Thanks for your help with the Davis World Cup Tournament. Our goal is to make this a fun and amazing weekend for the players, but also a fun and enjoyable experience for you. Let us know if you have any suggestions of things we can do better in that respect. Below is a bunch of information that you should be familiar with, please look over all of it. 

​ 

Referee In-Service​ and Dinner 

Each year we hold a referee in-service the Friday night before the tournament. We try and make this a meaningful and valuable experience for all referees. Recent guest speakers have included a FIFA referee, a USSF referee assessor and a USSF director of referee development. Our hope is that every single one of you will come.  This is not mandatory – it is a continuing education event, not a tournament rules overview. 

 

When: Friday 5/24/2024 (expected date, time TBC)

Location: TBC

Speakers:  TBC

 

Dinner will be provided 

We will also answer any tournament questions you may have and hand out tournament t-shirts/coins and a number of great door prizes 

No need to RSVP.

 

Sign-Up 

Sign-up in our referee scheduling system. First look for your name in the drop-down list – you may be in there from a previous year, or we may have added you already. 

  

Most of you will not know your password, so just click the “Mail my password” button on the bottom left to retrieve or reset it. (Davis referees, note that this is a different schedule than the one we use for our regular seasons, and your password in this one may be different). 

  

If you do not see your name in the drop-down, click the “New Referee Sign-Up” button to register, and we’ll try and activate you within 24 hours. 

 

More instructions can be found here. 

  

All referees that participate in DWC must be registered with AYSO and have a current volunteer application form on file with their home Region. 

  

Scheduling 

The schedule is accessible at Refscheduler. 

  

Please keep these scheduling thoughts in mind: 

• Most of the games will be handled through self-assignment 

• We hope each referee will sign up for 6-8 or more spots (your player will likely play in ~5 games * 3 referees / 2 teams = ~7.5 spots per ref, we can’t do it without you) 

• Please sign up for as many AR spots as you do center referee spots 

• Please do not sign up to officiate you own child’s games and if possible, please avoid all games in the same flight as your own child. 

• If you are a coach (or assistant coach), do not officiate in the flight that you are coaching in 

• Make sure you can get to your venue with plenty of buffer time (20-30 before kick-off). Most fields are within 5-15 minutes of each other, but parking might be tough at some times, so consider staying at a single venue for a while, rather than bouncing around. (take a look at the Game Length info below) 

• Officiate at your comfort level (pushing the envelope a little is encouraged) 

• Each venue has a referee tent next to the Field Marshal tent 

• 16U/19U center referee positions will be assigned, as will many Semi-final, and all Final spots. Please send a note to refereeadmin@davisayso.org if you are interested in any of these spots. Please include your badge level and an estimate of your experience. You can request specific games, or better yet, provide more general info such as: “Free all day Sat and Sun, except for the times listed below when my child plays, no more than 2 games/day.” We will assign as many of Bracket 16U/19U spots as possible before the schedule opens — so that you know which ones you have and can self-assign for other games around those. 

• Feel free to remove yourself from games, if you do this a week before the tournament - no issue, but as it gets closer to the weekend please use more discretion. 

​ 

Youth Referees 

We welcome youth referees. Youth referees should generally officiate divisions at least one age below their own. We try to denote youth referees with a (Y) after their first name in the RefScheduler, but we may miss some if we don’t know they are youths. Adults, if you see a referee signed up with a (Y) after their name, please make a point to sign up with them to offer guidance and support. Please remind coaches that there is zero tolerance for dissent toward a youth referee. Any dissent toward a youth referee is grounds for immediate expulsion of the team official or spectator. 

​ 

Scheduling as the weekend progresses 

As the weekend progresses and you learn that you will be available for later games that day, Do NOT use RefScheduler to sign up for games that day; schedules are printed out each morning, so for game day sign-ups please sign up at the field. 

  

If something happens during the weekend and you need to cancel any spots, please call to let us know. 

  

Rules and Maps 

The 2024 Tournament Rules are available HERE. (Updated 1/21/2024)

  

Field Maps are available HERE (note, these are 2023 maps; may be updated for 2024)

​ 

Game Day 

Please check-in at the Referee tent for your venue before going to the field for your first game each day (look for the big yellow REFEREES banner). Check off your name on the printed schedule there for all of your games. 

  

Player check-ins 

Player/equipment inspections are done by field marshals.

  

Referees should check for player arm-stamps before the game if they don’t have one, they cannot play.

  

If you do notice any equipment violations, follow standard protocol – you have the final say.

  

If the game card has a red-line or blue-line through a player (or coach) name, it means they cannot play due to previous red card (red-line) or concussion concern (blue-line). The field marshals should catch this, and let you know about this when they give you the card, but if they don’t, ask them to verify if the player can play or not. 

 

Uniform conflicts 

If there is a uniform color conflict, the home team must change, or else BOTH teams must wear pinafores (field marshal table should have them). However, if the visiting team is willing to change to remedy the situation – that’s fine. 

 

Tie Breaking 

Bracket games can end in a tie 

  

Elimination, quarterfinal, semi-final, and consolation games that are tied at the end of regulation time will be decided by kicks from the penalty mark. 

  

Championship games that are tied at the end of regulation time will continue with two overtime periods. These overtime periods will be five minutes each for every division. Both periods will be played; there is no “golden goal”. If the game is still tied at the end of the second overtime period, the game will be decided by kicks from the penalty mark. 

  

Game Cards 

• Have both coaches sign the game card after the game 

• If there are no misconducts, give the completed game card to the winning coach at the end of the game, or if a tie, give the card to the home coach 

• If there were any misconducts or other issues such as coach or parent problems, or suspected concussion or major injury, one of the officials needs to turn the game card in to the field marshal, and verify the details 

 

Misconduct Reporting 

• We need all officials to be good about noting all misconduct on the game card. Both Red and Yellow cards have consequences on both team points and player eligibility for subsequent games. Make sure to note team (country), player number, player name, and reason. 

• If there is any misconduct, one of the officials needs to turn the game card into the field marshal, and make sure to explain the notes. 

• In addition, if there are any Send-offs, it's really important for you to fill out a misconduct report. They will be available at the ref tent and field marshal tables. Try and find a few minutes to do it right there on the spot by hand, and turn it into the field marshal. 

• Make sure keepers wear shirts or pinnies without number, and/or be careful to record the keepers “real” number, and ask for their name right away, when recording a misconduct for them (we had a confusing situation in a previous year where players exchange the “keeper jersey” which had a number on it, and the wrong player was issued the misconduct). 

  

Sportsmanship Awards 

The field marshals should give you two sportsmanship awards with each game card. Please give one of these to each team that exhibits good sportsmanship. Please don't overlook giving these out (AR's, help the ref remember) and don't be stingy with them - somebody on the team (or coaches or parents) hopefully did something worth rewarding. Many of the teams really enjoy getting the ribbons associated with these awards. 

   

Concussions 

If you suspect a player of having a concussion or head injury make sure to make a note of their number and name right away, and make sure to identify the player by number and name on the game card, and write “suspected concussion or head injury” on it too. 

​ 

Also, please ask the field marshal for an “incident report form” and fill it out right then – this form has quite a few questions/boxes, but just get the important stuff noted (your name, player name/number/team, what game and what happened) and the safety director will follow up with the player/coach. 

  

Shirts and Coins & extra supplies 

• Complimentary T-shirts and coins for all Referees will be available at the in-service, and at any of the referee tents. Please help yourselves to one of each. 

• There will also be a referee tub at each ref tent with supplies such as match report sheets and whistles - if you need anything, help yourselves. 

  

Food and Drink 

Sandwiches, snacks and drinks will be available at the ref tents throughout the day - help yourselves. 

  

Dealing with Sideline Behavior issues 

These games will get emotional for players, coaches and spectators – soccer is an emotional sport – that’s a good thing. Be tolerant of quick shows of emotion and frustration, but do not allow yourselves to be the subject of public or personal or prolonged dissent. Even if you think that you have a thick skin and can take it, consider that you are dealing with it on behalf of the next referee that will have that team. Small dissent tends to grow into larger dissent, so deal with it early. Matt Buckman, Cal North Director of Referee Development gave a talk on this subject at our 2018 Davis World Cup in-service. Here’s an excerpt from the rules to keep in mind related to this: 

  

• “Coaches shall participate in positive coaching that instructs and encourages players during the games. Negative comments and inappropriate behavior are not permitted and may result in a coach being sent off from the field of play. Coaches should remember that they are responsible for the actions of their players, parents and spectators. They can and will be disciplined for their actions.” 

 

Observations/Assessments 

If you are interested in an observation or assessment for upgrade (Intermediate/National/Assessor), let us know and we can try to help with that. The sooner you let us know, the more likely we can accommodate. 

 

Referee Assessor Course

AYSO Section 2 will be hosting a Referee Assessor Course at the DWC. This course is available to any Advanced Referee or higher (or Advanced Referee candidate). Registration can be found in AYSOU as “2024 Davis World Cup Referee Assessor Course”.  

 

This will be a two-part course (note, details to be confirmed):  

Part 1: Friday 3-5:30pm (classroom instruction, same location as in-service).  

Part 2: Saturday morning (8:30am start) viewing 14U game(s) for practical experience and instructions. (Note: the practical portion is unique to this course because of the accompanying tournament and would replace the typical video review).  

 

  

CONTACTS 

If you have any referee/match-related concerns, please text the referee hotline at (415) 279-1887. 

  

If there are any discrepancies in the notes above and the Tournament Rules or Site Administrator direction, those latter two take precedence. 

  

We hope you and your players have a great weekend, 

  

​Davis Regional Referee Administrator 

refereeadmin@davisayso.org 

​

​

Page updated 1/21/2024