👏 The Iowa Referee Committee (IRC) is thrilled to not only celebrate our Youth Referee of the Year winners, Sophie Vandersee and Colton Wenszell, but also to recognize all the incredible young referees who applied this year. A special shoutout to Emmett Bartels, Cael Cotter, Ashton Hall, and Cooper Moffitt for their dedication and hard work.

Each of these young officials has shown a true passion for the game and a commitment to learning and growing. While Sophie and Colton take the honors this year, we are proud of every single applicant and the bright future they represent for Iowa refereeing.

⚽ Terry Vaughn Memorial Referee Day occurred Saturday, August 16, at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA. The event was open to ALL referees – AYSO, ECSR, IGHSAU / IHSAA, NISOA, and USSF – with NO CO$T to attend and lunch provided. Top-level instructors presented the changes to the Laws of the Game for 2025-26 as well as the points of emphasis for the Fall ‘25 Season.

Click here to read more about the TVMRD.

Attention: Assignors, Mentors, Referee Coaches, and Clubs

If you would like to nominate a promising young Iowa referee to be considered for the 2024-25 Youth Referee of the Year Award, submit a Nomination Form by Friday, August 15, 2025.

Your completed form will be sent to the State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA), Jake Larson. Nominees will be recognized at the Terry Vaughn Memorial Referee Day event on August 16. Winners will be announced in October.

The Iowa Referee Committee (IRC) has OPENED the 2026 Recertification and Registration window with US Soccer for Iowa Referees. US Soccer's 2026 registration year began on July 1, 2025 and will close June 1, 2026.

Colton Wenszell, La Porte City, and Sophie Vandesee, Waterloo, have received the inaugural Cedar Valley Soccer Club Phil Watson Youth Referee Of The Year award. The award was presented by Cedar Valley Soccer Officials Association Youth Director Tyler Strickler at the June CVSOA Monthly Meeting.

Colton has been refereeing since 2022 and has refereed over 250 games in that time. He has enjoyed meeting new people, working hard and improving as a referee.

Sophie passed the USSF First Time Referee Clinic in the spring of 2024 and has refereed more than 40 games. She appreciates the involvement in soccer and the community that refereeing has brought and says that it has built her confidence and growth as a person and as a referee.

Both Colton and Sophie thank Tyler and the Cedar Valley Soccer Club and the CVSOA for their recognition.

Phil Watson commented, “I’m very honored to have the YROTY named after me. I was on the original board of the Cedar Valley Soccer Club in 1992 and I got the CVSOA started in 1994. Since then, we have produced hundreds of referees for Cedar Valley soccer. Many began working youth recreational games and have climbed the ladder to be referees at the high school, college, state and regional levels.

Being a quick learner and a hard worker is the winning combination and Sophie and Colton have exhibited those values on and off the soccer field. We couldn’t have picked finer examples of successful youth referees.

👏 Congratulations Colton and Sophie!

 The Iowa Referee Committee (IRC) is proud to recognize the Iowa Delegation of referees who represented our state at the US Youth Soccer Midwest Presidents Cup in St. Louis, MO.

These officials showed professionalism, integrity, and a strong commitment to the game throughout the event. Thank you ALL for your leadership on the field and for representing Iowa with pride:

National Referee Coach: Hido Tica

Mentors: Lou Agocs and Nikki Schuppan

Referees: Jeremy Allen, Joseph Barnes, Ethan Bellendier, Aaron Blanchard, Beaux Blanchard, Jeff Blanchard, Rentse DeJong, Brandon Joly, Seayea Joseph, William Kemp, Morgan Link, Sawyer Loger, Alex, McLeland, and Anna Tuuri

👏 Aaron Blanchard, Beaux Blanchard, Jeff Blanchard, Brandon Jolly, and Nikki Schuppan were also assigned finals matches.

The updated Referee Abuse Prevention (RAP) Policy is designed to make youth and amateur matches more safe and more fun. 531-9 now includes stronger sanctions for any form of abuse towards referees. US Soccer encourages every player and coach to learn what behaviors cross the line so they can avoid penalties and help create a better culture for the game. Read more…

Major tournaments confirmed to date for 2025 are listed here. If you are interested in working any of these events, please fill out the Google Form. As they are added into Arbiter, you will be sent a placeholder for the event. By accepting the placeholder, you confirm your availability. You are not confirmed for an event until the placeholder has been sent via Arbiter.

If you have any questions about a specific venue re: pay, mileage or hotels, please contact Alec Clark (Assignor).

The IHSAA and IGHSAU have approved changes for the Spring ‘25 Season in the following areas:

• Overtime and ties

• Continuous clock

• Weather delays

• Yellow cards

Read more…

Want to become a referee? Check the IRC Event Calendar for a First-Time Referee Course scheduled near you.