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following information has been compiled by Brian Allen of the Seattle Chapter
for the Washington State Referee Committee (WASRC). It is meant to help answer the most
frequently asked questions by new referees, and serve as resource in your
ongoing development as a referee.
We welcome any questions or comments about this document. Your feedback can be sent to wasrc@hotmail.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So
you’ve passed your test, received your badge, and are now registered as a
referee: congratulations!! For
starters, please check with your local Chapter president whose name you can find
by going to www.wasrc.org and then
clicking on “Administration” and “Referee Chapters”. Most referee
chapters have their directory of officers listed on their website. If there is
no website in existence yet then you may consult with one of your peers to find
out the “who’s who” of your local chapter. Try to attend the monthly chapter
meeting where you will find people to be very helpful. So now what? FIRST STEPS There are three important steps you should complete right away, on the
web: 1)
Register
yourself by going to the local chapter website. This is the most important resource for
you to find information and to sign up for games. If you have any problems registering,
please send an email to the webmaster, and they will help to get you signed up
and ready to go. 2)
Next
go to www.wasrc.org and register
there as well. You’ll find that by
filling out your profile on the State site, you can synchronize your contact
information with your chapter
website. You’ll also gain
access to more information and referee forms at the state
level. 3)
As
a new referee you will start your refereeing career by working Youth games. In the state of Washington, anybody who
comes in contact with kids on the soccer pitch in ANY capacity (Coaches,
Assistants, Referees) must obtain what’s called a Risk Management Acceptance (RMA)
card. If you didn’t already fill
out a Risk Management Request Form when you took the clinic or when you
registered, you can download one from the Washington State Youth Soccer
Association website listed below.
Send it in ASAP, since it takes several weeks to process. You
can’t referee a youth game without one! Contact the Head Youth Assignor of your chapter for
more information. Explore
both of these sites. Each has a
wealth of information about refereeing in general, and the specific procedures,
resources, and key individuals who will help you navigate the system. The “Referee” and “Services” sections are the most
important ones for your use. You’ll
notice that game assignment happens under the “Match Inquiry” function of the Referee section, but that you’re not
able to sign up for any games yet (because you’re a new referee). For now, you’ll be able to get matches
by request to the Assignor who is
responsible for getting referees to fill games for a given League or Club. Use
the “List Assignors” function under
the referee section to find out who the current assignors are for your chapter.
You should contact the appropriate assignor in order to introduce yourself and
discuss how to begin getting assignments to referee
matches. Depending
upon your past experience, an assignor may decide to give you a Ranking right away, which will allow
you to Self-Assign games up to the
level of that ranking. As assignors
get to know you better, and have an opportunity to watch you perform on the
pitch, they’ll grant you higher rankings for the leagues and clubs that they’re
responsible for. BE PATIENT with
this process: it can take a long time to increase your ranking, especially if
you’re brand new to refereeing (this is not a process you want to
rush). The
assignor can help you to get information about the various League Rules differences for the games
you’ll be initially working (yes, despite the class you just completed, there
are STILL additional things to learn about game length, sub’ing, and player
cards, plus paperwork and match reporting requirements.) Now
that you’re ready to referee, you’ll need the proper Referee Gear. USSF has designated Official Sports
International as the official supplier of referee uniforms. They have a website, www.officialsports.com that supports
online ordering. They may also be
contacted at 1-800-782-2614. Finally,
you’ll need to take the certification test and re-register every year from now on (or re-take the
entry-level class.) As a Grade 8 referee you need five continuing education hours
annually, though this is a pretty easy requirement to fill just by attending
chapter meetings. To simplify your
re-registration process, keep track of those hours on the appropriate USSF form
(download a copy from your chapter website). If you ever want to Upgrade to a Grade 7, you’ll need to
keep careful track of the games you work, including information about who
assigned you the match and whether you worked the center or a line. A sample Game Log can be found at the WASRC
website. MORE ABOUT THE LOCAL SOCCER REFEREES
ORGANIZATIONS
Many
referee organizations hold a monthly meeting, generally during the mid week in
the evening. The meeting includes a short business portion and a one hour
referee instruction session about various aspects of becoming a better referee.
You should plan on attending these meetings. It’s particularly important for new
referees to attend local chapter meetings, for several
reasons: 1)
You’ll
get to meet other referees and assignors, and they’ll get to meet
you. 2)
The
instructional sessions count towards the five continuing-education hours which
you’re required to complete towards your certification renewal the following
year. 3)
Re-Certification
tests are offered (at the appropriate time of year) before certain
meetings. 4)
Referee
clothing and equipment is frequently available for sale before and after
meetings. 5)
And
last but not least: You can pick up your paycheck unless your chapter has direct
deposit procedure! Special
Clinics and Workshops are also important meetings
for you to attend in order to become a better referee and take yourself to the
next level of officiating (you can find a full list of ALL clinics happening in
Washington on the SRC website under the Instruction
section).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Here
are some answers to other frequently asked questions about refereeing soccer in
Washington: How
many referees are there in Washington? The number for registered referees changes from year to year. As of June, 2004 there were 4285
registered referees in the state of Washington. This includes assessors,
assignors, and instructors. I
think there’s something wrong with my registration. Who do I talk to about
this? The
Area Referee Administrator (ARA) is the person you need to talk to about
this. Ask any officer in your
chapter who the ARA is for your area. I heard that I’ll get in trouble if I referee games for “unaffiliated”
leagues. Is this
true? You
won’t get in “trouble”, but there are some things you need to be aware of when
working for soccer leagues who are not affiliated with the WSSA or WSYSA (the
official USSF entities for the state of Washington). If you choose to referee for them, you
must NEVER wear your USSF badge while doing so. You should also determine the
extent of your insurance coverage through those organizations since you are NOT
covered by the USSF in ANY way when you officiate an unaffiliated match. In addition, these unaffiliated matches
may not be included in any game count that you have to submit to USSF when you
want to upgrade or when match numbers are required in applying for consideration
for appointments in tournaments such as the WSYSA youth tournament semi-finals
and finals. Oh
brother, I just gave out two yellow cards and a red. Do I need to tell someone about
this? And what am I supposed to do
with these game sheets, anyway? Each
league has its own rules and procedures regarding misconduct reports. Some require full reports for
everything, while others just require an email or phone call with infraction,
team name, and player identification number. Check with your assignor for the correct
procedure to follow. Most leagues
also require that you mail them the game sheets afterwards, or you won’t get
paid! Again, ask your assignor for
more details. What
are Rankings and how do they work? Most
leagues are divided into Divisions of varying skill
levels. Higher-level games are more
challenging to referee, requiring more experience and skill. In order to standardize and simplify the
way matches are assigned, the idea of Rankings was created. Simply put, the higher one’s ranking for
a given league, the wider range of games you are allowed to referee (and
importantly, self-assign on the website). You’ll
eventually receive an initial ranking from each assignor you work with. As you work more games, gaining more
experience and skill, you may find yourself asking the assignor for more
difficult games. When you are able
to successfully complete those matches without any problems, and as assignors
get to know you better (and watch you in action), they may choose to slightly
raise your ranking. Or, you may ask
them about it, and see if they think it’s time for you to begin working more
challenging games. A higher ranking
is desirable because it allows you to self-assign a wider range of matches on
the website, making it easier and more convenient to fit games into the rest of
your life (remember, the rest of your life?)
I keep hearing about all these tournaments, but can’t find out how to work them as a referee. How can I find out when and where all the tournaments are, and who to contact about this? Fairly
complete lists of the tournaments going on in Washington (with contact
information) are available as the WSSA (adult) and WSYSA (youth) websites. You should also ask around at chapter
meetings for information about additional tournaments which may be happening in
your area. Many tournaments are NOT
assigned through the websites, therefore you need to contact the referee
coordinator for tournaments you’re interested in working. The general tournament contact person
can point you in the right direction. I’m
a little confused about the different websites. Why don’t they all have the same
features? Each
chapter maintains its own website, choosing from a range of features available
to them. Some chapters have more
resources available for this, and have implemented more advanced features. An effort to synchronize data between
local chapter websites and the SRC website has already begun, and improvement to
each website is an ongoing process.
Future features will include online registration for clinics,
re-certification testing, practice tests, and other useful
tools. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND
ADVICE This
briefing should help to get you started, but it’s important to emphasize again:
USE THE WEBSITES! The SRC website
has a great links section which will point you to the other chapters in our
area. Referees frequently work
matches for more than one chapter, especially in the Puget Sound region, so
check with assignors of other chapters. Here
are some other important websites with resources for you: WSYSA Washington State Youth Soccer Association www.wsysa.comWSSA Washington State Soccer Association www.wssa.orgFIFA Fédération Internationale de Football Association www.fifa.com
USSF
United
States Soccer Federation
www.ussoccer.com
USL
United Soccer Leagues
www.uslsoccer.com
USASA
United
States Adult Soccer Association
www.usasa.com
USYSA
United
States Youth Soccer Association
www.usysa.org Remember
that watching professional or semi-pro matches can be a great way to gain
insight into the challenges of refereeing, so try to catch some good games as a
spectator and above all, HAVE FUN!
www.seattlesounders.net
Celebrating 30 Years of USL Division 1 Soccer in
Seattle
www.pgepark.com/timbers
Portland’s USL Division 1 team
www.whitecapsfc.com
Vancouver (BC) USL Division 1 team
www.soccertv.com
A great site that lists soccer games on TV,
worldwide
www.soccercommercials.com You’ll laugh, you’ll
cry. But mostly you’ll
laugh.
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