​2026 18+ Referee Recertification Requirements
Recertifying Referee Registration and Certification for the 2026 USSF Registration year will open on August 10th, 2025. Your current 2025 referee licence is valid until December 31, 2025 (unless you are a new referee for 2025, in which your license is valid until December 31, 2026). Once all your 2026 recertifying referee requirements are completed, your referee license will then be valid until December 31, 2026. To be eligible to referee the Spring 2026 season, you will need to complete your 2026 Recertification Requirements.
6 Easy Steps
1
Please complete the Supplemental Google Doc Form. Next, update your Arbiter account if any of your info has changed (address, email, phone #). The 2026 registration fee is $140.00 which will be charged to the credit card provided. Once your registration has been received, NCSRA will send you a follow up email to validate your email and provide further information on the recertification process. The direct link to the 2026 Recertifying Referee Registration.
2
If you have changed any of your contact information since your last registration, please update your US Soccer Learning Center Account as well. A direct link to the US Soccer Learning Center is here: Access You Learning Center Account
3
Complete the 2026 NCSRA Recertification Refresher Course which is approximately 1 hour in length. Please use the same email you have listed in your arbiter account when registering for this course so you will receive credit upon completion. Please also complete the 2026 Tournament Sign Up Instructions.
4
Complete the US Soccer online Safesport Training Course (If your current US Soccer Safesport Certificate is valid, you can skip this step) which is accessed through your US Soccer Learning Center Account. Login to your Learning Center Account and from the landing page, go to the "Safe Soccer" tab (Phase 1 of Safe Soccer) and then select the Safesport Training Course. We (NCSRA) will always run your required Background Check each year. You DO NOT have to submit to a Background Check on the US Soccer Website and pay the additional $, as this is included in your NCSRA registration. This course is also run by US Soccer. Any issues with this course please contact them directly at referee@ussoccer.org.
5
Complete the US Soccer Safe and Healthy Playing Environments Course (If your current US Soccer Safesport Certificate is valid, you can skip this step) accessed through your US Soccer Learning Center Account. Log in to your Learning Center Account and from the landing page, select "Safe Soccer"(Phase 1) and then select the Safe and Healthy Playing Environments Course. Once finished, this will show as completed in your Learning Center Account. You ONLY have to complete Phase 1 in Safe Soccer. You DO NOT have to complete Phase 2 OR Phase 3 in the "Safe Soccer" section. This course is run by US Soccer. Any issues with this course please contact them directly at referee@ussoccer.org.
6
On our website, www.ncsra.org, in the "Referees Tab" you will see a "Referee Training Session" section. If you see a session you would like to attend, please contact NCSRA Administrator Erick Varone at michaelsofficial14@gmail.com to get assigned. Also on our website, take a look at the "Education Tab" where you will find tons of material and video clips to watch, broken down into different aspects of the game, with a lot of clips from fellow NC Referees!
Once you complete these 6 steps, please email NCSRA Administrator Erick Varone at michaelsofficial14@gmail.com. He will confirm your completion, process your 2026 Recertification and have your 2026 Referee Badge mailed to the address listed in your arbiter account. Thank you for completing your 2026 Recertification. Have a great year out on the pitch!!