The Futsal Initiative aims to further develop the current pool of futsal referees as well as educate soccer referees on the opportunities available to them within the world of futsal. The initiative sends current talent to futsal competitions nationally and internationally while providing referee coaches with the best futsal experience to evaluate and educate the officials at these events.

As part of the Futsal Initiative, U.S. Soccer Refereeing has implemented a first-of-its-kind Futsal Continuing Education webinar series to further educate current futsal officials and those interested in the sport. Anyone interested in upcoming opportunities should contact their State Referee Committee to learn more about futsal within their state.

Here are some of the Futsal events that the Futsal Initiative has participated in so far:

• USYF Northeast Regional Championship (January 2025)– FIFA Futsal Referees Krystin Pahia and Matt Rodman, along with FIFA Instructor Shane Butler and a potential FIFA candidate, worked with over 100 officials over the course of the weekend and hosted a youth talent identification event the day before the tournament.
• U.S. Futsal Women's National Team Camp (April 2025) - FIFA Futsal Referees Matt Rodman and Krystin Pahia participated in scrimmages with the national team, and Futsal Initiative instructors had the opportunity to coach and train Krystin and Matt to better prepare them for future Concacaf events.
• Canadian Soccer Association’s Futsal National Finals (April 2025) - Representatives from the Futsal Initiative attended this event as part of the new partnership between CSA and U.S. Soccer on the futsal front. FIFA Futsal Referee Krystin Pahia did many matches and worked the final as Referee 1, which positively influenced her skills and confidence ahead of the Concacaf Futsal Finals in the weeks that followed.