REFEREE RECRUITMENT

Whose job is it? It’s everyone’s job; leagues, teams & players

Who does it? Very few people do it. Leagues think it’s the job of the state, teams think it’s the job of the league and players don’t care.

Very brief history Soccer has been played in the U.S. since before the turn of the century but until the end of the Second World War it was a predominantly male, adult exercise. A “gentleman’s game” played more or less in the same fashion we play today, a field, two teams, a round ball and referees (in suits and hats). The establishment of youth soccer and its explosion in numbers caused a major change in the referees, many more needed for the youth game and less gravitating to the adult game. Today the amateur associations and their members face the challenges of fighting for fields and referees as the sheer number of games drives the need for more and more referees in the youth arena while, we the adults, frantically look for officials each week. At the same time that we recognize the need for more referees we just sit back and wait for referees to discover there is another game. At the same time the referees are aging out, most leagues assign the same referees week after week, season after season and make no plans for replacing their aging cadre of referees.

Loss each year The rate of attrition national is over 45%, the rate of return about 40%, a loss of 5%. In many youth leagues it’s mandatory that each team provide a registered referee for the season.

Reasons for losses Abuse, expense to referee, the time commitment, distance traveling to and from games, unclear path to promotion, proprietary attitude of leagues and assignors, lack of incentives at the local level and finally age. The average age of the referees officiating adult, amateur games is 47 years old. The average age of the players, between

How can we change the cycle? We can no longer sit back and wait for the young, new referees to come to us, we have to become proactive in their recruitment. Just offering them a game or two or three every Saturday or Sunday is not enough. The younger, more ambitious referees, male and female, want a path to promotion, to recognition, to respect. They also want to enjoy the game, they want to be challenged, to be a part of something bigger. It is not, “us” and “them”, it’s all of us in the same game.

Some suggestions A few months prior to the start of their new season ask your members to hold “in service” clinics to invite the referees to officiate their league’s games, to inform the referees of the expectations of their league, to inform the referees of the rules and regulations for the coming season, to give them a copy of the league schedule (if available), to discuss the rate (s) of payment per game and the method of payment, to get a commitment from the referees to officiate their games, bring in an instructor to hold a clinic on changes in the laws of the game or to give the referees some instruction on a specific aspect of the game; i.e., man management managing the bench, foul recognition, the correct way to fill out a game report, to ask the referees for the names and contact information for prospective new officials, to ask the referees for the contact information of unaffiliated leagues they are aware of.

Optional suggestions offer a “fun run” prior to the in service clinic, offer entry level clinics to register new referees and referees officiating unaffiliated leagues in your area, coordinate with your state referee committee to offer assessments for officials who wish to upgrade, host monthly or quarterly meetings with the referee assignor (s) to review the season, reach out to youth organizations to offer mentoring for young referees (18 years old and above) to invite them to referee adult games, coordinate your efforts with all the assignors in your area or state, make an effort to make the referees feel they are part of your league or association, invite the referees to your state or league annual meetings or parties, hold an annual mandatory clinic to insure that all coaches and managers are familiar with the F.I.F.A. Laws of the Game, ask the managers and coaches to take the grade #8 entry level referee test, give each coach and manager a copy of the F.I.F.A. Laws of the game, offer sensitivity training for the coaches and managers, especially the aggressive ones.

Without question, the major reason referees leave the game is the verbal abuse they suffer each week during games; from the fans, the players and coaches. If you can reduce that abuse, you’ll have fewer injuries, fewer cautions, fewer ejections and fewer cases of referee abuse and/or assault.

Education and communication is the only way we are going to be able to change this paradigm.