Registration Options
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New Referees
Registration Steps for New Referees
Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) is the certifying organization for referees that are members of HSSOA. Individuals wanting to officiate high and middle school soccer through HSSOA assignors must register and certify through TASO first. Once you are TASO certified, you will be given a member account for the HSSOA website and receive game assignments from HSSOA assignors.
- Become a member of TASO. If you are not a TASO member yet, you must go to the TASO website and click the New Applicants link on the home page. You will be directed to a registration area for new referees. Note: There is a registration fee to become a TASO member. This fee includes insurance, background check, rules book and badge. Go to TASO.ORG
- Watch the Rules Videos. These are normally available in the second half of August. From your TASO member portal, watch all the Rules Videos. In your TASO member portal, you will see the rules video in your list of requirements needed to complete the certification process.
- Complete the Rules Test. After you view the entire online rules presentation video, click the test link in your member portal to take the online test. You may retake the test multiple times until you receive an acceptable score.
Note: if you are a first time referee, you will be mailed a badge and a copy of the current year NFHS Rules Book that will assist you in scoring well on the online exam. Electronic copies of the current NFHS Rules Book are available for a nominal fee on ITunes or Amazon Kindle.
- Fund your HSSOA Assigning Fee Account. Log in to your HSSOA account and fund your account membership fee and assigning credits. You will receive an email with your login credentials once the HSSOA Registrar sees that you have registered with TASO. Your HSSOA account will be created for you without you having to request it.
- Create your Assignr Assigning Account. HSSOA assigns games through an online assigning software product called Assignr. HSSOA will create an account for you and announce when games start becoming available for request, this is typically in November.
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Returning Referees
Registration Steps for Returning Referees
As a reminder to returning referees; Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) is the certifying organization for referees that are members of HSSOA. Individuals wanting to officiate high school and middle school soccer through HSSOA assignors must register and certify through TASO every year.
- Renew your TASO registration. You must go to the TASO website and click the Registration Renewal link on the home page. There is a registration fee to renew your TASO membership. This fee includes insurance, background check, rules book and badge. Remember, TASO increases the renewal fee for late registrations. Check their website for the important cutoff dates for the current year. Go to TASO.ORG
- Watch the Rules Video. These are typically posted in the second half of August. From your TASO member portal, watch the Rules Video in its entirety. In your TASO member portal, you will see the rules video in your list of requirements needed to complete the certification process.
- Complete the Rules Test. After you view the entire online rules presentation video, click the test link in your member portal to take the online test. You may retake the test multiple times until you receive an acceptable score.
Note: You will receive a copy of the current year NFHS Rules Book by mail from TASO that will assist you in scoring well on the online exam. Electronic copies of the current NFHS Rules Book are available for a nominal fee on ITunes or Amazon Kindle.
- Fund your HSSOA Assigning Fee Account. Log in to your HSSOA account and fund your membership fee and assigning credits. If you have forgotten your login credentials, go to the login screen on the HSSOA website and click the “Forgot Password” link. A password reset email will be sent to you.
- Update your Assignr Assigning Availability. Be sure to set your availability for the current year on Assignr. Assignors will look at your availability and location preferences before assigning games to you. First games are typically loaded in November.
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Transferring Referees
Steps for Referees Changing TASO Chapters
It is common for referees to change TASO chapters due to relocation, college or other circumstances. TASO does require transferring referees to complete a form to intiate a transfer.
- Fill out the TASO Chapter Transfer Form below.
- The HSSOA chapter secretary will receive your answers to the official form via email.
- Once the secretary completes your official form, they will forward your form to TASO.
- TASO will verify the transfer and inform the new chapter secretary that you are approved for transfer.
- You will receive confirmation from your new chapter secretary and TASO once the transfer is complete.
Transfer Form
Need Help? Contact the HSSOA Registrar for registration issues, HSSOA VP Scheduling for Assignr issues.
Frequently Asked Registration Questions
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Do I have to be a USSF referee to officiate high school soccer?
No, you do not have be a US Soccer certified referee to officate high school soccer. While the majority of the rules used in high school soccer are the same as in US Soccer, there are a significant number of differences between the “Rules” and “The Laws of the Game”. Being a US Soccer registered referee will help a great deal in helping you adjust to the high school soccer game.
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Do I have to register with TASO before I can become a HSSOA member?
Yes. TASO is the governing body that controls the registration and certification of UIL officials for high school soccer.
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How do I get an account on the HSSOA website?
Once your are registered with TASO, the HSSOA Registrar will initiate an account set up request for you. Login information will be sent to your through the email address you used for your TASO regsitration.
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Why do I have to pay 2 fees before I am assigned games?
You will have to register with TASO and HSSOA before you receive game assignments. TASO has a separate registration fee that covers insurance, instruction, rules book and badge. HSSOA has a one-off membership fee and a fee per game. These pay for chapter costs and the assignors for assigning the games. You must maintain a balance in your member account to pay for game assignments. This is a key difference in “Club Soccer” and high school soccer. High School soccer requires the referee to pay for game assignments. Because these assignments are made in advance of the game being played, the referee must maintain a minimum balance to offset those fees.