The Referee and Match Official education program will prepare you to make the game safer and more enjoyable for the players, providing a valuable service to the game. To see a listing of available courses, visit the USA Rugby Course Calendar, and register via the USA Rugby Learning Center.

In order to be a ‘compliant’ referee, each and every rugby referee must meet the following requirements of the USOPC and USA Rugby:

1. Be a registered member in a Match Official role in the current season.
2. SafeSport completion (annual, over 18 yo only). If you are not current, this appears as an option in Rugby Xplorer once you have registered to an LRO or club in a role that requires a SafeSport completion.
3. Background Check (every two years, over 18 yo only). If you are not current, this appears as an option in Rugby Xplorer once you have registered to an LRO or club in a role that requires a Background Check. Note: A standard case takes about 2 weeks to get results (longer if you have lived internationally) so please submit these well before your season gets underway.
4. Rugby's Safety Basics. See below for instructions on how to complete this.
5. A current Rugby Referee Accreditation. At least one from the listing of Rugby Refereeing Accreditations below, as relevant.

Visiting International Referees If the referee is visiting for more than 4 weeks, they must follow the process above. If the referee is visiting for less than 4 weeks, the referee must:

1. Register on Rugby Xplorer to the club "Visiting International Referees" ($10). This will ensure the referee is covered by USA Rugby's insurance.
2. Provide to the assigning LRO in the USA a letter of introduction from their home LRO/Association/Society outlining that they are appropriately qualified and in good standing. There is no need for an international clearance form or the like.

Who it's for: This is for all coaches and referees, regardless of level. It is the basic underlying safety education from World Rugby.

What it is: Consists of two (2) online courses taken through World Rugby's Passport website – ‘Rugby Ready’ and ‘Concussion Management for the General Public’. You complete these courses on World Rugby’s Passport website and then upload your certificates into the USA Rugby Learning Center (we are not able to directly query World Rugby's database due to European data laws). This is a one-off requirement with the introduction of Rugby Xplorer to ensure our entire community is up to date. Everyone is required to upload current certificates for the initial upload, but we do not anticipate requiring subsequent recertification of these accreditations.

How to take it: Login to Rugby Xplorer. On your My Profile page, click 'Learning Center' from the left-hand menu and then click on your name. Once you are loaded into the USA Rugby Learning Center, click 'Course Catalog' and select and enroll in 'Rugby’s Safety Basics'. Follow the instructions provided for each course.

Many of you will have done these certifications previously on World Rugby Passport. If you did these courses in 2021 or earlier, you will need to click 'Reset' on each course’s page on the World Rugby Passport website to allow you to take the course again and obtain a current certificate.

Who it's for: This is for individuals who specifically want to become referees, or are considering becoming a referee, or players who are keen to learn more about the Laws and refereeing. Minimum age 13. This course allows a member to act as Touch Judge (not an Assistant Referee), and allows a member to act as a Referee for a non-contact game, or to referee a B-side / development game under direct supervision of a Level 1 or higher Referee for a period of 12 months (after this you need to graduate to Level 1).

What it is: These 2.5 hr courses are Zoom sessions with content presented live, involving interaction between participants and the presenters. 

How to take it: The course costs $20. USA Rugby is not currently running these courses on a regular basis, but can run the course on-demand for a Union or region or club. Contact your rugby organization and ask them to consider requesting to host a course here.

Who it's for: This is for individuals who wish to referee forms of rugby that involve tackling. Minimum age 13.

What it is: An eight (8) hour in-person course, which contains mostly practical elements in addition to covering aspects of Law knowledge. In addition to attendance, the course requires completion of several online courses taken through World Rugby's Passport website, ideally before the course. The resulting PDF certificates must uploaded to USA Rugby's Learning Center before certification will be granted.

How to take it: The course costs $85. Register through the USA Rugby Learning Center. Available courses and locations are listed on the USA Rugby Course Calendar. If there is not a course in your area, then clubs, schools and facilities can apply to host an upcoming course. Given the different local requirements of our Unions, USA Rugby does not centrally choose where and when to run courses, we rely on rugby organizations to request courses that we then facilitate.

Who it's for: This is for individuals who are have been Level 1 Referees for a year or more, who wish to move to the next stage of refereeing accreditation. Minimum age 18.

What it is: A two-day, 16 hour in-person course, which explores further topics such as positioning, advantage, materiality, and other techniques to advance as a referee. This course is more involved than the Level 1 with respect to pre-coursework, the in-person clinic, and post-course field test in a live game.

How to take it: The course costs $150. Register through the USA Rugby Learning Center. Available courses and locations are listed on the USA Rugby Course Calendar. If there is not a course in your area, then clubs, schools and facilities can apply to host an upcoming course. Given the different local requirements of our Unions, USA Rugby does not centrally choose where and when to run courses, we rely on rugby organizations to request courses that we then facilitate.

Who it's for: This is for individuals who wish to coach referees. Minimum age 17.

What it is: An eight (8) hour in-person course. In addition to attendance, the course requires completion of several online courses taken through World Rugby's Passport website, ideally before the course. The resulting PDF certificates must uploaded to USA Rugby's Learning Center before certification will be granted.

How to take it: The course costs $85. Register through the USA Rugby Learning Center. Available courses and locations are listed on the USA Rugby Course Calendar. If there is not a course in your area, then clubs, schools and facilities can apply to host an upcoming course. Given the different local requirements of our Unions, USA Rugby does not centrally choose where and when to run courses, we rely on rugby organizations to request courses that we then facilitate.

Who it's for: This is for individuals who wish to act as an Assistant Referee. Minimum age 15.

What it is: An entirely online course consisting of 3 modules, covering Team of 3 requirements, Touch Law, and foul play reporting.

How to take it: The course costs $20. It can be taken via the USA Rugby Learning Center.