Tennessee Soccer

The following steps are the general sequence for the process. Please see the below sections specific for Referees and Assessors for in-depth instructions.

  1. Referees request an assessment including all game information and type. (Upgrade, Maintenance) using the “Advancement” drop down menu on their Member Home Page within OMS.
  2. Referee completes the request for the assessment by paying the fee through their Member Home Page checkout.
  3. The assessment request shows up in the “Newly Created” Assessment Status on the SDA Assessment List. 
  4. SDA uses drop down box to assign assessor. Assessor and referee can be notified via email directly from the assigning page.
    • Alternatively, DDA can assign assessor by going to “DDA Services” in the Extended Services on their Member Home Page.  
  5. Assessor completes the written assessment in U.S. Soccer Game Officials.
  6. Assessorenters the results in the “Update Assessment Status” section, which is accessed through the “Assessor Services” in the Extended Services on their Member Home Page.
    • Assessor then verifies and submits Expense Report (ER) from the Expense Report page, which appears next.
  7. SDAreviews and approves assessment from the “Waiting SDA Approval” Assessment Status on the SDA Assessment List.
    • SDA approves the ER from the ER’s Unpaid Assessment Status on SDA Assessment List. ER is sent directly to Treasurer upon approval by SDA.
  8. SDA notifies assessor the assessment is approved. Note: Assessor can view all of his/her completed assessments by changing the Assessment Status to “Complete” from their Assessor Services.
  9. Assessor fills out the Tennessee Soccer Reimbursement Form and sends it to SDA and TSRP Coordinator. 

REFEREE ASSESSMENTS

Below is the process for obtaining an assessment for Referees for their portfolio or development, to upgrade to a Regional Referee, and for a maintenance assessment if you are already a Regional Referee.

REFEREES:

1. Referees can choose to have a Developmental and Guidance or Formal Assessment for their portfolio or referee development.

2. There is no need to contact the SDA for permission for a Developmental and Guidance Assessment.

3. A Developmental & Guidance Assessment is usually one sheet, written at the field and given to the referee there. It contains no score but does have Positives Areas of Performance and Areas for Improvement.

4. The D&G assessment is informal and not recorded in Game Officials. 

5. Either a Referee or Regional Assessor can be used for this assessment.

6. Choose a game at a comfortable yet challenging level for your assessment. If the game is too easy you may not get the feedback you need.

7. Contact an assessor of your choice to see if they might be available. If you are having difficulty obtaining an assessor, you may contact the District Director of Assessment (DDA) in your area for help.

8. If you decide you would like a Full Assessment, the process is different.  A full assessment is written in Game Officials and can be added to your portfolio. You will receive a written report with a score and Positives Area in your performance, as well as Areas for Improvement. This is an official assessment and is usually written within 7 days of the game. 

9. The fee for the Developmental and Guidance Assessment is the referee’s responsibility and is usually the game fee.  However, assessors can charge mileage and meals if they must travel a long distance for the game.  You should provide cash for the assessor at the beginning of the game.  

10. If you choose to request a Formal Assessment, please follow the steps 2-7 under Maintenance Assessment.

11. Good luck completing your assessment!

MAINTENANCE ASSESSMENTS:

  1. Email SDA with request for a maintenance assessment.
    • Requirement for Tennessee is 2 passing assessments as a referee – one adult and one U18 or 19 youth game.
    • Any out of state assessment must be approved by the SDA.
  2. Log into OMS, go to the “Advancement” dropdown box and choose Request Referee Assessment on your Home Page.  You must have already been assigned an appropriate game in Game Officials.
  3. Fill in all information requested including Assessment Type, Target Grade, Registration Year, Position, Game Type, District Director of Assessment (DDA) where game is held, Date, Start Time, Field, City and State.
  4. After submitting the assessment, Fee Item to be Paid will appear on your Member Page.  You can pay the fee or cancel the assessment by removing the item.
  5. You can view your status by highlighting “View My History” in the “Member Profile” dropdown box.
  6. After the fee is paid, the SDA will be notified to assign an assessor.  Assessments must be paid for before assigning an assessor.
  7. SDA will approve the assessment and SDA and/or the DDA will assign an assessor.  You will be notified by email when your assessor accepts the game.
  8. If you have difficulty with the process you can go to the HelpDesk in OMS and click on Knowledge Base and look under Requesting an Assessment and Paying for an Assessment. These documents are downloadable.
  9. If assessments are not entered, approved and assigned through OMS, they will NOT be accepted for maintenance. 
  10. State Cup games will count for maintenance assessments if requested 2 weeks before the tournament. Assessor fee will be paid by the state for these games ONLY.
  11. Good luck completing your assessments!
  12. After passing your assessments and fitness test, your recertification will be complete and sent to USSF. 

FOR UPGRADE PROGRAM:

  1. 2024 REGIONAL REFEREE UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS
    • Age: 18 years or older
    • Previous Game Experience:
      • 25 games as a Referee (at the local adult amateur level)
      • 15 games as an Assistant Referee (at the local adult amateur level)
    • Previous Certification Experience: Minimum of three (3) consecutive years as a Referee (Grade 8/7)
    • In-Service Training: Online in US Soccer Learning Center
    • Laws of the Game Test: Online in US Soccer Learning Center
    • Safety and Compliance: Background Check in US Soccer Learning Center
    • Fitness Test: Pass the FIFA Spring and Interval Tests
      • Male: Category 1
      • Female: Category 2
    • Practical Evaluation: minimum of three (3) passing center evaluations
      • Two (2) at the adult amateur level
      • One (1) at the highest youth level (U18/U19) (45 min half)
      • Evaluations must be done by three (3) different referee coaches
  2. Email SDA, Susan Williamson, to request approval for an upgrade, include an excel spreadsheet of your Game Log with this request. These games must be amateur adults. You must have 75% of your game count before applying for an assessment. 
  3. Log into OMS, go to the “Advancement” dropdown box and choose Request Referee Assessment on your Home Page.  You must have already been assigned an appropriate game in Game Officials.
  4. Fill in all information requested including Assessment Type, Target Grade, Registration Year, Position, Game Type, District Director of Assessment (DDA) where game is held, Date, Start Time, Field, City and State.
  5. After submitting the assessment, Fee Item to be Paid will appear on your Member Page.  You can pay the fee or cancel the assessment by removing the item.
  6. You can view your status by highlighting “View My History” in the “Member Profile” dropdown box.
  7. After the fee is paid, the SDA will be notified to assign an assessor.  Assessments must be paid for before assigning an assessor.
  8. If you have difficulty with the process you can go to the HelpDesk in OMS and click on Knowledge Base and look under Requesting an Assessment and Paying for an Assessment. These documents are downloadable.
  9. SDA will approve the assessment and SDA and/or the DDA will assign an assessor.  You will be notified by email when your assessor accepts the game.
  10. If assessments are not entered, approved and assigned through OMS, they will NOT be accepted for maintenance. 
  11. Any out of state assessments must be approved by the SDA.
  12. Good luck completing your assessments!
  13. After passing the assessments and fitness test, your upgrade request will be complete and sent to USSF.

FOR ASSESSORS

TOURNAMENT ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:

1.  Assessors may be assigned to provide feedback to referees for tournaments in their area by the Assistant SDAs (ASDA) or the SDA.  We would like to be able to send 2 assessors to major tournaments as determined by the ASDAs and the SDA. Some tournaments may be willing to provide payments for one of the assessors.

2.  If you are assigned a tournament, check with your ASDA to determine if the state or the tournament will be paying you.

3.  Requirements for assessing are 6 hours of work providing feedback for whole or half games to Referees and AR’s at $125 per day.  Total payment is $250 for 2 days of observing.   

o    All feedback MUST be for Referees. 

o    Provide written feedback for all center referees.   Provide verbal feedback to centers and AR’s at the end of the game or half time, if doing half games.  

4.  Use the USSF Developmental & Guidance Form to provide written feedback to the center and any AR you feel is necessary.  This can be done at your convenience using this link:

MAINTENANCE AND REGIONAL UPGRADE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:

  1. Referees seeking maintenance or Regional upgrade assessments will submit requests to the SDA.
  2. Referees will fill out a Request for Assessment in OMS including all necessary information about the game. Referee will pay for the assessment through OMS before the assessment is approved. 
  3. Either the DDA or the SDA will assign an assessor to the game.  Assessors will be notified by email once they have been assigned the assessment. 
  4. After completing the assessment, the assessor will enter the assessment into OMS.
    • You must make sure you enter the Game Officials number into OMS.
    • Go to the HelpDesk in OMS for instruction on how to do this. Click on Knowledge Base and look under Requesting an Assessment. These documents are downloadable. 
  5. Assessors must also complete Getting Paid for an Assessment in OMS.  Go to the HelpDesk in OMS, click on Knowledge Base, and read Getting Paid for an Assessment for instructions on how to complete your assessment and get paid.  
  6. The SDA will be notified the assessor assessment has been entered into OMS and Game Officials and will approve the assessment and approve an Expense Report for the assessor to get paid.
  7. If assessments are not entered, approved and assigned through OMS, they will NOT be accepted for maintenance or upgrade. 
  8. To receive reimbursement by the state, you must also send a completed Tennessee Soccer Reimbursement Form to the SDA AND TSRP Coordinator within 30 days of completing your assessment.