If we were to ask a typical AYSO referee what the referee's job is, our official might well respond, "To make sure the game is safe, fair, and FUN." If our referee had attended the Advanced Referee Course or the National Referee Course he/she might elaborate on the answer by citing AYSO National Rules and Regulations I.D.5 (formerly Law 5, IBD 8),

"The Laws of the Game are intended to provide that games should be played with as little interference as possible, and in this view it is the duty of referees to penalize only deliberate breaches of the Law. Constant whistling for trifling and doubtful breaches produces bad feelings and loss of temper on the part of the players and spoils the pleasure of spectators."

Of course, both of these job descriptions are correct, but both are also incomplete! AYSO is a program that emphasizes positive child development through the medium of of the game of soccer. In that respect AYSO is the foremost such program in the nation. In the AYSO context soccer affords all who participate the opportunity to learn firsthand many of life's most important lessons and skills. The game teaches the values of teamwork, fair play, initiative, hard work, perseverance and how to deal with both triumphs and reversals. It offers both palyers and referees ways to develop skills and self-esteem as participants in and as managers of unscripted dramas that in a manageable way mirror life's challenges.

The complete job of the AYSO referee is to facilitate this learning process. The AYSO referee together with the coach and the administrator really is a teacher. The job involves far more than deciding whether the challenge on the field is fair or foul, or whether the restart is a direct or indirect free kick. The essence of AYSO officiating is helping children develop into the healthy, confident and productive individuals we want them to be. There is an added bonus in this teaching role for us as AYSO referees. Our players and the game itself teach us much about ourselves in terms of how we manage and interact with others in times of stress and moments decision.

In truth, in AYSO it's about more than the game.