Trying to Choose which one to apply to. Anyone have information/opinion on which is better to go to? Which has better Referee Instruction or is better for Development?
DA has more of the people you need to impress to make National. More National Coaches, members of the USSF Referee Committee. But the soccer is sanitized to a degree. As Barry Towbin calls it "jacket and tie football". Regional has worse skill and attitudes and hotheads abound. So still a great learning experience to manage those tough games. Regionals has state referee level instructors for the most part, DA has mostly National Referee coaches if that tells you anything.
I haven't done either, but here's the advice I'd give based on what I've heard. If you have a desire to become a national referee and make a run for USL centers by getting into the PRO Development Group, then getting on a first name basis with the people at DA showcases is for you. If your aspirations are not at the professional level and you want to be considered a top referee in your state, then getting on a first name basis with the right state SRC members at a State Cup and eventually a regional finals is probably the best route. I'm sure others with the experience will help you out when they read this thread.
Here is the advice I was given when I was deciding between a showcase in the spring or the summer regional tournament. Part of it depends on your grade. If you are a grade 7 or 8 and going to a Showcase you probably won’t get many good games. Those go mostly to the state and national referees in attendance. At regionals it can vary a little from that. It mostly seems like at the regional tournament it is a lot of who the assignors have heard of before or are recommended by the individual states. The chance for better games at regionals might make it a little better for development without a ton of pressure for messing up the future. It also helps get your name out to the people in your region with some sway. You can also meet a lot of other referees and do some networking. On the other hand, the assessors who go to regionals can be very hit or miss on what they tell you. The national assessors will probably give “better” assessments, or at least more useful ones. If you want to go either route you more than likely will need the backing of your state. Being involved in the state cup and regionals will help do that. Also, the summer showcase is one of the more popular showcases I believe. I would guess the chances are slim that you would get picked to go to DA without doing any regional events, regional games, or DA games. If you have that experience, then maybe the Showcase is where you should go if you aren’t getting much advancement with regionals. Basically, if you haven’t done any regional stuff before and aren’t a state referee, I would recommend going to regionals.
My advice for what it’s worth is don’t go to a DA showcase unless you feel you are ready to compete with high level state referees on the cusp of USL. That’s the advice I have gotten and as I have attended both I can agree to that. The pressure at DA is more present and the attitude at regionals is more developmental. At regionals if you impress you can get selected for nationals which many national coaches will be in attendance for
You can also apply to both and then based on which you get accepted to, make a decision. I have been both and they are both great opportunities but wildly different. If you know some of the SRC leaders in your state, ask them for what they recommend. I would also reach out to your LAC and get their recommendation. In regards to referee development, your LAC is one of the most important people as they tend to manage DA and all professional assignments not directly assigned by PRO.
As @Ghastly Officiating pointed out, it's not one or the other. It's entirely dependent on where you are in your own development, experience, and grade. If you've never been to either the answer is obvious. Go to Regionals.
This is one of the most Barry Towbin things I've ever heard. Good man, he is. This would be my best recommendation. Regionals is a time to learn and grow on higher level games. The opportunity to get invited to a higher event is there, of course, but mostly it's a great learning ground on (hopefully) higher youth games. DA is a time to perform and refine, not to grow foundation. If you don't think you're ready to showcase your skills, I would wait.
I echo the sentiments of others above. If you haven't been to either event, first step is Regionals. I've attended both twice. I went to DA first, and in reality it didn't do nearly as much for me as attending Regionals the first time. I was a 7 for DA, so received minimal games and minimal feedback (I still have the "assessments" saved. Two-three sentences tops). The focus was on the 6s and 5s in attendance who were ready for the next jump. Attended Regionals the following year, and the first year immediately got me the top games in the state the next season, including in-state adult, NPSL, and travel invitations out of state once my name was known within the Region.
Right. This is the most succinct answer, though others give good context. There's a corollary here. If you're asking this question and you've never been to either, you're almost certainly not going to get accepted to a DA Showcase anyway (with the caveat being that, if for some reason you already do a bunch of DA regular season matches, you'd have a chance--but if that were true you'd probably have already gone to Regionals). Once you go to Regionals with your state, start to gain the confidence and trust of those that matter in your state, and start to meet and compete with other referees around your level within your region, you will have a better case for going to DA and, hopefully, a better chance of understanding if you are ready.
Just wondering: Have you ever been to Regionals or a DA showcase? And, if you don’t mind me asking, what Referee grade are you?
I went to 7, but those were long ago, mostly before the DA regime existed. So things were different then. Yes, 5. I've never really felt the need to answer grade-related questions here.
The answer to this question will be different for everybody. I can only tell you about me personally. The first time I went to a USYS regional tournament, I was a 27 year old grade 8 referee. Over time, I worked my way up the ladder, kept going to the regional tournament. Along the way, I started working high level amateur, and then PDL games. I finally got selected for nationals as a 39 year old grade 5 referee. Since then, I have also started working USL and Open Cup games. I have never attended a DA event. I applied for the Summer Showcase one year, got accepted, and then had to turn it down because of the cost associated with the event. After all this, I am happy with my decisions over the years. But like I said, everybody is different. Whatever you choose, I'm sure that it will be beneficial to your growth and development as a referee.
I did find this part interesting from the minutes of the last USSF Referee Committee meeting. I'm also curious to see what the new education portal that they're dropping $500k on will look like. Could have probably paid vetshak $100k for his Minnesota material and got something even better.
I saw that and I found it interesting as well, particularly the phraseology of the notes. Because I can guarantee John Motta was--rightly--pushing to dispel the "myth" that DA is the only way for referee development. The problem is, right now, it's not really a myth. It should be a myth, because having a path via high-level USASA would help produce better referees. But the money that the USSF referee program is putting into talent identification and development manifests itself at DA and not USASA events. So I think it's less about "dispelling a myth" and more about pushing USSF referee staff to invest and pay attention more to USASA events. Seven or so years ago, USASA Nationals was a big showcase and likely a final test for someone ready to make the leap to doing MLS fourths. Now it's not and DA Finals is infinitely more important. A big problem, of course, is that the DA structure with the showcases involving hundreds of teams and referees involving multiple games for all participants over an extended period of time lends itself to large scale investments. USASA, with single elimination events once you reach the State Cup level, doesn't present an easy opportunity for referee identification and development to be a big part of its program.
I'm going to Region IV Championships and applying to DA Girls with a note mentioning I'll be a day late. I haven't been to Regionals yet and this year is a good year to go (Hawaii). I don't want to take a Regionals spot away from a young developing referee so next year I will probably apply to DA Boys and Girls.
Thanks all for the good advice, never been to any tournaments before so will probabaly just try to go to regionals.
If you can talkton bwst of luck!!!! Regardless of what tournament the number one thing national coaches want to see is coach ability! So listen, take notes and soak it all in. Best of luck.