRA before being allowed to referee in Rhode Island, it is the policy of the RISRC that names of visiting referees are forwarded to the SRA. The SRA will then verify that the visiting referees are currently registered with US Soccer and, if needed, contact the referee’s SRA to ensure that the referee is in good standing. Further, the SRA can help to verify that referees coming in from another country are properly certified and have the necessary legal documents required for working in the United States. Anyone inviting referees from out of the state should forward the names to the SRA via e- mail to sra@risrc.net. 5. The SRC encourages officials to seek challenging out-of-state developmental tournament and special match assignments. In order to provide these opportunities to motivated officials, the SRC will reserve a limited amount of funds to reimburse officials for travel expenses incurred, subject to the terms in this section. 6. The official must notify the Treasurer as soon as the details of the event are known. The Treasurer will prepare a cost estimate for the trip and forward it to the SRA and the official. The following costs may be authorized:

15. a) Transportation to and from the venue, using the most cost-effective carrier. If travel is by air, the cost of one piece of checked luggage may be authorized. 1. If transportation is by the referee’s personally-owned vehicle, mileage reimbursement of up to 50% of the current IRS mileage rate may be authorized. b) For each full day of the trip, a per diem payment is authorized to cover the cost of meals, which is calculated as 75% of the General Services Administration (GSA) Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) rate for the location of the match(es). For the first and last day of the trip, 40% of the GSA rate is authorized. If meals are provided, the per diem payment will be reduced by 50% for dinner, 35% for lunch and 15% for breakfast for that day. c) Lodging costs, calculated at 100% of the GSA per diem lodging rate for the location of the match(es). d) If not provided by venue, local transportation using a rental car or public transportation. If more than one official is travelling to the same event, local transportation must be shared. 7. The SRA will approve or decline the request, and may choose to authorize a lesser amount. The SRA will notify the official of the breakdown of expenses that will be paid for by the SRC. If the request is declined or is approved for a lesser amount than requested, the official may appeal the decision at the next meeting of the SRC, which will be decided by a vote of the SRC. The SRA or SRC may elect to deduct from expense reimbursement an amount up to the sum total of all referee fees received. 8. Officials will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements. 9. Within 30 days of the completion of the trip, the official will provide receipts for all transportation and lodging expenses incurred to the Treasurer, who will reimburse the official for all approved expenses. Receipts do not need to be provided for meal expenses. 10. While officiating out of state, referees are expected to adhere to the highest standards of conduct to reflect positively on the Rhode Island referee community. 11. Officials will notify the SRA of out-of-state match assignments, even when travel expenses are not paid by the SRC. Officials need not notify the SRA of assignments to leagues which normally conduct matches in Rhode Island, even

16. when the match in question is outside of the state (for example: RISL Over 30, MAPLE, or MASC). Section 10: Annual Awards 1. RISA and SRI will present Referee of the Year awards on an annual basis in various categories. The objective criteria used to determine the winners of these awards shall be determined by the SRC and will be primarily on the basis of assignment. 2. The following individuals are ineligible for a Referee of the Year award: 1. Members of the SRC 2. Prior award winners in the same category 3. Any referee subject to disciplinary action 4. Referees that have transferred out of state 3. In addition, “Outstanding Referee” awards will be given for exceptional performance at certain competitions.