COVID-19 IMPACTED EVENTS – Referee Program
September 18th Update
All registered referees have been emailed full information regarding the upcoming indoor season for all soccer formats – boarded, boardless and Futsal. If you are a registered referee and did not receive the email, please contact – Alberta Soccer Referee Department
September 3rd Update
For the remainder of the 2020 registration season, the Alberta Soccer Referee Registration fees have been adjusted as follows:
Youth Referee Classification (14 & 15 years old) – $25.00
District, Regional & Provincial Classification (16 years or older) – $32.50 plus GST.
This represents 50% savings and will cover a referee’s registration until March 31st, 2021. This applies to referees re-registering for the first time in 2020 and referees who have already received a full refund for 2020 and wish to return for indoor. Re-registration can be done in the normal manner through a referee’s Refcentre account.
July 7th Update
IMPORTANT – Modification to Rule on Spitting – Phase 2 Modified Games Rules of Play
June 29th Update
Alberta Soccer has published the 2020 Phase 2 Modified Games Rules of Play
June 22 & 26 Return to Modified Games Webinars – Q&A
June 16th Update
All referee assignors, district administrators, DRA and RDC members have been invited to a Zoom meeting on June 18th at 7:30PM. This will be to discuss referee assigning plans for ‘Return to Modified Games’ in Phase 2 of the Alberta Soccer relaunch.
If you are in one of those roles and did not receive an invitation to the meeting, please email – Alberta Soccer Referee Department
Any registered referees, 18 and older, who wish to referee in ‘Return to Modified Games’ in a cohort arrangement MUST atttend one of the following referee webinars to learn how soccer will operate in Phase 2 of the Alberta Soccer relaunch.
June 22nd or June 25th on Zoom.
If you are a registered referee and did not receive an invitation to the webinar, please email – Alberta Soccer Referee Department
June 11th Update
As some COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted and Alberta Soccer is adjusting its ‘Return to Modified Games’ plan, all registered referees have received an invitation to complete a survey – gathering information about each referee’s comfort level in returning to the game during COVID-19 and being included in a ‘cohort’ of 50 participants in modified games.
If you are a registered referee and did not receive an invitation, please email – Alberta Soccer Referee Department
May 29th Update
Due to the continued suspension of sanctioned soccer activities and restrictions regarding gatherings, all Regional and Provincial Referee upgrading clinics have been cancelled for the 2020 season.
April 30th Update
Week 4 of the Laws of the Game and Trivia quiz available at –
2020 Laws of the Game and Trivia Quiz – Week 4
Entry Level online modules update – due to the scheduled cancellation of programming by Alberta Soccer for the outdoor season, the release date for Entry Level modules is under review.
Mini Referee pre-course activities update – due to the scheduled cancellation of programming by Alberta Soccer for the outdoor season, the release date for Mini Referee pre-course activities is under review.
April 20th Update
Week 3 of the Laws of the Game and Trivia quiz available at –
2020 Laws of the Game and Trivia Quiz – Week 3
Entry Level online modules will be available June 1st in Alberta to approved students in courses hosted by districts and clubs.
Mini Referee pre-course activities will be available June 1st in Alberta to approved students in courses hosted by districts and clubs.
April 13th Update
Week 2 of the Laws of the Game and Trivia quiz available at –
2020 Laws of the Game and Trivia Quiz – Week 2
Canada Soccer has distributed online modules to the provinces for Entry Level referee courses. These modules will be made available for approved students in courses hosted by districts and clubs.
April 9th Update
‘Office Hours’ sessions with Referee Instructors advertised as a follow up to the online refresher modules. Sessions run every Monday and Wednesday, starting April 15th and running until May 25th. Referees who have completed the online Refresher course will be invited to register.
April 6th Update
To fill in some time until soccer can restart after COVID19 restrictions, the Alberta Soccer Referee Program is publishing a series of Laws of the Game and Trivia quizzes to keep referees in ‘Referee Mode’.
You do not need to enter your name or anything to do the quiz, so enjoy!
2020 Referee Laws of the Game and Trivia Quiz – week 1
March 31st Update
For coaches and players who are interested in what the Laws of the Game changes will be when soccer resumes, this presentation from IFAB has all of the details along with videos. 2019-20 Laws of the Game changes.
For referees, or anyone interested the full Laws of the Game are also available on an App – IFAB 2019-20 Laws App
March 30th Update
Canada Soccer has produced a Home Workout Plan to help referees in their fitness training while we wait for news of the return of soccer. Referees at all levels are encouraged to continue to exercise during the break and there are many useful workouts included for speed, endurance and strength training appropriate to your referee level. Enjoy!
March 27th Update
2019-20 Law Books – as we are not holding in-class refreshers, Law book distribution will be handled as follows. We will be connecting with all districts in the coming weeks to arrange for centralized pick up points once soccer activities are cleared to resume. We will NOT be mailing out individual books as the cost and time required to do so is prohibitive. An electronic copy of the Laws of the game is available at – https://albertasoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/LotG_2019_20_EN.pdf – Thank you for your understanding.
March 26th Update
Because of the COVID-19 virus, Alberta Soccer will be offering the Outdoor Refresher course online, focusing on the Law changes for 2020. There will be no in-class Outdoor Refresher for the remainder of 2020. Please click here for full information about the Online Refresher. Please note Mini referees do not complete the Outdoor Questionnaire or Refresher.
March 21st Announcement
Annual Registration
The official Referee registration deadline remains March 31st, however for 2020 there will be no late fees for anyone registering after that date. Any officials who have not yet re-registered for 2020 are encouraged to do so at this time to be eligible for games as soon as the outdoor season begins.
Outdoor Questionnaire
After you have completed your registration, you should still submit your answers to the outdoor questionnaire in your Refcentre account so that you can be eligible for games as soon as the outdoor season begins. Please note Mini referees do not complete the Outdoor Questionnaire or Refresher.
Outdoor Refreshers
For 2020, ALL outdoor refreshers will be conducted online, with no refreshers taking place in-person. This will allow us to have sufficient referee numbers available to cover games as soon as the outdoor season begins. The online refresher is scheduled to be available early in April and details will be sent to all referees by Alberta Soccer and also shared through districts. Please note Mini referees do not complete the Outdoor Questionnaire or Refresher.
Entry Level and Mini Referee Courses
As of March 13th, ALL Entry Level and Mini Referee courses for new referees are postponed until further notice. It will be the Clinic Host’s responsibility to contact all current registrants of the changes to their certification clinic. Alberta Soccer is currently investigating the possibility of hosting these courses online and will provide updates relating to that when available.
Upgrade Program and Clinics
All upgrade candidates who were successful in the Canada Soccer Laws of the Game exam, remain eligible to upgrade in 2020.
Upgrade clinics are tentatively scheduled as follows:
Edmonton Regional Upgrade Clinic – May 30 – June 1
Calgary Regional Upgrade Clinic – June 6 – 7 (adjusted from previous published date)
All female Regional Upgrade Clinic – Edmonton – June 27-28
Provincial upgrade clinic – location to be determined – June 6-7
Clinic dates and locations may be adjusted if the suspension of soccer events is still in effect 3 weeks prior to the scheduled date.
Fitness Tests
Provincial fitness testing was previously planned for the April 24-26 weekend in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton. These tests are currently postponed until we have a better idea of when group activities can resume. Referees are encouraged to continue their own individual fitness training wherever possible, so that they are prepared for when the fitness testing is scheduled. There are many online resources that you can access to help with ideas etc.
Assessment Program
Currently the assessment program is scheduled to operate as normal when the outdoor season begins. Assessments may need to be prioritized if we have a shortened season.