It Is Really Time For A Change

[flornatref]

Knowing that there are a lot of college and USSF referees who read these pages, I feel I need to discuss something with you. After watching the Division 1 Final 4, this year, I feel it is important that we as a group stand up and say that it is time to change how college officiating is assigned. How can what happened at the Final 4 be looked at as a good thing. Here are the facts. The referee who did the men's championship match also worked the championship match for the women the week before. He also was the referee on one of the semifinals for the women and an AR on one of the men's semis. So, over the span of eight days, this referee worked four matches at a high level including travelling. Now I know the official lives in Texas so he had one road trip and one plane trip. We won't even go into how many other playoff and conference matches this official did leading up to the Final Fours. More road trips and plane trips here. How could this official be both mentally and physically prepared for the match that was last on the list, the Men's Division 1 Championship? There is such a thing as quality and not quantity. Yet, with the way nepotism is rampant in NISOA, what happened with the Final Fours is now the norm and not the exception. Anyone with a bit of integrity would have said that this situation was not right, that the game deserved better, but many times NISOA is not about serving the game, but serving the individual. We still have an enormous amount of referees in college who work as referees on Division 1 matches for both men and women who have no business being on the field. They are physically not capable of keeping up with the game, but refuse to let go. We have assignors who are still active officials so they assign themselves and their buddies whether they are best suited for the games or not. Plus, we have assignors who will blackball you if you do not make yourself available to them whenever. Many of these referees also officiate for only the college season, three to four months out of the year. What do they do the other eight to nine months to keep sharp both mentally and physically? Probably not much. Things need to change or we are going to see more of what happened in the Wake-OSU match. The only way it is going to change is if we as a group of officials are willing to say no more to those who have been allowed to get away with this for so long.

[gkeck]

As Posted during the game on SocRef...Sat down to watch the Men's NCAA Div 1 Final game today. Same referee as on the Women's final game last week. Also the Women's semi-final game last week. I believe the same person was the referee on both NCAA Div 1 finals last year. Plus several other years that start with the number 2.

Are we out of Referees?

[falcon.7]

Wonderful - when you certify the thousands of referees it will take to replace those who will be let go, plus the thousands it will take to reduce the shortage we already have, I'll back you 100%. The fact is there are not enough referees, so one has to take what one gets.

Erich Simmons had a very similar schedule last year for the College Cups (semi + final for men, plus something for the women), and he had a great final.

I'm too young, too unimportant, and too dependent on assignors to start ranting about them. I understand what you're saying though.

[flornatref]

Again this is not about quantity but quality. We have enough good referees to service the game appropriately. And we certainly have enough good referees to make sure something like what happened with this year's Final Fours never happens. This is not about whose butt you kiss, this is about what's good for the game. If we don't look at the big picture and just worry aobut ourselves, we are not doing the game justice. Not a rant, just the truth. Tell me that anything in my first post is not true. It needs to change for the betterment of the game at the college level. We are getting paid too much money for these games not to give it better than what is now in place.

[Rufusabc]

Why does the assignment of refs in College soccer differ so wildly from the way officials are assigned in college football or NCAAA basketball tournaments? There is NO way one referee would officiate a semi AND a final...why do the colleges allow this to happen?

[MassachusettsRef]

Why does the assignment of refs in College soccer differ so wildly from the way officials are assigned in college football or NCAAA basketball tournaments? There is NO way one referee would officiate a semi AND a final...why do the colleges allow this to happen?Actually, I don't believe it's wildly different at all. I think it's exactly the same for college basketball. A group of officials gets selected for the Final Four by the NCAA. Some of them work one game, some of them work two. That's what happens with College Cup. I imagine it also happens with the Frozen Four and most other NCAA tournaments that have a 4-team, one-site championship. If anyone can confirm or correct this, it'd be appreciated.

Football is the outlier, for obvious reasons.

[DerbyRam54]

Similar stuff happens in high school in CT. Some of the officiating in the post-season tournament games was dreadful. What made it worse was the use of the DSC by officials who clearly had little knowledge of the mechanics involved.

[falcon.7]

Similar stuff happens in high school in CT. Some of the officiating in the post-season tournament games was dreadful. What made it worse was the use of the DSC by officials who clearly had little knowledge of the mechanics involved.

Ah yes, the 30 year veterans of HS-only refereeing who take the USSF course and say "I can do a DSC. Give me a final!". We all know that it takes dozens of games to get even remotely comfortable with positioning and mechanics.

In defense of CT, I will say this - from my vastly limited knowledge of what goes on, it appears that people are starting to understand what you are referring to. Everything is political (and I'm not just referring to soccer). To wish something wouldn't be so political is like wishing the sky was yellow. However, there are, and will hopefully continue to be, changes in management around the state which will help the system move towards a more ideal method of operations.

[nonya]

Having done many years of college, the situation is just so unique. NISOA is broken into chapters which service the schools. The chapters, are very political and very competitive, since schools contract with individual assignors for matches, the assignors contact the chapters. When I do sub Div. I games, I always get the game from my chapter president who gets the game from our assignor. When I get a Div. I game, I go directly through the assignor. Technically, all you need to do to officiate a college match is belong to any NISOA chapter. Most chapters and assignors are geographical, with some exceptions. However if you are in good with a assignor who handles many conferences you will get a lot of games. In the chapter I am in, my assignor can assign games in 22 states and over 30 conferences. So it is very complex, unlike high school and USSF which is simply state based.

I agree, there are a TON of officials doing games who should not be in the middle. Most of these officials are old and/or out of shape. I did a game once with a guy who had to be 300lbs, and another guy who told me he was 76. I did a regional tournament match with a fourth official who had reconstructive knee surgery three months prior, I asked him if he could run, he said no. Yet, these guys seem to pass their physicals and do games.

Simply put, there are not a lot of college officials out there. The best ones who happen to do USSF are pulled off of college games for USSF or MSL games (which happened to me twice this year!) and you have a shortage. I can not speak for the college cup, but NISOA is the ultimate good old boy who do you know network.

[Spaceball]

Technically, all you need to do to officiate a college match is belong to any NISOA chapter.

Well, this just shot your credibility. NISOA is an organization for officials. Many referees do college without belonging to NISOA...even some FIFA referees have not joined yet got games. It is true that some assignors look favorably upon NISOA members, but there are areas of the country that have no NISOA members yet manage to cover their college games. Some D1 games are even covered by non-NISOA members.

There is NO requirement to be a NISOA member to referee college matches.

[AspireNatlRef]

Thats nice to say but wrong..... Our NISOA insurace comes from NISOA. I can't figure out the shot to credibilility. NISOA=NISOA otherwise if you don't do them stop trying to pretened you have a clue........................ you don't


ANR

[Spaceball]

Sorry, but you are wrong. You don't need NISOA insurance. You can do college games without it. You can get insurance from a number of places.

NISOA is an officials organization, not an assigning organization. If you want to argue, get your facts straight and don't neg rep me for correcting erroneous information.

I will grant you that 95% of those that do college games are NISOA members. But there are areas of this country where they wear USSF style uniforms for games because they are not NISOA affiliated. They join NASO or some other org. for their insurance. There are D1 assignors who don't care if you are NISOA or not...they want the best referees. There are JC's that find their own officials regardless of NISOA affiliation.

When I do NCAA tournament games, it is made quite clear that you cannot wear the NISOA logo on your jersey and nowhere does it require you to be a member. You simply where an NCAA circular badge.

Now, I grant that there are assignors who use exclusively NISOA members and value that organization as a referee development organization and that without joining it severly limits the number of matches you will get at higher levels unless you are an exceptional referee (Ricardo Salazar is an example of a guy that got plenty of matches without ever being a NISOA member prior to his full time status with USSF)

To add proof to my argument, here is a picture from the Fresno City College web page. You will notice the referees are not wearing NISOA uniforms nor the badge.

http://www.fresnocitycollege.edu/athletics/MSoccer/index.html

Finally, saying that undermines credibility may have been a cheap shot, but I was frustrated after a long day and I apologize for the remark to Nonya.

[Nesto]

Actually, I don't believe it's wildly different at all. I think it's exactly the same for college basketball. A group of officials gets selected for the Final Four by the NCAA. Some of them work one game, some of them work two. That's what happens with College Cup. I imagine it also happens with the Frozen Four and most other NCAA tournaments that have a 4-team, one-site championship. If anyone can confirm or correct this, it'd be appreciated.

Football is the outlier, for obvious reasons.

Don't know about the others, but in basketball, each of the three final games has a different crew - to get on one of those three crews you have to referee in the earlier rounds as well. I think this is the same for men and women. And because of the timing (the two final fours happen over 4 consecutive days) and location, no referee can do both men's and women's semis or final.

[USSF REF]

You do not need to be a member of NISOA to referee college matches. That is a cold hard fact.

I was assigned a non-NISOA as my AR this year on a Junior College match, who is primarily a basketball referee who was friends with the assignor who assigned both basketball and soccer in his area. Since the basketball official lived in the middle of no where (where this college was) the assignor sent him a NISOA patch in the mail and started giving him games.

He did not appear to know what he was doing on the line... it didn't matter though, he was assigned the game.

[USSF REF]

Knowing that there are a lot of college and USSF referees who read these pages, I feel I need to discuss something with you. After watching the Division 1 Final 4, this year, I feel it is important that we as a group stand up and say that it is time to change how college officiating is assigned. .................Probably not much. Things need to change or we are going to see more of what happened in the Wake-OSU match. The only way it is going to change is if we as a group of officials are willing to say no more to those who have been allowed to get away with this for so long.


Let me say, I agree but pointing out a problem is not quite as good as coming up with a way to solve the problem of affect the change you want. So, any ideas on how to make this movement happen?

[AspireNatlRef]

I appoligize, I was speaking from personal experience and we are required to be NISOA for our games, hoever Spaceballs is right that whenever I have done NCAA tourney games they were the circular badge with USSF jerseys.

SO maybe I am the one with credibility issues... :o

Mea Cupa, mea cupa mea Maxima cupa...

Play on,

ANR

[flornatref]

Interesting. I have never seen nor done a playoff game in the NCAAs in which we have not worn the NISOA uniforms. I intended to wear USSF stuff this year but did not get the chance to do a game. We have worn the NCAA badge but not the USSF apparel.

[Tarheel Ref]

Having done many years of college, the situation is just so unique.

I agree, there are a TON of officials doing games who should not be in the middle. Most of these officials are old and/or out of shape. I did a game once with a guy who had to be 300lbs, and another guy who told me he was 76. I did a regional tournament match with a fourth official who had reconstructive knee surgery three months prior, I asked him if he could run, he said no. Yet, these guys seem to pass their physicals and do games.

Simply put, there are not a lot of college officials out there.

Nonya...how 'bout some guidance for a prospective NISOA/NCAA ref, please?

I took the Cooper test last July with a standard of Excellent asked of me by my sponsor. With NO training or preparation, I scored in the Average range with about a minute of sitting out when it became apparent that I wouldn't come close to the 2700 target that was set for me. I was ready to head home when the guy keeping time looked at me and asked what the hell I was doing...I said I wouldn't get to 2700 and he said it's not a pass/fail test at which point I took off running again. The timed sprints I did OK...finished middle of the road of our group for the sprints but next to last on the 12 minute run.

Now at that time I had...a couple of weekends before...worked 5 adult matches in one day and felt like I was in pretty decent shape but that 12 minute run was a rude awakening. I worked with a NatRef from NY last month and we discussed this...he told me that training for him was absolutely necessary before any PFTs and I understand that, however, it seems that what I am reading from you is diametrically opposed to the "rep" that's been fed to me about NISOA fitness standards.

So what's the real deal? Thanks for your (and anybody else's) words of wisdom.

[KidRef]

Nonya...how 'bout some guidance for a prospective NISOA/NCAA ref, please?

I took the Cooper test last July with a standard of Excellent asked of me by my sponsor. With NO training or preparation, I scored in the Average range with about a minute of sitting out when it became apparent that I wouldn't come close to the 2700 target that was set for me. I was ready to head home when the guy keeping time looked at me and asked what the hell I was doing...I said I wouldn't get to 2700 and he said it's not a pass/fail test at which point I took off running again. The timed sprints I did OK...finished middle of the road of our group for the sprints but next to last on the 12 minute run.

Now at that time I had...a couple of weekends before...worked 5 adult matches in one day and felt like I was in pretty decent shape but that 12 minute run was a rude awakening. I worked with a NatRef from NY last month and we discussed this...he told me that training for him was absolutely necessary before any PFTs and I understand that, however, it seems that what I am reading from you is diametrically opposed to the "rep" that's been fed to me about NISOA fitness standards.

So what's the real deal? Thanks for your (and anybody else's) words of wisdom.

You don't need to pass the fitness test for nisoa to referee, only take it. You only need a "3" average for nisoa national referee which is really quite easy.

For USSF on the other hand you have to pass to get to each succeeding rank. On top of that in USSF for national (or rising up youngster and doing pro games), if you wanted to be looked at in the past you had to run 3000meters or greater on the cooper test. Not sure how they're going to do it this year since they are moving to the new beep test at national camp and I think at the pro clinics as well.

[ctreferee]

You don't need to pass the fitness test for nisoa to referee, only take it. You only need a "3" average for nisoa national referee which is really quite easy.

For USSF on the other hand you have to pass to get to each succeeding rank. On top of that in USSF for national (or rising up youngster and doing pro games), if you wanted to be looked at in the past you had to run 3000meters or greater on the cooper test. Not sure how they're going to do it this year since they are moving to the new beep test at national camp and I think at the pro clinics as well.


Yes i have also heard of this unwritten 3000m requirement. I have been told by national refs that you can get W-league and PDL games if you nun under 3000 but forget about usl and above.