Officials Resources

Contacts

Sue Wainio, Official’s Coordinator
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel: (941) 744-6747

​Darin Clark, Official’s Chair
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel: (321) 698-9130

Vickie Hinkle, Scorer Representative
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel. (425) 772-0949
online training for officials has concluded for the 2024-25 season
Fill out and submit the form if you are interested in working as a paid referee at tournaments in 2025-26.
Candidate information is available here.
The courses and training modules are a member benefit and are only available to USAV registered members. The USA Volleyball Academy learning platform will provide access to the online training materials and track the completed certifications for each member.
The final step in the certification process is to be evaluated on the court by members of the region rating and training team. This is to allow everyone to experience a live game situation at a tournament. The focus is on learning, and new officials will be given training and guidance during this process. If the prospective official demonstrates proficiency by the end of the training and evaluation, and all other certification criteria have been met, including participating as an official at three Florida Region sanctioned events, including the ASICS Florida Volleyball Challenge*, a USAV Provisional patch will be awarded and the new official will be eligible for assignments.
*Requirement to attend the ASICS tournament may be waived due to date conflicts, but that event must be replaced by another Florida Region sanctioned event. See Officials staff for more info.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent nonprofit organization responsible for responding to and preventing emotional, physical, and sexual misconduct and abuse. The Center also serves as an educational resource for sports organizations at all levels, from recreational sports organizations to professional leagues.
Are you considering upgrading your referee certification level? The Florida Region Officials Division is providing the following information to guide you through the decision process and the training process for upgrade. Please read everything carefully and follow the instructions exactly, paying special attention to the deadlines outlined below. Your primary contacts throughout the process will be Officials Coordinator Sue Wainio and/or Rating Team Coordinator Joya Teter. All communications should be via email.
This message applies to you if:
In all cases, candidates must be in good standing, registered with valid background screen and SafeSport, and must have completed their recertification online training.
If you are a PROVISIONAL looking to upgrade to REGIONAL you must have worked two seasons as a provisional. We will be doing evaluations throughout the season, based on available resources. Click the button below and fill out the form to express your interest in an upgrade. You must pass two evaluations as R1 and one evaluation as R2. You must also complete the regular and advancement online training courses in the USA Volleyball Academy. The advancement course will be loaded into your account after your request for upgrade has been received.
NATIONAL AND JR NATIONAL UPGRADE PROCESS
USA Volleyball has revised the process for upgrading to Junior National and National Referee. The program is open to all who wish to apply if they are in good standing in the region at the time of application through the conclusion of the evaluation session at the appropriate national event. For those who wish to upgrade from Regional to Junior National, please note that candidates with less than a full season as a Regional referee will not be accepted. For those who wish to upgrade from Junior National to National, a national referee candidate with less than a full season as a Junior National referee will not be accepted.
Also, there is a requirement for work done at out of region USAV sanctioned events during a specific period. These details can be found on the USAV Activity Report form and on the Instructions form. It says: Activity period is March 28, 2023 to April 1, 2025. Candidates must attend, as a full-time referee without conflict, a minimum of two USAV National Qualifiers and one USAV National Championship, or one USAV National Qualifier and two USAV National Championships, or three USAV National Championships (GJNC 11-13 or GJNC 14-17) during the officiating activities timeframe.
Candidates who do not meet these criteria should not apply this season but may use this information to make plans and decisions to meet the requirements for application in a future season. There are several other factors that will affect the likelihood of acceptance by USAV as a candidate. These details INCLUDING APPLICATION DEADLINES are found in the applications.
As part of the USAV upgrade process for Jr National and National officials, USAV recommends that candidates attend their camps. There are applications for the camps on the USAV website. Details are included on that site. These details INCLUDING APPLICATION DEADLINES are found in the applications.
This is NOT a complete list of all the steps and requirements. It is the responsibility of the candidate to go to the USAV website and read, review and understand all the instructions there.
The Florida Region is committed to assisting officials enhance their skills and abilities to upgrade their certification levels. For those wishing to move up to Junior National or National level the Region provides a comprehensive training program that is designed to provide participants with the best possible preparation and training to be successful at the national evaluation site if they are selected to attend by USAV.
If you are a JR NATIONAL looking to upgrade to NATIONAL and you want to apply for the Florida Region program, you must fill out the application below and return it by December 6, 2024. It is a fillable pdf. You can do it on your computer and email it back to Joya Teter. You must also complete the online training courses in the USA Volleyball Academy. The courses will be loaded into your account after your application has been received. The first evaluation date for National candidates will be communicated individually by Joya via email.
If you are a REGIONAL looking to upgrade to JR NATIONAL you must fill out the application below and return it by December 6, 2024. It is a fillable pdf. You can do it on your computer and email it back to Joya Teter. You must also complete the online training courses in the USA Volleyball Academy. The courses will be loaded into your account after your application has been received.
Priority acceptance to our region program will be given to those who are applying to USAV in the current season. Applicants must also have worked in three Florida Region sanctioned tournaments in the previous season.
All officials must recertify each season.
Provisional and Regional officials may complete all recertification requirements online.
National officials must follow USAV National officials’ annual recertification guidelines and pay the appropriate national dues. For more information on National official guidelines, click here.
Recertifying officials must complete the Florida adult recertifying referee clinic. They must also pass 2 ratings/observations during the regular season every other year after initial certification is obtained. Successful candidates will:
Required Courses
FL25_202 Adult Recertifying Provisional Referee (Available after October 15, 2025). Who takes this?
FL25_203 Adult Recertifying Regional Referees (Available after October 15, 2025). Who takes this?
These courses will be automatically loaded into your USA Volleyball Academy account after 10/22/24. You must have a current membership in order to receive the courses in your account. If you do not see your courses in your account, you need to email [email protected] after you renew your membership and request the course be added to your account. You will be required to complete the courses by January 3, 2025.
FAQ - Have I done everything I need to recertify?
If you want to know if you have done everything you needed to do to recertify, you can check to see if your membership in SportsEngine shows you as ELIGIBLE. Sign in to SE, go to Household>View Profile and on the right side of the screen you will see 24-25 Florida Adult Official. If it says “Eligible” in green that is good, but you still need to do your recertification in the Academy. If it says “Ineligible” click on View Details and expand the details next to your 24-25 Florida Adult Official membership to see what is missing. It is most likely your background screen or your SafeSport. Check this yourself before asking about your status!
To login to your USAV Academy Account:
​We are happy to have guest officials from other Federations come to officiate our events. Due to issues that have taken place in other sports, USA Volleyball revised its policy for Foreign Participants. (Officials who are members of other Federations.) The goal here is to be sure that all athletes are able to experience a safe environment during competition.
The Foreign Guest Officials Membership link is now available for folks from Canada, Puerto Rico, and other countries to sign up. The process is streamlined and easy to follow, but you must make sure you complete all the steps.
Good Standing Requirements
USA Volleyball requires that all Foreign Guest Officials be IN GOOD STANDING with their home federation. It is STRONGLY recommended that each official contact their Federation Leadership to make sure they are IN GOOD STANDING and able to work in the USA.
​USAV will obtain confirmation from that country that each official is IN GOOD STANDING, and final sign off on eligibility will be held until the IN GOOD STANDING status is confirmed.
Guest Official Membership
Please get this started as soon as possible if you need to work in January. Background screens can take several weeks to clear.
ZEBRAWEB Registration
​To officiate in the Florida Region at our region sanctioned events you must be registered in our ZEBRAWEB assigning system. ZEBRAWEB is where you receive and confirm any assignments for region sanctioned tournaments, whether they are in SportWrench or not. If you are not in the ZEBRAWEB system, send an email to [email protected]. You will receive an invitation to join by email. Once you join, enter your availability. You do this by blocking dates that you are unavailable. Keep your availability current there, and you will be notified of your assignments and receive important assigning information and announcements.
NOTE: This does NOT apply to any AAU events. If you are working AAU events, please BLOCK those dates in ZEBRAWEB.
SPORTWrench
​Many of the tournaments require registration and application in SportWrench. When entering your profile, do not choose USA as your country if you are coming from a federation in Puerto Rico (even though that is technically correct!) Please choose Puerto Rico as your country. After that you will not be required to enter a USAV member number.
If you have already set up your profile and you need to correct it, you must edit your profile. Click on your name in blue in the top right so it brings up your user profile in SportWrench, and in the top right of that there is a country drop down where you can select Puerto Rico. Once you do that, you are no longer required to enter a USAV Registration # to update their official profile.
Additional assistance
Pati Rolf, Director of Officials
4065 Sinton Rd., Ste. 200
Colorado Springs, CO  80907
T: (719) 228-6800
Sue Wanio (Official’s Coordinator) serves as the assignor for the Florida Region. You may contact Sue at [email protected]. ​
Florida region assigning
The assigning systems for 2024-25 will remain the same as last year. Officials will apply for tournaments through the host’s platform, such as SportWrench.
ALL FLORIDA REGION SANCTIONED TOURNAMENT ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE FINALIZED AND MUST BE CONFIRMED IN ZEBRAWEB.
Referee Assignment instructions for all Florida region sanctioned events
Here are the steps of the assigning process
Hotel Policy and instructions for Florida region hosted tournaments
There is a change in the hotel procedures for the tournaments that are HOSTED by the Florida Region. All the hotel assignments will be handled by the Florida Region Events staff, not the tournament head officials or the Officials Coordinator. Here is how you need to provide hotel roommate requests effective for all 2025 Florida Region hosted events.
The Region office will do their best to honor roommate requests for these events.
Become Certified as a Provisional Scorer
  • A Provisional scorer is authorized to keep score at any USA Volleyball-sanctioned competition, including junior competition within the Florida Region and in other Regions.
  • After one season a Provisional scorer may upgrade to Regional scorer upon completion the required online courses.
Become certified or re-certify as a Regional scorer
  • A Regional scorer is authorized to keep score at any USA Volleyball-sanctioned competition, including Junior Volleyball. competition within the Region where certified, and in other Regions.
  • The Regional rating may be retained indefinitely provided all re-certification requirements are met.
Become a national scorer
Indoor officiating certification levels
Provisional refereeing is the entry-level professional referee certification that is awarded by a Region. Provisional Referee Certifications are available for adults and 16,17 and 18 Year Old Junior Referees.
  • Must be completed BEFORE attending the in-person New Referee Orientation Clinic. The deadline to complete all online training and testing is January 6!
The next referee certification awarded by the regions is the Regional referee certification.
  • Have a good knowledge of the rules, mechanics & techniques
  • Have a basic knowledge of the use of the USAV scoresheet
  • Knows how to transition as an R2
  • Show awareness of rotational faults
  • Show back row awareness
First and foremost, you must demonstrate your skills proficiency as a first and second referee in the USAV guidelines for first and second referees. You must also satisfy the following minimum requirements.
See link below for information for all national officials (JN, N and National Scorers). This is the letter sent by USAV Officials Development Director Pati Rolf. This includes information on the National clinics. There are deadlines associated with the topics in this memo, so check it out soon and make plans to comply.
Access to the National Clinics will be available to everyone who is not a National Referee at a cost of $25. They will not be allowed to attend these National Clinics live this year; however, they can register for the recorded version. USAV is working on a registration system for this group. More information will follow in the following weeks. See clinic topic and description below.
FOR MORE REGION INFORMATION AND EVENT OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT:
​James Phillips, Beach Official’s Representative
E-Mail: [email protected]
beach officiating certification levels
New AND RETURNING OFFICIALS TOOLS
It’s important to note that we are beach officials, not just beach referees. To certify for beach officiating, you will train in all of the officiating roles, including lines-judge and scorer, as well as first and second referee!
How do you get started?
  • If you haven’t already done so, please get onto our national USAV Beach-Volley Officiating Mailing List by sending us a quick email indicating your interest, to [email protected].
  • To begin your registration process, please complete the Application Form found at USAVolleyball.org. Once we’ve helped you find the training event that’s right for you, then you will register for your camp or clinic through our online registration and payment portal. This information will be sent upon acceptance
  • USAV Beach Officiating TRAINING CAMPS are hosted around the country each summer. CAMPS, which provide both LOCAL and ZONAL level training and certification, offer you the best opportunity for a multi-day, immersive learning experience. For more information, click here.
  • Get off to a great start by making use of our online tools available for your at-home convenience at Officials Resources. Look for the “Beach Officials Resources” title at the top of the page to jump to Beach Volleyball Resources. The Beach Rulebook can be found at Rulebooks and Interpretations. Beach Training Materials including scoring instruction and other resource documents can be accessed at Officiating Training Manuals.
  • Your first on-sand opportunities begin with your home Region. Contact your beach official’s chair to enroll in LOCAL beach referee certification, where you will probably work with Juniors events on the sand. If your region doesn’t yet offer beach referee training, feel free to contact the national office at [email protected]
  • Zonal certification is the second level of beach certification. If you already have some experience in Beach, or are already an indoor national referee, you may be eligible to move directly to one of our ZONAL certification CAMPS or CLINICS. Click here to look for announcements posted each spring. Zonal beach referees are eligible to work professionally at Collegiate events.
  • For news about our CAMP or CLINIC opportunities, see our postings at on the USAV site – click here – or write to us directly at [email protected]. Note that more specific information (all the fine print) regarding earning and maintaining each level of certification appears online at Officials Certifications.
In Review: Use each of these tools in the order that best suits you:
  • Mailing List
  • Online Study
  • General Application then Event-Specific registration online
  • Regional or National Beach Officiating CAMP or CLINIC

And finally, please feel free to send any questions that you may have to [email protected].

CLINICS are one-day training events. They begin with a mandatory classroom session, usually held the evening before the competition (6 to 9pm is typical). Candidates work for a full day of on-sand evaluation, with formal feedback from members of our National Rating/Training Team.
Clinic Fees:
CAMPS are multi-day training events. The multi-day format offers the opportunity for new officials to get a great deal of personal instruction and feedback. Each camp includes the evening classroom session, one or two days of hands-on training on sand, then one day of formal evaluation.
Camp Fees:
Below you will find information on the Junior Officiating Team training and tools required for junior athletes and clubs in the Florida Region.
A Junior Officiating Team (or Work Team) consist of the members of a junior’s team who are part of the tournament officiating crew during a team’s assigned work matches. Florida Region policy requires that every Junior Officiating Team be trained before they participate in a match as part of the officiating crew.
The training courses will be automatically loaded into each Junior player’s account around mid-October.
If you experience any difficulties in completing the courses, the fastest way to get help is to fill out a help ticket by clicking here.
CONTACT INFO
Sue Wainio, Official’s Coordinator
E-Mail: [email protected]
Junior officiating teAM INFORMATION
​Each person participating on the Officiating Team must have taken the course for the duty they perform. It is recommended that all Junior players take at least two of the four courses so that there is adequate coverage for all positions at tournaments. The club may establish policy to require all four clinics. This is the best practice. Online training should be completed before first tournament. Training will be required for each person participating as part of the officiating team. Training options include:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR Junior ONLINE USAV CLINICS & EXAMS
The courses and training modules are a member benefit, and are only be available to USAV registered members. The Learning Academy platform will provide access to the online training materials and track the completed certifications for each member.
All Junior athletes will automatically be enrolled in the complete set of officiating team courses in their USAV Academy through SportsEngine.
After completing the member registration, an account for the new USAV Learning Academy will be created for each member. Each Junior player has been enrolled in the required courses and these now appear on the player’s dashboard. To access the courses, follow the instructions below.
Junior player usav academy dashboard
This is representative of what each Junior player will see when they sign in to the USAV Academy.
If you experience any difficulties in completing the courses, the fastest way to get help is to fill out a help ticket at http://help.usavolleyballacademy.org/
Coaches or member adults who could serve as part of the officiating team at a USAV sanctioned Junior Tournament will take a slightly different course, which has the same basic content as the Junior players. The course is:
Requirements for certification have not changed. Junior Work Team Officials are the members of a Juniors team who will be part of the tournament officiating crew during a team’s assigned work matches at a tournament. Florida Region policy requires that these Junior Work Team Officials be trained before they participate in a match as part of the officiating crew. Here are the training requirements for the season. The work team consists of a minimum of six people. They are:
Each person who will function during the season as a second referee, scorer, assistant scorer, or line judge must have completed the online training for each function that they will be performing during the season. It is also required that one of the team members at the scorer’s table or the second referee must be a rostered adult.
Juniors interested in officiating for pay IN THE 2025-26 SEASON
Juniors who will be at least 16 years old in the 2025-26 season are eligible to become certified as Jr Provisional Referees and work matches as a paid official at tournaments when they are not playing. This is a great way to enjoy volleyball and earn some money! Juniors who become certified are eligible to work tournaments as a paid first referee. They will be assigned to work appropriate age groups based on their own age and officiating experience. The Florida Region Evaluation and Training Team will assist these younger referees with the training and support they need to be successful.
Certification Steps – STARTING IN OCTOBER 2025 FOR THE 2025-26 SEASON
On court evaluations start in December 2025 and go through March 2026
Fill out and submit the form below if you are between 16 and 18 and interested in working as a paid Jr Region Referee at tournaments IN THE 2025-26 SEASON