May 21, 2002 - In Massachusetts, we recognize the critical role that a referee assignor has in the development of each certified referee. In recent years US Soccer has defined an administrative position, the State Assignor Coordinator (SAC), to manage the training of and communication between assignors within a state referee organization. In April, the MSRC has appointed John Utter of Spencer to fill this role in our state.
John Utter has been involved in soccer since his youth, growing up in New York and playing there. After graduating from Hartwick College, a strong soccer tradition, Utter has been an active referee in USSF, EMSOA, and NISOA for fifteen years. He is a USSF assessor and instructor, and serves on the board of directors of the NEOTHSL in Massachusetts.
In the past few years, Utter has served as the State Cup assignor and done an excellent job in using this position to carefully associate referees with games. His emphasis on referee development in this assigning role will serve him well in his position as SAC. Referee assignment is much more than "putting names on games"; it is a process which requires organized preparation.
Effective on September 1, 2002, the start of the new soccer year, US Soccer will require that certified referee assignors are used to assign certified referees to affiliated games (see www.ussoccer.com for details). Look for announcements of USSF Referee Assignor courses to be offered in July and early August.
The appointment of an SAC is the first step to getting Massachusetts into compliance with the US Soccer assignor requirement. We believe that, with certified assignors, we can serve the soccer community much better. We believe that with educated assignors we will reap tangible benefits of improved retention and education of referees, particularly young referees.
Please congratulate John Utter and provide him your support in his role as State Assignment Coordinator. You can communicate with him at SAC@massref.net.