To All Intramural Referees,

 

This message is posted in response to questions that have arisen from referees and their parents. The NGS Referee Committee would like to address these questions, communicate some of its plans, and bring every referee and parent ‘on the same page’. All concerned are encouraged not to simply read this, but to print it and add it to what should be a file or folder of other referee-related matters that is gone over from time to time. We also hope to get this posted at the Referee section of the NGS website.

 

Question 1: What are the NGS Referee Committee’s expectations?

 

It is the expectation of the Committee that those who find referring rewarding and to their liking will want to advance to older IM grades.  We are pleased that some young referees have already done so, while others have expressed the desire to do so. We of course also understand that many who have given it a try for a season or two will find it doesn’t work for them, for one or more reasons, and will leave the program.  The NGS Referee Committee would like every qualified young referee to stay with the program and realize the benefits of refereeing.

 

Question 2: How many IM Referees does NGS have?

 

At any given time we have dozens and dozens of ‘IM referees’. Some will have been trained within the past year, some a year or so ago, some two or more years ago. The number of referees within each of these ‘pools’ will vary from year to year. The most newly trained referees are generally able to referee 2nd and 3rd grade, while more experienced IM referees are eligible to ref older IM games (grades 4, 5/6, and 7/8).

 

Question 3: Why am I not refereeing every week?

 

As you might guess, the number of refereeing opportunities per week does not ever exactly match what might, in theory, be ideal based on the number of referees in each ‘pool’. Take a look at the following table:

 

Grade              Games per week          Refs per week

Gr. 2                            10                         7-10

Gr. 3                            9                          6-9

Gr. 4                            4                          2-3

Gr. 5/6                         5                          3-4

Gr. 7-8                         2                            2

 

As you can see, many more referees are needed at 2nd and 3rd grades than at the older IM grades. This means that some referees who may have ‘graduated’ past grades 2 and 3 will still be expected to work some of these younger games, both because we still need you and because if you were to wait for only older IM games, you wouldn’t get much work at all. It’s our own little version of ‘the law of supply and demand’.

 

Question 4: Why do I start from 2nd or 3rd Grade and how do I get to do older games?

 

Gradually working your way up from 2nd Grade to upper grades builds your CONFIDENCE and your ability to handle games.  Many newer referees ask how one goes about ‘graduating’ to becoming eligible for older IM games, even it that means just fourth grade for a while. The answer is by demonstrating competence at younger grades and by showing us you have the maturity and responsibility to handle older players. It should be obvious that referees who offer us a good amount of availability, work a good number of game, follow through on their assignments, and show us they have internalized some of the things they have been taught will progress more rapidly through the system. The other side of the coin should be equally obvious. In this regard, referees must understand that many hours have been spent in training them initially and in ongoing mentoring. Most of you have received on-the-field feedback and personal e-mail feedback on your performance. All of you have access to materials presented to you in person, e-mailed to you as part of a group, and made available to you on the website. When we see or hear about referees beyond their first season failing to follow through on basics such as checking players for safety, hustling, blowing the whistle loudly enough, and teaching/enforcing the simplest rules, we need to re-evaluate this ref’s suitability for continuing with us. Perhaps refereeing isn’t right for you at this time; perhaps you haven’t taken the time to go over important materials; whatever the case, after a few games we need to see improvement and the teams have a right to expect increasingly competent officiating as they themselves progress in age, size, and skill.

 

Question 5: How do I get more games? How do I become a licensed referee?

 

While it is our hope that after the referee gains experience and confidence, those who want to continue refereeing will take a United Stated Soccer Federation (USSF) Grade 9 or USSF Grade 8 course.  USSF Grade 9 will allow you to referee BAYS U10 games and become linesman (or Assistant Referees) for lower Division U11/U12 games. USSF Grade 8 will allow you to be a Center Referee or AR for BAYS U10-U14 and High School Games. There are ample assignment opportunities at these levels.  Visit our web site at http://www.newtongirlssoccer.org/referee/index.htm  and click on U10_U14 assignments to view the range of opportunities to referee and earn money. Eligibility requirements for the different grades vary. Most courses are offered in the winter off-season. Please view (and sign up) for any upcoming course at the www.massref.net web site. Just click on the ‘Referee Courses’ tab or ‘How to Become a USSF Referee’ tab.  Registration fees are reimbursable from both NYS and NGS.  When the new USSF passes the course he/she notifies us of their status change and will be eligible to referee higher-level games – first under mentorship of a senior referee.

 

We hope this information is helpful. As always, please let us know if we can clarify anything or provide additional assistance.

 

Ioannis Kyratzoglou ioannis@mitre.org

Jeff Brenner  jeff.brenner@comcast.net