Referee Administrator

Training

Agenda

• Regional Referee Administrator duties

• Getting organized

• Developing a budget

• Recruiting volunteer referees

• Training New and Returning Referees

• Scheduling referees

• Retaining referees

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The Big PictureAYSO Vision Statement:

“To provide world-class youth soccer programs that enrich children’s lives”

Based on six (6) Philosophies: Everyone Plays®

Balanced Teams Open Registration Positive Coaching

Good Sportsmanship Player Development

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Josephson Institute of Ethics Survey

Of the 4,200 High School Student - Athletes who Responded to the survey – here are a few

interesting responses :

• Approximately 50% of the boys and 33% of the girls surveyed see nothing wrong with cheating, using racial slurs, faking injuries, arguing or violence … if it will help to win the game.

• “…The survey reveals that coaches and parents simply aren’t doing enough to assure that the experience is a positive one …”

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More StatisticsCalifornia Parks and Recreation Association survey question:

“What is the biggest problem in youth sports today?” • Out of control parents/spectators 48.0%

• Win at all cost coaches 30.6%

• Poorly run leagues 10.5%

• Poor sportsmanship by kids 7.0%

• Inexperienced officials 2.6%

“We have met the enemy and they are us”!

Remember…

“In AYSO, it’s about more than the game!”

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In the Beginning (there was a void)

You “volunteered” - now what?

1.Don’t panic; relax, take a deep breath. 2.You have more resources than you know!3.Your job is very important!

Being a volunteer is not an excuse for doing a poor job. Remember…

In AYSO, it’s about more than the game!

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Regional Referee Administrator Duties Quick List

• Register your referees annually;• Work with the Child and Volunteer Protection Advocate;

(CVPA) • Appoint a Regional Director of Referee Instruction; (RDI)• Appoint a Regional Director of Referee Assessment; (RDA) • Develop a schedule for training and game coverage; • Prepare an annual budget; • Communication – before, during and after the season; • Provide leadership and be an active role model;• Promote referee welfare within the Region;• Represent the Region at Area meetings;• Know the rules (Region, Area, Section, National);• Work with RC, Region Coach Administrator and Region staff; • Identify and train a successor;• Collaborate with the Area Referee Administrator. (ARA)

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Where do I start?• To have a successful season you will

have to put these pieces together.

TrainingScheduling

Recruiting

Budgeting

Retaining

Calendaring

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You Are Not Alone!Here are People Who Can Help:

• Previous RRA and staff

• RC – Regional Commissioner

• CVPA – Child & Volunteer Protection Advocate

• RCA – Regional Coach Administrator

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You Are Not Alone!Here are People Who Can Help:

• ARA, ADI, ADA – Area Referee Staff

• SRA, SDI, SDA – Section Referee Staff

• National Referee Advisory Commission (NRAC)

• National Referee Program Administrator (NRPA) Thomas Bobadilla

• National Office Staff

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Where to Get More Information

• AYSO National Referee Program Manual • AYSO Guidance for Referees, Coaches, Other Volunteers

and Parents• AYSO edition of the Laws of the Game• National Rules & Regulations• Recruiting & Retaining Referees• Referee Mentor Handbook• Other Useful Sources

• Regional Guidelines• Area and Section Guidelines• Various Web Sites

Any Suggestions ?

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Useful Websites

• WWW.AYSO.ORG• WWW.eAYSO.ORG• WWW.FIFA.COM• WWW.USSOCCER.COM

• WWW.ASKTHEREF.ORG – fun

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Fix It Before It Breaks

Be proactive – Anticipate

problems

• National Rules & Regulations• Standard Regional Guidelines• Policies & Procedures• Protest Committee/Dispute Resolution

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Develop Your Team• You - Region Referee Administrator (RRA)

• Assistant Referee Administrator (A-RRA)

• Director of Referee Instruction (RDI)

• Director of Referee Assessment (RDA)

• Referee Scheduler • Director for Youth & Women Referees• Regional Coach Administrator (RCA)

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Develop a Communication Plan

• Communicate Early & Often

• Be Consistent

• Use Multiple Methods – (Hardcopy and Electronic)

• Web sites (local & national)

• Be Accountable (you and your team)

• Misconduct / Dispute Resolution

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Support AYSO National Programs

• National Referee Program

• National Coaching Program

• National Management Program

• Very Important Player (VIP) Program

• Safe Haven Program

• Kids Zone® Program

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Calendar of Events

Local & National EventsTraining TournamentsRegistration DatesBeginning & End of SeasonMentor/Assessor ScheduleMeetings

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Time & Task Deadline Calendar

Build your Time & Task Calendar “Backwards”

Determine:

• What must be done by the day of the event

• What is the logical order

• What needs the longest lead time

• What has the highest impact on success

• Who has Responsibility, Authority, Accountability

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Where Do We Get New Referees?Player & Parent Involvement

Pop

ula

tion

U6 U8 U10 U12 U14 U16U19

Playe

rs

Parents

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How Do We Get Referees1. See “Recruiting & Retaining Referees Manual”

2. Make the job fun and easy

3. Minimize problems outside the touch lines

4. Recruiting is a never ending annual task

• Parents of Young Players

• Youth Referees

• Buddy System (Couples): 2 makes 1

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Training Referees

• Register and advertise the course

• Order course materials

• Identify instructors

–Region, Area, Section & National

• Schedule training for new referees

–Flexible: evenings, half day, multi-day

• Design a Returning Referee program

–Annual Updates

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Training: Food for Thought

• Identify Available/Potential Instructors• Flexible Training for New Referees• Returning Referee Training Program• Incentives to Encourage Attendance• Training for: Fun, a Challenge, Growth• Upgrades Take Time• Appreciate Referee Efforts

Remember – Plan Ahead

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Training Course Objectives

Basic Basic knowledge needed to referee

U-6, U-8 Official Fun, fair and safe fundamentals

National Knowledge for all AYSO matches

Assistant Referee Assistant Referee duties- offside

Intermediate Knowledge for more challenging matches

Advanced Knowledge for most AYSO matches

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Why Schedule Referees

• No Refs – No Games

• Scheduling is crucial to your program’s success

• Needs to be well-organized, fair, flexible

• Meet the needs of the Region, Teams, and

Referees

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What Must You Know……before you can start?

5 Important Steps:1. Identify your requirements

- Players, Games, Dates, Fields, Referees2. Develop a Plan

- How will you schedule your referees?3. Schedule the Referees

- Implement the plan4. Publish the Schedule

- Make available to all5. Maintain the Schedule

- Changes during the season

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Do It – Step 1Identify your Requirements

•Get your game schedule- Age divisions

- # Games per day- Playing dates

•Get your referees- Returning referees- New Referees

•Maintain a database- Ref Name, telephone, email- Certification level, skill level- Parent, coach, player – Team #- Availability constraints- Other ?

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Do It – Step 2Develop your Plan

How will you schedule your referees?• For example –

Age Division Scheduling Method

Divisions U-5/U-6: Don’t assign referees. The coaches will handle this responsibility

Division U-8: Don’t assign referees. Each team will provide their own.

Divisions U-10 to U-14: Assign referees based on the Referee Team method.

Divisions U-16/U-19: Assign referees using the self-scheduling method.

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Let’s Look at Some Scheduling Methods

– Pros and Cons

Scheduling Method

Pros Cons

Russian Roulette

Midnight Caller

Do It Yourself

Assigned Games

Referee Teams

Web-BasedComputerized Programs

Others?

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Do It – Step 3 …How will you schedule your refs?

Scheduling the Referees – Sample Plan Region X

Divisions U-5/U-6coaches will manage these games

Division U-8 Assign Referee only

Division U-10assign Referee only, recruit

club lines each team

Divisions U-12 through U-19assign the Team Referee

Method (Referee, Assistant Referees)

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Do It Step 3…Get your game scheduleTime Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5 Field 6

8:00 U-8 U-8 U-10 U-10 U-12 U-14

8:30

9:00 U-8 U-8

9:30 U-10 U-10 U-12 U-14

10:00 U-8 U-8

10:30

11:00 U-8 U-8 U-10 U-10 U-12 U-14

11:30

12:00 U-8 U-8

12:30 U-10 U-10 U-12 U-16/19

1:00 U-8 U-8

1:30

2:00 U-8 U-8 U-10 U-12 U-16/19

2:30

3:00 U-8 U-8

3:30 U-12

How Many Fields?

Region X has 1 full-sized field and 5 small-sized fields.

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How Many Games?Region X has 36 Games/Week that need referees

U-5&6 26 Teams 13 Games/WeekU-8 32 Teams 16 Games/WeekU-10 18 Teams 9 Games/WeekU-12 12 Teams 6 Games/WeekU-14 6 Teams 3 Games/WeekU-16/19 4 Teams 2 Games/Week

Note – U 5&6 games may not need refs- handled by coaches

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How Many Refs Do You Need? Rule of Thumb

If you assign each referee for a ½ day or less, you need:U-5&U-6 No Refs (Managed by coaches).U-8 1 experienced referee (or U-8 Official) to

do 4 games.U-10 1 experienced ref + 2 club linesmen to do

3 games.U-12 1 experienced ref + 2 new referees or ARs

to do 2-3 games.U-14 1 experienced ref + 2 new referees to do 2

games.U-16+ 3 experienced referees to do 2 games.

Assume 15% will not be available any given Saturday

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29 Referees Needed in Region X

– U5&U6 13 Games/Week 0 Refs– U-8 16 Games/Week 4 Exp Refs or U-8 Officials– U-10 9 Games/Week 3 Exp Refs + Club Linesmen– U-12 6 Games/Week 3 Exp Refs + 6 New Refs/ARs– U-14 3 Games/Week 2 Exp Refs + 4 New Refs– U-16/19 2 Games/Week 3 Experienced Refs

15 Exp + 10 New Refs (U-8 Officials, ARs, Club Linesmen) = 25

Assume 15% will not be available (25 x .15 = 4 Refs)

25 + 4 = 29 Referees Needed

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27 Refs Available in Region X

Available Volunteers Code Names

3 Assistant Referees (ar1 – ar3) 2 U-8 Officials (u8o1 – u8o2) 17 Regional Referees (r1 – r17) 3 Intermediate Referees (i1 – i3) 1 Advanced Referee (a1) 1 National Referee (n1)

Note: The RRA is not the “spare” referee!

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Referee TeamsRef Team

Name Email Cert

Tel Number

Schedule Requests

SkillLeve

l10-1 Harry Potter potter@asyo.org Asst

Ref555-123-4567 Morning games only U-8

10-1 Homer Simpson homer@ayso.org Reg Ref

555-123-4567 Do not scheduled when Bart is playing

U-10

10-1 Bilbo Baggins baggins@ayso.org Inter Ref

555-123-4567 Afternoon games only

U-12

10-1L Steffi Seitz steffi@ayso.org AdvRef

555-123-4567 I’ll ref anytime U-16

10-2 Mark Fults mark@ayso.org  NatlRef

555-123-4567 Saturday all day U-19

10-2        

10-2        

10-2L        

10-3        

10-3        

10-3        

10-3L        

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Blank Schedule for Region XTime Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5 Field 6

8:00

U-8

R ( )

U-8

R ( )

U-10

R ( )

U-10

R ( )

U-12

R ( )

AR ( )

AR ( )

U-14

R ( )

AR ( )

AR ( )

10:00

U-8

R ( )

U-8

R ( )

U-10

R ( )

CL

CL

U-10

R ( )

CL

CL

U-12

R ( )

AR ( )

AR ( )

U-14

R ( )

AR ( )

AR ( )

12:00

U-8

R ( )

U-8

R ( )

U-10

R ( )

CL

CL

U-10

R ( )

CL

CL

U-12

R ( )

AR ( )

AR ( )

U-16/19

R ( )

AR ( )

AR ( )

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Scheduler’s Worksheet

Time 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00

ar 1 X X X

ar 2 X X X

u8 1 X X X No Problem

r 1 X X X

r 2 X X X Potential problem

i 1 X Not very good X

i 2 X X

a 1 X X

n 1 X X X

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Sample Referee ScheduleWeek 1

    Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5 Field 6

8:00 AM

Teams 08B1 v 08B2 08G1 v 08G210B1 v 10B2 10G1 v 10G2 12B1 v 12B2 14B1 v 14B2

Referees R: U801 R: U802 RL: U1001CL:CL:

RL: U1002CL:CL:

Team: 10-1 Team: 10-2

9:00 AMTeams 08B3 v 08B4 08G3 v 08G4        

Referees R: U801 R: U802        

9:30 AM

Teams     10B3 v 10B4 10G3 v 10G4 12G1 v 12G2 14G1 v 14G2

Referees     RL: U1001CL:CL:

RL: U1002CL:CL:

Team: 10-1 Team: 10-2

10:00 AM

Teams 08B5 v 08B6 08G5 v 08G6        

Referees R: U801 R: U802        

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Do It – Step 4

Publish the Schedule• Let everyone know

– Referees - Teams - Fill-in referees - Field staff

• Publication Methods • Email to each referee • Post schedule on website• Post schedule at fields• Mail hardcopy to referee

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Do It – Step 5Maintain the Schedule

• Changes will happen• Add New Referees• Referee can’t make it• Re-assignments for upgrade assessments• Game schedule changes

• Can the Referee Scheduler do it all?• If small Region – probable • If large Region – get help• Add support staff by –

– Age division – Field assignment

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Can Automation Help?

Absolutely – just don’t lose the personal touch.

After all, this is a people-job

Examples: none officially supported by AYSO

- Arbiter Sports (arbitersports.com)- Referee Assistant (referee-assistant.com)- Schedules etc (schedulesetc.com)

- Club Spaces (clubspaces.com)

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Example of Automation?

Share your experiences with automation.

How has your Region used automation?

What has worked?

Referee Assistant ComputerProgram

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Scheduling Conclusion

• Referee scheduling is a challenging but critical task.

• 5 steps to successful Referee Scheduling1. Identify your Requirements

2. Develop a plan

3. Schedule the referees

4. Publish the schedule

5. Maintain the schedule

• Develop the method that is right for your Region• Consider use of automation to make the job easier

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Keep ‘em coming back

• Nothing succeeds like success• Ensure referees are well trained and supported • Mentors help during and after games • Support group socialization • Online discussion groups • Motivational incentives• Minimize problems outside the touch lines -

Kids Zones

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Building a Budget• Training Courses needs:

• Facilities Rental: School, Library, Community Center • Course Materials: Handouts, Certificates, Badges • Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks• Equipment Rental: LCD, VCR, Overhead Projector

• Referee Supplies• Uniforms, flags, whistles• Awards and incentives

• Referee Meetings• Support & Camaraderie

• Staff Development• Instructor & Assessor Training

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Budget Information Sources

Previous Year’s Budget Actual Expenditures Previous Year’s Rosters

- Materials Needed- Number attending- Number Upgrading

Remaining Uniforms & Supplies

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Making the Budget Work

Ensure Adequate Lead Time for Orders

Coordinate Orders with RC & Treasurer

Utilize AYSO Reimbursement Form

Access to “Official Purchaser”

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Summary• Know your duties –

– Enlist Lots of Help

• Get Organized – (people, information, staff communication,

calendars)

• Get Everyone – Registered and Safe Haven‘d

• Make recruiting an ongoing team effort

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Summary• Provide ample

– training opportunities – mentoring opportunities – upgrade opportunities

• Schedule – retaining, recruiting, schedules early !!!

• Develop & submit a detailed budget

• Create a supportive environment

and remember…

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In AYSO, it’s about more than the game!

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