The purpose of SOCALOA is to provide high quality lacrosse officiating services through a certified education and training program, in order to promote knowledge of the rules, fair play, fun, and sportsmanship among all people involved in amateur boys’ lacrosse contests from youth to high school in the CIF-Southern Section of Southern California, as well as educating the public on lacrosse rules and safety.
SOCALOA trains boy's lacrosse officials for assignments in Orange, Riverside & So. Los Angeles counties. For training and assignments in other counties please reference the following:
Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Bernardino Counties: Greater Los Angeles Lacrosse Officials Association (GLALOA)
San Diego County: San Diego Lacrosse Officials Association (SDCLOA)
Our general training for the 2025 season begins on December 4, 2024. The other dates and locations can be found on the Training Page. We typically have approximately 4 classroom trainings in the fall/winter that includes both classroom sessions and on-field training. Officials do not necessarily need to attend every single meeting but must accumulate at least 9 hours of training each year to officiate youth level games, and at least a total of 18 hours for high school level games. SOCALOA Officials must pass a current rules test.
For New or Prospective SOCALOA Members, please register* for the fall meeting below so we can properly prepare for you and get your contact information to make sure your receive all the updates and information. The form is not an Application for Membership but a way for us to know what new or prospective members will be attending, and it allows us the opportunity to answer any questions that you may have about membership before the meeting, if needed.
Location: Online
(Register for more information)
Everything you need to do before the first meeting:
3) Pay Membership Dues
4) Read SOCALOA Membership Handbook
5) Become a member of US Lacrosse
6) Complete the US Lacrosse - 2025 Boys' Lacrosse Rules - Online Course - Level 1
7) Complete the US Lacrosse - 2025 Rules Changes Course
8) Complete the NFHS Test and Youth Rules tests (depending on level)
The Summer Jumpstart Training session on (TBD) is intended for new adult officials or transfer officials that have just moved into town and want to get started with the local association. The first session will be an informational meeting with classroom training followed by an on-line rules test and field training at a later date. The purpose of this training is to get officials trained and ready to begin working games as soon as possible. Our focus for this training is for adult officials. Junior officials will need to sign up for the Fall training sessions. Here is a copy of the handout from the meeting.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: TBD
Training meetings will start in January and alternate weeks through February. New officials will need to complete at least 9 total hours of classroom and on-field training to begin working youth games.
The youth season runs from the last weekend in January through May with a short two week break in the middle. The high school season runs from February to May.
Tournaments are conducted year-round with most of them occurring in November/December/January and the summer months of June/July.
SOCALOA runs on a merit-based system, so the more time you put into improving your officiating skills, the quicker you will advance in your training levels, and in effect expand the opportunities you have to officiate games at all age levels.
Please go to the Training page for more information and to view the dates of training events.
Lacrosse attracts many converted officials from other sports such as soccer, basketball, and football. Soccer officials usually do well because they are used to running up and down the field all game. Basketball officials notice the very similar officiating mechanics for 2 or 3 officials on the court (field). Football officials pick-up the similar flag tossing mechanics, calling out penalty signals, and working with a crew of officials.
Every returning SOCALOA member and new member will need to fill out an Application for Membership annually. A completed application will let us know that you want to work in the upcoming season.
Depending on how many meetings you have missed, a new official may still be able to join the training class. If you have missed the deadline to register then please email board@socalaxrefs.org to check on the availability of joining the training classes. For transfer members, the deadlines do not apply. Please email the Board when you move into town and we will do our best to accommodate you.
YES, we only train and provide referee services to boys' lacrosse games. If you would like to referee girls' lacrosse games then you will need to consult the Southern California Women's Lacrosse Officials website. While boys' and girls' lacrosse share the same name, they use a completely different set of rules which requires different training. The stark contrast between the two sports is similar to the differences of ice hockey and field hockey which also share the same name.
A: Membership dues are $85 each year for adult members, and $45 for junior members to help offset the costs of operating SOCALOA. Each new member is supplied with a SOCALOA hat and officiating t-shirt.
Membership Dues:
Returning members: $85
Returning Junior Officials: $45
Affiliate members: $45
Dues and training fees are collected by the Treasurer and the deadline for payment is by Classroom Training Session 1.
Please consult the SOCALOA Membership Handbook for a complete guide on being a boys lacrosse official for SOCALOA. It includes all the details you need to know like uniform requirements, training tips and more...
Please email board@socalaxrefs.org