Here are the super-detailed instructions for those who want to become a certified USAV official. Please note that the training program for new officials has been completed for this season. We will start again in October of 2026. Check back then for more info!
Thank you for your interest in becoming a certified USAV referee. Here are the instructions for certification and important things to consider moving forward. This is a lot to read! The short version can be found on the region web page, click here. Many people still have questions after they visit that site so if you are one of them, here are all the details!
When you have reviewed the instructions please fill out the RSVP form below.
If you are under 18 and/or a Junior player your instructions will be slightly different. See the exceptions below.
Instructions for Adults who have not previously been certified as a USAV official or those whose certification has lapsed.
Register with Florida Region USA Volleyball on SportsEngine. Use this link. The registration costs approximately $75. In most cases this is not refundable. If you register but do not complete the certification process you are not able to get a refund. The registration is good for this season only. The season ends July 31, 2026.
Adult Officials Link - https://memberships.sportsengine.com/buy/11f0665e-3e27-5bb0-be06-42c18341655f
During the registration process you will be required to submit the information necessary for a background screen. You must use the USAV process. Any other background screen you may have is not acceptable. Please be sure to carefully go through all the steps to submit the screen. You will be prompted through the process. The screen will typically take about two weeks to clear, depending on the volume of requests being processed. You will receive an email if the screening company needs more information or when the results are complete. Make sure to check your email and your spam folder regularly and reply promptly as needed until the screen clears.
You will also need to complete the SafeSport training program. This is part of the registration process, and you will be prompted through the program. This course or the refresher course is required each season.
Once you have completed the registration, background check and SafeSport you should log in to your SportsEngine account and click on the USAV Academy Launch button on the home screen. Then click on the Content Library on the left side of the screen and register for the course FL26_201 Adult New Referee Training. This course is now available. There are modules in this course which provide your initial training on USAV rules for officiating volleyball. The total course takes approximately 4 hours to finish. You do not need to do it all at one time. You must complete the course (not including the evaluations and orientation) in order to become certified, and you must complete the course BEFORE you attend an on-court evaluation session. Each season you will need to renew your certification with rules training. The recertification courses are usually about an hour and a half in length.
The dates for the live online orientation meetings are now online and available for registration. They will be held in December, January and February. There will be 6 of them, all held on different nights of the week. The first one will be December 8 and the last one will be February 19. We may schedule one make up session in early March. You only need to attend one of them. You do not need to attend the online orientation before your evaluation. If you do not attend one of these dates you will NOT be eligible for certification this season. The sessions last about an hour and a half. They will provide information on how to succeed as a referee in the Florida region. We will cover administrative issues, best practices and expectations about assigning, working events and logistics. There will be a Q&A session included in this meeting.
Starting on December 7, 2025, we will begin doing training and evaluations at selected tournaments. You will be required to attend at least one of these tournaments. You will not be paid to officiate, but you will ref some matches with members of the Training and Evaluation team observing and helping you. You must receive two passing evaluations as first referee (R1) and one passing evaluation as second referee (R2). Some people can do this by working just three matches, but some need more practice. You should plan on being at the evaluation site for most of the day. You will not need to wear the official uniform until after you are successfully certified, but you will need to wear navy dress pants, white shoes and a plain white or plain grey polo shirt. You will also need referee equipment such as a whistle, timing device, penalty cards, a flipping coin and a net chain. When you do purchase your uniform shirts, the price is approximately $40 each. The dates and sites for evaluations are listed on the Candidate Instructions tab on this website. We do our best to offer evaluations in as many areas of the Florida Region as possible. Most of the events are in Tampa, Daytona and Jacksonville. The last evaluation tournament will be held in March 2026 with a make up session for those who have already started the process on April 11. If you do not get evaluated by then you will have to start over again next season. Please note that evaluation sites may fill up! Don't wait until the last minute!
After you are certified you will be asked to work at least 3 Florida Region sanctioned tournaments this season, with one of them being our regional tournament, ASICS Florida Volleyball Challenge, April 24-26 in Orlando. It is a requirement to work the region sanctioned events. Date conflicts will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Once you complete the initial requirements and tournament attendance you will receive your Provisional certification patch. If you are not able to work the three required events this season, you can carry over the number of events worked til next season, and when you reach three you will receive your patch.
If you have been previously certified and your certification was current in another region at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, you can recertify in Florida without having to go through the candidate process. You will need to send information about your previous certification level, your former region and a recommendation from your previous referee chair to recertify here in Florida. The contact for the recommendation is [email protected].
This process is detailed and requires a commitment on the part of each prospective official. We are happy to have you join us, and we will give you the help and support you need to become certified, but you must take responsibility for completing these requirements in a timely manner. Please note:
Communication is done through email, not text messages, except in time sensitive emergency situations. You need to check your email regularly and respond as required.
There will be other instructions posted on websites that you will be required to use/check on a regular basis. You will need to complete the courses online on a laptop or computer, not a mobile device. Assignments are made and confirmed online. Most assigning programs do have a mobile option. You may apply to tournaments before you have completed your certification. If prompted for a Rank or Certification level, you are Unrated until your certification is complete. Once completed you will be Provisional.
All steps must be completed to become certified. If you don’t complete the steps by the deadlines, you will not become certified and you will have to start over next season.
There are many opportunities to officiate, and you can earn $400 to $450 on average per two-day tournament. This will vary depending on the tournament and is an estimate. Some people work two to three weekends a month if they have availability. Each official is an independent contractor so there is no guarantee of assignments.
Instructions for Juniors 16, 17 or 18 years old
If you are a Junior player or a person between the ages of 16-18 who is interested in working as a referee for pay at a Juniors tournament, you may become certified as a Junior Referee. The process is like the adult’s process with these exceptions:
You would use this link to register
Junior Officials Link - https://memberships.sportsengine.com/buy/11f06662-0742-f36c-8565-5229ffc0d471
You do not need a background screen until you are 18. You will need to complete SafeSport.
Your training course is FL26_107 Junior Paid Referee Training for 16-17-18-year-olds. It is approximately 2 hours. The requirements for the Orientation sessions online and the in-person training and evaluations are the same as for adults.
If you are a player, you can work as a paid referee in your off wave on Saturdays at the tournament where you are playing at certain events, based on the needs of the tournament. You would typically work about 4 matches, and your estimated earnings would be about $140-$160. If you are assigned to a tournament where you are not playing you would be able to work a full schedule for both days, however we cannot provide hotel rooms for officials under 18, so you would most likely need to work close to home unless you had other lodging arrangements.
Additional information is available on the Florida Region website on this link
https://floridavolleyball.org/officials-resources/
CONCLUSION: We are providing this very detailed information so that you can make an informed decision about your desire and ability to pursue your certification this season. It will take time and effort on your part and if you are not able to commit at this time, don’t worry, we will be here for you in the future. If you plan to move forward, please register and get your 25-26 Adult or Juniors membership as soon as possible. We use a mailing list generated from those memberships to update referee candidates during the process.
If you decide not to move forward at this time, please let us know so that we can plan accordingly for the number of candidates we will have this year. Just fill out the form below.
Thank you and we look forward to working with you now or in the future!
UPDATE: Many of our tournaments this year have decided to use the new VOLLEYSTATION scoring instead of paper scoresheets. It is strongly recommended that all officials take the VOLLEYSTATION training in the USAV Academy. Go to your content library and enroll in US26_603
REMEMBER: There are three basic steps to the process after you have a USAV membership:
Do the FL26_ 201 course if you are an adult. FL26_107 if you are under 18.
Do the live online orientation session - pick ONE of the dates, doesn't matter which one.
Do the in person evaluations (must complete the FL26 course before evaluation)
When you have reviewed the instructions please fill out the RSVP form below.
If you are under 18 and/or a Junior player your instructions will be slightly different. See the exceptions below.
Instructions for Adults who have not previously been certified as a USAV official or those whose certification has lapsed.
Register with Florida Region USA Volleyball on SportsEngine. Use this link. The registration costs approximately $75. In most cases this is not refundable. If you register but do not complete the certification process you are not able to get a refund. The registration is good for this season only. The season ends July 31, 2026.
Adult Officials Link - https://memberships.sportsengine.com/buy/11f0665e-3e27-5bb0-be06-42c18341655f
During the registration process you will be required to submit the information necessary for a background screen. You must use the USAV process. Any other background screen you may have is not acceptable. Please be sure to carefully go through all the steps to submit the screen. You will be prompted through the process. The screen will typically take about two weeks to clear, depending on the volume of requests being processed. You will receive an email if the screening company needs more information or when the results are complete. Make sure to check your email and your spam folder regularly and reply promptly as needed until the screen clears.
You will also need to complete the SafeSport training program. This is part of the registration process, and you will be prompted through the program. This course or the refresher course is required each season.
Once you have completed the registration, background check and SafeSport you should log in to your SportsEngine account and click on the USAV Academy Launch button on the home screen. Then click on the Content Library on the left side of the screen and register for the course FL26_201 Adult New Referee Training. This course is now available. There are modules in this course which provide your initial training on USAV rules for officiating volleyball. The total course takes approximately 4 hours to finish. You do not need to do it all at one time. You must complete the course (not including the evaluations and orientation) in order to become certified, and you must complete the course BEFORE you attend an on-court evaluation session. Each season you will need to renew your certification with rules training. The recertification courses are usually about an hour and a half in length.
The dates for the live online orientation meetings are now online and available for registration. They will be held in December, January and February. There will be 6 of them, all held on different nights of the week. The first one will be December 8 and the last one will be February 19. We may schedule one make up session in early March. You only need to attend one of them. You do not need to attend the online orientation before your evaluation. If you do not attend one of these dates you will NOT be eligible for certification this season. The sessions last about an hour and a half. They will provide information on how to succeed as a referee in the Florida region. We will cover administrative issues, best practices and expectations about assigning, working events and logistics. There will be a Q&A session included in this meeting.
Starting on December 7, 2025, we will begin doing training and evaluations at selected tournaments. You will be required to attend at least one of these tournaments. You will not be paid to officiate, but you will ref some matches with members of the Training and Evaluation team observing and helping you. You must receive two passing evaluations as first referee (R1) and one passing evaluation as second referee (R2). Some people can do this by working just three matches, but some need more practice. You should plan on being at the evaluation site for most of the day. You will not need to wear the official uniform until after you are successfully certified, but you will need to wear navy dress pants, white shoes and a plain white or plain grey polo shirt. You will also need referee equipment such as a whistle, timing device, penalty cards, a flipping coin and a net chain. When you do purchase your uniform shirts, the price is approximately $40 each. The dates and sites for evaluations are listed on the Candidate Instructions tab on this website. We do our best to offer evaluations in as many areas of the Florida Region as possible. Most of the events are in Tampa, Daytona and Jacksonville. The last evaluation tournament will be held in March 2026 with a make up session for those who have already started the process on April 11. If you do not get evaluated by then you will have to start over again next season. Please note that evaluation sites may fill up! Don't wait until the last minute!
After you are certified you will be asked to work at least 3 Florida Region sanctioned tournaments this season, with one of them being our regional tournament, ASICS Florida Volleyball Challenge, April 24-26 in Orlando. It is a requirement to work the region sanctioned events. Date conflicts will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Once you complete the initial requirements and tournament attendance you will receive your Provisional certification patch. If you are not able to work the three required events this season, you can carry over the number of events worked til next season, and when you reach three you will receive your patch.
If you have been previously certified and your certification was current in another region at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, you can recertify in Florida without having to go through the candidate process. You will need to send information about your previous certification level, your former region and a recommendation from your previous referee chair to recertify here in Florida. The contact for the recommendation is [email protected].
This process is detailed and requires a commitment on the part of each prospective official. We are happy to have you join us, and we will give you the help and support you need to become certified, but you must take responsibility for completing these requirements in a timely manner. Please note:
Communication is done through email, not text messages, except in time sensitive emergency situations. You need to check your email regularly and respond as required.
There will be other instructions posted on websites that you will be required to use/check on a regular basis. You will need to complete the courses online on a laptop or computer, not a mobile device. Assignments are made and confirmed online. Most assigning programs do have a mobile option. You may apply to tournaments before you have completed your certification. If prompted for a Rank or Certification level, you are Unrated until your certification is complete. Once completed you will be Provisional.
All steps must be completed to become certified. If you don’t complete the steps by the deadlines, you will not become certified and you will have to start over next season.
There are many opportunities to officiate, and you can earn $400 to $450 on average per two-day tournament. This will vary depending on the tournament and is an estimate. Some people work two to three weekends a month if they have availability. Each official is an independent contractor so there is no guarantee of assignments.
Instructions for Juniors 16, 17 or 18 years old
If you are a Junior player or a person between the ages of 16-18 who is interested in working as a referee for pay at a Juniors tournament, you may become certified as a Junior Referee. The process is like the adult’s process with these exceptions:
You would use this link to register
Junior Officials Link - https://memberships.sportsengine.com/buy/11f06662-0742-f36c-8565-5229ffc0d471
You do not need a background screen until you are 18. You will need to complete SafeSport.
Your training course is FL26_107 Junior Paid Referee Training for 16-17-18-year-olds. It is approximately 2 hours. The requirements for the Orientation sessions online and the in-person training and evaluations are the same as for adults.
If you are a player, you can work as a paid referee in your off wave on Saturdays at the tournament where you are playing at certain events, based on the needs of the tournament. You would typically work about 4 matches, and your estimated earnings would be about $140-$160. If you are assigned to a tournament where you are not playing you would be able to work a full schedule for both days, however we cannot provide hotel rooms for officials under 18, so you would most likely need to work close to home unless you had other lodging arrangements.
Additional information is available on the Florida Region website on this link
https://floridavolleyball.org/officials-resources/
CONCLUSION: We are providing this very detailed information so that you can make an informed decision about your desire and ability to pursue your certification this season. It will take time and effort on your part and if you are not able to commit at this time, don’t worry, we will be here for you in the future. If you plan to move forward, please register and get your 25-26 Adult or Juniors membership as soon as possible. We use a mailing list generated from those memberships to update referee candidates during the process.
If you decide not to move forward at this time, please let us know so that we can plan accordingly for the number of candidates we will have this year. Just fill out the form below.
Thank you and we look forward to working with you now or in the future!
UPDATE: Many of our tournaments this year have decided to use the new VOLLEYSTATION scoring instead of paper scoresheets. It is strongly recommended that all officials take the VOLLEYSTATION training in the USAV Academy. Go to your content library and enroll in US26_603
REMEMBER: There are three basic steps to the process after you have a USAV membership:
Do the FL26_ 201 course if you are an adult. FL26_107 if you are under 18.
Do the live online orientation session - pick ONE of the dates, doesn't matter which one.
Do the in person evaluations (must complete the FL26 course before evaluation)