FAQ

How do I become a referee?

Tournament assignors are looking for referees who have

  • passed a yearly background check
  • have up to date liability insurance.
  • met the requirements for both AAU concussion awareness training and their local requirements
  • have completed rules training and be invested in on-court training

AAU membership offers a convenient avenue to meet these requirements! AAU membership includes a yearly background check and liability insurance to members for AAU licensed events. Click here for AAU Insurance summary.

Additionally, AAU offers an officials website where online training is available at a low cost to members.  Both membership and online modules are an annual requirement for referee certification.

In an effort to obtain match offerings in your geographic area,

  • reach out to fellow official(s) for information on who assigns the matches they receive
  • ask tournament director(s) for the contact information of their assignor
  • search online for volleyball assignors, referee organizations, etc.
  • find events looking for officials on AES

The final step in certification is being observed while you are working. These are often called “ratings” and provide the official with feedback to help them continue to grow and improve.  Often Introductory ratings just withhold the match fee to compensate the trainer(s), so there is no out-of-pocket cost to the official.

Follow these three steps to become an official

  1. Register as a Non-Athlete AAU Member.

    Click here for AAU membership (must be 18 years or older). Select GET A MEMBERSHIP and then chose the NON-ATHLETE (official) option.

  2. Complete the Volleyball Referee Training Course.

    Click here when you have a current AAU membership and know your AAU Membership ID number. Create a user ID (use your email as your username) and purchase access to the paid training portion of the AAU Volleyball Officials site. NOTE: AAU has a Membership ID lookup feature, to use Click here

  3. Register for observation at an AAU approved rating event. Options for the current season will be added/updated as locations and dates are identified. All 3 steps are required for full certification – aka “get a patch”.NOTE: The need for on-court observations decreases as an official’s rating becomes higher. Step 3 is not required every year. However, AAU Membership and online training/testing are annual requirements to maintain certification.

When can I register each year?

AAU membership runs from September 1 to August 31 each year. To be eligible for a refereeing assignment, you must hold a current AAU membership for that membership year.

I lost my membership card, how can I download a new one?

Registrants needing a replacement card can use the AAU membership lookup feature to print a replacement.

What is the proper uniform?

Navy slack with a black or navy belt. White socks and white athletic shoes. Appropriate shirt approved by assignor or tournament director.

In absence of a ‘Certified officials’ polo (blue, grey, or white) or an AAU Official polo, a plain white polo may be worn. NOTE: Tournaments may provide apparel – t-shirts, polo and/or jacket – to officials during an event. While appropriate (and encouraged!) to wear at that event, it is not appropriate attire while officiating future events.

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