Welcome to Assignr! This guide walks you through everything you need to know to get your AYSO area or region up and running — from initial site setup through your first payment run. It's based on common questions and setup steps from AYSO onboarding sessions, so if something here doesn't apply to your group, feel free to skip it.
Initial Site Configuration
If you haven't done so already, your first step should be to create a free trial site with Assignr. Head on over to our signup page to create one.
When you first log into your Assignr trial site, there are a few settings worth changing right away so the system matches how AYSO groups typically operate.
These configuration options are available on the Settings page.
Game Visibility
By default, referees only see games they've already been assigned to. Change this so referees can also see the full list of unassigned/available games — this is required if you want officials to self-assign.
Self-Assign
Under Game Requests and Self-Assign, enable the option that allows "referees to self-assign as long as it does not create a conflict." Assignr automatically checks for scheduling conflicts (e.g., back-to-back games at different fields) so officials can't accidentally double-book themselves.
Decline Window
By default, referees can decline an accepted game up until 36 hours before kickoff. Many AYSO groups tighten this to 24 hours — adjust it to whatever policy fits your group. Once a referee declines within the allowed window, they're automatically removed from the game and it becomes available for someone else to claim. You (as the assigner) will get an email notification whenever this happens.
Additional Notifications
If you're not the only person managing your schedule, go to My Site Profile and enable notifications for games added, changed, rescheduled, or canceled. Otherwise, you may not know when new games hit the system — especially if games are coming in automatically from PlayMetrics.
Importing Your Officials
Export your current referee roster (e.g., from Stack Officials) as a spreadsheet.
If the file is in Excel format, save it as a CSV — this is the format Assignr's importer expects.
Go to People → All People → Import from Spreadsheet.
At minimum, you need first name, last name, and email address for each official. Everything else (address, date of birth, phone number) can be collected automatically the first time the official logs in.
Assignr will try to auto-match your spreadsheet's column headers to the correct fields. Review the mapping and correct anything that's mismatched.
After importing, a blue banner will appear on the People page prompting you to send new account emails. Click it, and your officials will receive an email with a link to set up their password and log in for the first time.
More information on importing officials can be found here.
Getting Your Games Into the System
Option A: PlayMetrics Integration (Recommended)
If your games are managed in PlayMetrics, you don't need to enter them manually. Simply:
Contact PlayMetrics support and let them know you're using Assignr for referee scheduling.
PlayMetrics will coordinate directly with Assignr to enable the connection.
Once enabled, games will flow into Assignr automatically as they're published in PlayMetrics.
Option B: Spreadsheet Import
If you need to bring in games manually (for example, during a pilot period before PlayMetrics is fully connected), you can import via spreadsheet. At minimum, your file needs:
Date
Time
Venue (with an optional sub-venue field for complexes with multiple fields, e.g., "Wilson Creek Field" + "Field 1")
Age group
Home team
Away team
For more information on the spreadsheet import process, check out our Help Center article.
Setting Up Officiating Patterns
Officiating patterns define the number and types of officials assigned to each game. Since PlayMetrics doesn't send information about how many officials a game requires, you'll need to configure Pattern Rules (under Integrations → Data Feed) so Assignr knows how many referees to assign based on age group. A common AYSO setup is:
Solo (1 official) for younger divisions (e.g., 8U)
Diagonal / 3-official crew for 10U and up
You can set up a catch-all rule for most games, plus specific overrides for age groups that differ.
Assigning Referees
Manual Assignment
From the Games page, filter to the games you want to work on (e.g., by publish status or date range), then click Assign next to a game and choose an official. Assignr will show you:
Contact info and travel distance
Other games that official is working that day
A green "OK" or a red conflict letter if there's an issue (e.g., they're already working another game at the same time)
If an official is working multiple games in a row, use Copy or Copy & Rotate to quickly carry an assigned crew forward to the next game.
Publishing Games
Games imported from PlayMetrics or a spreadsheet start out unpublished, meaning referees can't see them yet. To make them visible:
Go to Games → Batch Update.
Select your date range.
Choose Publish.
Publishing does not automatically notify officials. To let them know new games are available, send a message via Messages → New Message, and consider also sending a push notification through the mobile app — most AYSO officials use it, and it's the fastest way to get their attention.
Self-Assign (Official's View)
Once games are published, officials will see an "All Unassigned Games" list. They simply click Request on any game they want, and as long as it doesn't create a scheduling conflict, they're assigned automatically. Games that conflict with an official's existing schedule won't be available to request.
If an official needs to back out of a game later, they can use the Decline button (subject to your decline window setting), which immediately frees the game up for someone else.
Game Reports
Assignr's game reports are fully template-based and customizable. To turn them on:
Go to Settings → Game Reports and enable them (and mark them Required if you want to ensure every game gets a report).
Assignr includes a standard soccer report template out of the box, covering: score, confirmation that assigned officials matched who actually worked, and a section for cautions and send-offs (card color, team, player/coach/substitute, and offense).
You can fully customize the template — add, remove, or require fields as needed.
Payments
Assignr supports paying officials directly through the platform. Here's how it works:
Setup
Create a Payor (Settings → Financials → Add Payor). AYSO areas with multiple regions can set up each region as its own payor, since payment structures often differ (e.g., the area may cover per-game fees while individual regions cover referee payments).
Add the business/banking information for that payor and connect a bank account.
Officials set up their own payment info under their Financials menu, which includes a required W9 and bank account details.
Approving & Paying
Payment happens in two steps, which can be split across two different people if desired:
Approve games for payment — review that the assigned officials and fees are correct, then approve. This generates a statement for each official, rolling up all their games for that pay period.
Pay officials — whoever manages your finances reviews the statements and clicks Pay All. You can fund payments either:
Directly from your bank account (2-day turnaround, cutoff 5pm Eastern), or
From a pre-funded Assignr network balance (next-day turnaround)
Officials without a bank account on file will be excluded from a payment batch automatically — Assignr will continue tracking what they're owed and will remind them to complete their setup.
Quick Reference Checklist
Use this as a fast run-through when setting up a new AYSO site:
[ ] Update Game Visibility to show unassigned games
[ ] Enable Self-Assign (with conflict checking)
[ ] Set your decline window (commonly 24–36 hours)
[ ] Enable additional notifications for game changes (if applicable)
[ ] Export officials from your prior platform → convert to CSV → import
[ ] Send new account emails to officials
[ ] Contact PlayMetrics to enable the Assignr integration
[ ] Configure Pattern Rules for officiating crew sizes by age group
[ ] Import games manually if needed during PlayMetrics rollout
[ ] Publish games via Batch Update
[ ] Send a message and/or push notification when new games post
[ ] Enable Game Reports (and mark required if desired)
[ ] Set up Payor(s) and connect bank account
Need Help?
If you run into questions during setup, reach out to the Assignr support team at [email protected], or use the help widget in the lower-right corner of your Assignr dashboard.