Team STARs

Team S.T.A.R.s
(Specially Trained Asst. Referees)

All Teams must provide one volunteer adult who serves as an assistant referee to help at each game (Team STAR). The parent acting as Team STAR will still be able to watch the game - and will get the added advantages of being able to help out to make the experience better for the kids, getting a little exercise and getting a front row view. Training is in two parts: Online Modules and In-Person Field Training.

New Team S.T.A.R.s

  • ​Note: A Team S.T.A.R. may officially be designated to a maximum of 2 teams (but may volunteer as often as they are willing!)

  • Sign Up online as your team S.T.A.R. indicating that you are a new specially trained assistant referee / club lines person.

  • Complete the US Soccer Online Training Modules (screenshot completion of your modules on PENSRA)

    • IMPORTANT : Save the module completion as an image or PDF and email to sfysSTAR@sfyouthsoccer.com

  • Physical field trainings required for the Fall 2023 S.T.A.R. program requirements

    • ​​Those who completed online training only for Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 are required to complete field training.

US Soccer Online Training - Laws of the Game

The US Soccer modules have been migrated over to PENSRA and have been trimmed down and made easier for individuals to complete. There are training modules for each of the Laws of the Game.  Team S.T.A.R.'s should complete all 18 online modules. Complete at your own pace, but make sure that you're done before Fall 2022 kicks off!

Online Training Details

  1. Register an account with PENSRA 

  2. Received a password from the webmaster (takes up to 48 hours)

  3. Follow the steps outlined to complete the 18 modules on the PENSRA website

  4. Screenshot overview of completed modules and email sfysSTAR@sfyouthsoccer.com

*Detailed Completion Guide Here

Team STAR
Field Training Sessions

Note:
S.T.A.R. Field Training is not Coach Field Training
and may not be attended in lieu of​

February 17th, 2024
9am - 12pm 
@ South Sunset #3

February 25th, 2024
9am - 12pm 
@ South Sunset #3

Returning Team S.T.A.R.s​

  • If you were a S.T.A.R. for your team and are planning to be the S.T.A.R. this year as well, thank you! Make sure that you or your team manager declares you as Team S.T.A.R., by sending your previous training date / credentials to sfysSTAR@sfyouthsoccer.com; no further action is required!

  • Check with your team to make sure you have your flag & whistle. (Replacement flag available for $10 each from SFYS office @
    1434 Taraval @ 24th, San Francisco, CA 94116)

U09 youth soccer match with center ref and volunteer Team STAR (volunteer Specially Trained Assistant Referee)

Who Can Volunteer?​

​The volunteer must be an adult (over the age of 18) and not the coach or assistant coach of the team. Exception: If a team has a volunteer who is a currently licensed referee and who expects to attend most games, this person can serve in this role. A team may have more than one parent attend the course if they want.​

Do S.T.A.R parents have to be Live Scanned?

Great question. The answer is no, unless that person is also on the roster as team staff (Team Manager or Trainer, for example).

What are the exact dates of the trainings?
Trainings occur in the winter before Spring season commences and in the summer before Fall season commences. We have to coordinate with SF Park & Rec to confirm our dates, since they have to grant us access to fields for the training. The dates will be posted above at right.

What happens if your Team S.T.A.R. is not available or out of town during the game? 

Only one parent per team needs to be officially trained, but any soccer-knowledgable parent can do the job. Either have the S.T.A.R. share the training and/or have a soccer-knowledgable parent do the job that day. (On many teams, multiple parents rotate so one person isn't always responsible.) 


What information do I need to provide to verify my S.T.A.R. parent? 

You just need the name of your parent volunteer entered into the S.T.A.R. Registration Form prior to league play. During the season the S.T.A.R. is responsible for introducing themselves to the referee prior to the start of the match so that the referee can verify participation in their match report. A team is found noncompliant when they do not provide anybody to the role of STAR during a match (trained or untrained) on more than 2 matches over a season. We'll be checking at summer's end (before Fall) and post season of Fall (before Spring). 

There is a Financial Penalty for the season of $300 for teams that do not comply with the S.T.A.R. Program.

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