U.S. Soccer to Employ Full-Time Referees (for First Time)

[TimB4Last]

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_281725.html

In a move designed to continue the growth and progress of soccer officiating in the United States, U.S. Soccer has established a program to employ full-time referees for the first time in the organization's 95-year history. Jair Marrufo, Ricardo Salazar, Baldomero Toledo and Terry Vaughn will become full-time referees, enabling them to focus all of their professional abilities on practical on-field applications, as well as on off-the-field training.

“This new program will give our best referees the opportunity to focus all of their energies on enhancing the performance of our elite officials on the field,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “The size and quality of U.S. Soccer’s referee program has garnered worldwide respect from the international soccer community over the years. With an increasing number of MLS and international matches being staged in the United States, there is no doubt that the opportunity to referee on a full-time basis will continue to advance our growth as a soccer nation.”

....

[Ref Flunkie]

Cool. Wonder what their salary is. Is that basically our FIFA panel?

[KidRef]

Guess that shows that Stott is out of the picture. Interestingly thought, factually wrong it states that toledo became FIFA certified in 2006, when he just got his badge this year.

[GIO17]

Actually it finally shows that our referee's who failed making the cut for officiating matches at the World Cup and now their can be improvment in all areas of our league and on field officials as well.

[BC_Ref]

Guess that shows that Stott is out of the picture. Interestingly thought, factually wrong it states that toledo became FIFA certified in 2006, when he just got his badge this year.

It will be interesting to see exactly how the full-time vs non-full FIFA refs are handled. It can't be identical to the EPL since the panel is drawn from the larger Select Group. Here it is the opposite.

I wonder if the intention is to eventually have all FIFA refs be "full-time" and this partial mix is simply a temporary measure until the "grandfathered" FIFA refs are retired due to age. I understand that Stott is a high school teacher, which can be a decently paying job (depends on the state and board - I realize that you go from pitiful to pretty good depending on where you teach), so could be reluctant to quit for good reason. And the USSF might be willing to accomodate those already handling international games.

But for those moving up through the system, they will need to face the risk of being unemployed at age 45 with no career prospects if you wish to get to the top. I know personally that even if I was good enough to be FIFA eligible (I think I'm very good, but I've seen our local Nationals and FIFAs and I'm not of that calibre), I would likely have to say no since I'd be giving up a well paying career.

[falcon.7]

This has the added bonus of preventing players from saying "don't quit your day job". I'm still not certain how I feel about this. England seems to be having a decent time with it, but there are many issues. What happens if they become disabled? Is there a pension system for after they retire? What if we have a re-run of the Anders Frisk story? It seems that it would be very difficult for these men to return to whatever occupation they had before. Also, it puts enormous pressure on them because it's their JOB. As much as we love refereeing, could anyone here do it as a full-time job, on a professional or personal level?

I wonder if they get hazard pay for playoff games...

[intechpc]

Actually it finally shows that our referee's who failed making the cut for officiating matches at the World Cup and now their can be improvment in all areas of our league and on field officials as well.

I kinda wonder how much this move has to do with the push to get the WC back here in 2018.

[Englishref]

This has the added bonus of preventing players from saying "don't quit your day job". I'm still not certain how I feel about this. England seems to be having a decent time with it, but there are many issues. What happens if they become disabled? Is there a pension system for after they retire? What if we have a re-run of the Anders Frisk story? It seems that it would be very difficult for these men to return to whatever occupation they had before. Also, it puts enormous pressure on them because it's their JOB. As much as we love refereeing, could anyone here do it as a full-time job, on a professional or personal level?

I wonder if they get hazard pay for playoff games...

With the Select Group, they are on year-by-year contracts, so no pensions or anything, and as Andy D'Urso and Andy Hall found out, you can find yourself unemployed with a few months notice, having quit your previous job to take up the professional contract. However, all the SG refs speak very highly of the move to professional referees.

[IASocFan]

Guess that shows that Stott is out of the picture. Interestingly thought, factually wrong it states that toledo became FIFA certified in 2006, when he just got his badge this year.

Stott is a teacher with summers and weekends normally open. I'm not sure where Vaughn was professionally, but know he lost a job when McLeod's went under and had been working with various soccer entities doing referee administration and training. The others I don't know about.

I think it's a great step forward. I do know that Terry has been a great asset to referee programs and training in Iowa.

[MassachusettsRef]

I'll say flat-out that I'm skeptical of this working and, frankly, think that in some cases it will backfire from its intended purpose.

My skepticism lies in the financial details surrounding such an arrangement. Where is USSF (or MLS?) going to get enough money to pay competent people to sacrifice other professional careers in order to pursue refereeing full-time? This is NOT like England where referees are going to pull $100k+. I think we've estimated in the past that our top referees (Hall, Stott) probably pulled, at most, an additional $20k in income (not counting the WC fees) annually from domestic-based matches and some, including me, think that's an overestimation, with the top figures probably being more like $12-15k.

Are annual salaries for these four referees going to suddenly jump to a $60k or $75k level? If they do, we've created a situation where the referees are making much, much more than the average MLS player, which just isn't a good scenario. If they don't, who on Earth is going to give up another career for, say, a $40k salary that will only be guaranteed for about a decade at most? It's all well and good for the few years you pull it, but in a few years, you're 45 years old, out of not only a job but an entire career, and it's not like you saved a lot of money for an early retirement.

The potential for backfire goes along with my financial concerns. To be frank, our best referees have to be pretty intelligent. Yes, we want people that can run well and (I know some disagree, but I think this is critical) have played and understand the game. But a great referee also has to have some decent-to-exceptional leadership qualities (judicious, wise, quick-thinking, etc.). In short, better referees are most typically going to have a pretty decent level of education. We don't want people going into refereeing because there was nothing else they could do with their lives.

So put yourself in the situation of a recent college graduate who's played the game his whole life, maybe has a Grade 7 or Grade 6 badge, and is trying to figure out what to do with his life. At that point, he's probably 5 or so years away from even being considered for a professional referee panel and in the meantime, as we all know, he'll make little to no money trying to get to that level. So again, does he pursue the refereeing tract knowing full-well that he'll make no money until he's 28 or 30, take home a decent wage until he's 45, and then have no job and no career as he enters the last 20 or 25 years of his professional life? Or does he pursue a more lucrative and stable career elsewhere? I think the answer to most would be obvious.

In short, you're going to turn off a lot of potentially great referees who won't want to devote their entire lives to something that will only last about 15 years and will cause them to live less comfortably before and after that 15 year span. Sure, this plan will probably make a select group of referees better. But I think it's also just as likely to turn away a larger number of potentially great referees.

[MassachusettsRef]

Guess that shows that Stott is out of the picture. I actually see it differently. I think this will be part of a push to get a referee to WC10 in addition to Stott. Stott is already known now and, should he stick around, has an inside track for WC10. No one else is well-known by CONCACAF or FIFA; maybe this is partly designed to change that.

But, of course, I could be wrong. I think we'll find out if Stott's in the picture within the next year or so with Gold Cup and early WCQ10 assignments.

[bluedevils]

In short, you're going to turn off a lot of potentially great referees who won't want to devote their entire lives to something that will only last about 15 years and will cause them to live less comfortably before and after that 15 year span...this plan will probably make a select group of referees better. But I think it's also just as likely to turn away a larger number of potentially great referees.

I don't understand how this announcement will make people LESS likely to want to aspire to refereeing as a profession?

All that stuff you said about refs not wanting to pour their lives into something that is NOT a long-term career...this was already the case before the announcement.

[IASocFan]

I don't understand how this announcement will make people LESS likely to want to aspire to refereeing as a profession?

All that stuff you said about refs not wanting to pour their lives into something that is NOT a long-term career...this was already the case before the announcement.

AGREE! The 4 are pretty young (29-36 years), and will probably have considerably more duties than just staying in shape and doing MLS and International games. Every year, Iowa and Terry Vaughn put on a 2 day Referee Academy that is well attended from all over the state. It has featured Brian Hall, Kevin Stott, Keri Seitz, and numerous other National and FIFA referees. I'm sure the four will spend a lot of time working on referee training programs across the country.

I see this job as an opportunity in leadership and education which could lead to other opportunities within or outside soccer.

Like soccer players, careers don't need to end when you can no longer work on the field. If you spend your time wisely and develop your talents, you can go into coaching, administration and/or journalism.

[MassachusettsRef]

I don't understand how this announcement will make people LESS likely to want to aspire to refereeing as a profession?

All that stuff you said about refs not wanting to pour their lives into something that is NOT a long-term career...this was already the case before the announcement.Because before, you were left to manage your own professional life which was supplemented for a span of years with a refereeing career. Many people have proven very capable of doing that over time. Being a "full-time professional referee" stops people from doing that.

If this program expands, as I expect the plan calls for it to, you won't have people like Stott who begin a teaching career, referee (and yes, pour the rest of their lives into that refereeing) on the side, experience 15 or so years at the top level (while teaching), and then continue to teach afterwards. You don't get to have another professional career in the plan that's unfolding. Or, if you do, you have to give it up before you get very far in it and then attempt to pick it up or start a new career more than a decade later.

I see this as a strong disincentive to people who didn't grow up wanting to spend and dedicate their entire lives being soccer referees.

Personally, I absolutely love refereeing, have high aspirations and have progressed pretty well. Recently I've hit a day job/referee snag that has halted my progression a bit. It's something that I have to work through in the next few years if I still want to make it to the highest levels. But at least, right now, I have the ability to make such choices and prioritize my life. If the scenario of a full professional panel unfolds, it's one or the other and I would personally have to choose my current career. I firmly believe that a lot of good referees put in a similar situation would make the same decision.

It's one thing to say, "look, this is a huge commitment and you're going to have to make big sacrifices." I and, I would imagine, most other referees understand that. It's an entirely different animal to say, "give up your job and career to pursue something that might not pan out and/or might not last." I can't see too many people in decent-paying jobs or secure careers being comfortable with that.

Remember, this will never be a sure thing for anybody. A serious injury or a few failed assessments and then what? It's not like you'll be able to take a desk job or to move to a different company (league/national association). Maybe I'm off-base here, but I'm seeing nothing but risks here and I'm not sure how often that will appeal to a 26-30 year old who is just entering into a secure career.

For some it will be the right move, certainly. But it will be a nonstarter for many others. As such, I think USSF might end up prematurely weeding out a lot of good referees who would be otherwise willing to make a lot of sacrifices.

[NHRef]

If one is not selected for this "full time" role, does that mean their progress up the food chain stops? Or is this an alternate path? In other words, does nothing change for many? It runs like it does today, but for a select few, they get "full time job" status?

[bluedevils]

Because ...

Why didn't you say that the first time :)

Very good explanations of your ideas. Your thoughts make sense, but it seems to me that this disincentive would apply only to a select few at the very top. A ref could have a national badge and still be pushing and aspiring, and never need to make any choices along the lines of what you have so eloquently outlined. For the vast majority, that would be the scenario.

I think USSF might end up prematurely weeding out a lot of good referees who would be otherwise willing to make a lot of sacrifices.
I don't see it that way. USSF may not get a 'yes' from every FIFA who is invited to sign a pro contract, but I don't foresee nationals and aspiring nationals deciding to quit refereeing or quit pushing toward the top simply because of what might be the current climate at the top. Instead, I think these referees will keep doing what they are doing now and, if a pro contract comes calling, they will cross that bridge when they come to it.

[IASocFan]

I think it's of note that only 4 referees were signed on full-time. It will allow others to have key games on a part time basis, but hopefully, provide a professional upgrade to the whole program.

[Ref Flunkie]

I'm somewhat on Mass' side here, but I do agree that this only applies to the top 0.01% of referees. However, if a referee makes it to that point, I can't see how he/she would take a pay cut just to be a FIFA referee. As long as this decision does not exclude someone from WC/FIFA consideration because he/she wants to continue on with their profession, I don't see a major problem. However, if the USSF is going to make candidates choose between a $100K/year job and a $25K/year job as a referee, they are going to lose some prospects.

[billf]

Its really not much different than players in this country really, other than the fact a referee works a real job while he advances. There are lots of young players choosing between real world jobs at 35-45k a year and an entry level MLS contract at next to nothing. Whether you're a player or a referee, you finish the on field career and have to basically start from scratch.

Are the referees in this program really making a choice between this an a $100k a year job? I doubt it. For many, the type of real job you have is already a factor in your ability to advance and if this is something important to you, the amount of time you miss from work will have an adverse effect on your compensation, job security, and/or performance.

To look at the positive side of this, a referee in this program will have a busy spring and summer and some work in the fall but he can supplement his income and gain experience for after retirement during the slower periods of the year. It all depends on the line of work.

Also, to be frank, while I did come accross some talented high achievers working their way up during my time as a referee, I also came accross a number of individuals with a talent for using their boot licking skills to advance. Those people in the later category are going to be attracted to this no matter what. I am not saying that the four selected fall into that category either.

[Ref Flunkie]

Are the referees in this program really making a choice between this an a $100k a year job? I doubt it. For many, the type of real job you have is already a factor in your ability to advance and if this is something important to you, the amount of time you miss from work will have an adverse effect on your compensation, job security, and/or performance.


I don't know, by the time you reach the age where you are a "professional referee", I would think many professionals would make between $75-100K, especially if you look at health insurance and 401K. You do make a good point that many of these referees can not have real "high work load" jobs because they need to be available at most times and many would not put up with someone missing that much work for soccer.