by Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
The reasons for becoming a ref in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) are as diverse as the personalities of our approximately 3,000 referees and assistant refs.
“25 years ago, I was with my sons at a tournament and in-between their games, I walked around the complex. What caught my attention was the complete lack of female referees. There were plenty of girls’ games going on but no women officiating their games or any other games. With intense curiosity and a desire to someday being there for young girls, I researched and found a referee course,” Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA) President Cathy Caldwell explained, “Each week, refereeing became a little better thanks to encouragement from other refs and a willingness to learn by watching others. 90 percent of the time, I love refereeing!”
“There were not many young referees and I wanted to change how refereeing was perceived. The other reason was, of course, I loved being around the game. Nothing makes me happier than playing, refereeing and watching soccer. Making money while doing it is just a secondary benefit,” said up-and-coming ref Jared Sparks. “Lastly, I’ve always been the quiet, shy kid. I remember when I first began reffing, I was timid and lacked confidence in my own ability. Now I am confident, and feel like a leader on the pitch. Although it’s taken a decent amount of time to grow into the person I am today, refereeing each game has brought me more confidence and certainty in myself.”
LISRA Recording Secretary Jean-Marie Maio stated, “I became a ref through the Genesis program. Every Long Island Junior Soccer League club sent a parent to become a ref. If a referee did not show up for a game, we would therefore be able to ref. I stuck with it and have been officiating for the past 18 years.”
“I became a referee when my playing and coaching career was over,” Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL) President Paul Bascomb said. “I love being a ref as a way to stay current with the players, coaches and parents. I’ve been doing it long enough that I have earned the respect of almost everyone.”
Longtime ref Rich Ceonzo stated, “I was an assistant coach for my son’s Under-9 team when an official ignored an opposing player who was 10 yards in an offside position during a direct free kick. He said, ‘You cannot be offside on a free kick,’ which I knew is not true. That’s when I decided if that was the level of refereeing available for local kids, I could certainly do better so I became a ref!”
“One of my co-workers was a ref and asked me to become a referee too. He told me that I should learn the rules. I thought that I have been playing soccer my whole life, never really liked the refs and I know the rules already. He said that he thought the same about the rules until taking the referee certification course. The course showed me that I did not know the rules either and was winging it based on what I experienced as a player,” New York Soccer Referees Association (NYSRA) President Kami Riazi explained. “After refereeing my first game, I was hooked. Soccer refereeing has been the best thing that I ever did and has given me a passion in life that I am grateful for!”
Interested in joining Cathy, Jared, Jean-Marie, Paul, Rich and Kami in becoming a referee or assistant ref? Eastern New York is looking for new Grassroots Referees and the certification class consists of both online and classroom learning.
For more information, log on to https://enysreferee.org/
