June is quite busy with make-up games and the onset of tournament season. Referees are encouraged to do their part to serve the many games to be played. Keep in mind that tournaments provide a terrific environment for referees to work with other officials and develop our craft.
In addition to regular season play, many exciting things are happening in the referee community:
Mark your calendar for July 23, 2005 as the MSRC will be hosting its third annual Awards Night at the Westborough Wyndham Hotel. We have had two terrific events over the past two summers as many have enjoyed the camaraderie and celebration of solid citizens in our referee community. Look for more details forthcoming on the website.
This summer the MSRC will host its first referee academy, a multi-day referee camp in conjunction with soccer camps to be held in MA. Working with Al Cordeiro and the Mariner Youth Soccer club of southeastern MA, we will have an opportunity to combine in-depth instruction with practical training and on-field assessment for a limited number of qualified referees. More details will be announced soon, but if this program sounds interesting to you, please contact me.
The web development project we began several years ago is finally going to bear fruit! Soon, registration for instructional and other types of events will be done online allowing straightforward tracking of progress for each referee as they develop. Later this year, we expect referees will be able to manage their referee data directly. Stay tuned to hear more of this in the coming months.
Referees who are registered in 2005 should look for pre-printed 2006 registration forms to arrive from US Soccer in the first week of October. We have negotiated this later mailing time as many referees in our state had misplaced their form by the time the recertification clinic season began in November. Hold on to that form!
We have heard that US Soccer is moving forward with plans to implement their own online registration program. This process may be introduced for 2006 registration season, but it is not definite at this time. Regardless, paper forms will be accepted for the upcoming 2006 registration season.
Many referees are interested in upgrading and have inquired about the process. The upgrade section outlines all the information. Included is a fitness test schedule, as passing a fitness test is a requirement for upgrade. A test is also required to maintain a higher grade. Several opportunities are coming along in June and July so go to the online list to find one near you.
Thanks to all the volunteers in the referee community that have taken time to prepare officials in our state. The amount of coordination and preparation and the number of people involved at many levels is awesome. Congratulations and good luck to those referees appointed to out of state tournaments! May the ball bounce well for all referees in the coming months.