The problem isn't going through some safety program. The problem is doing it over and over again for each group you're involved in. Why can't they share results? I've done various child protection packages for refereeing robotics cub scouts (a while back, my boys are over 30 now - that one certainly wasn't online!) church, if I was going to be a volunteer for youth programs - I've dodged that one for a while now Seems like there was one more, but I can't remember it now. And not only do you have to go through their training and paperwork, you usually have to get recommendations from a non-family member as well. I dislike bothering my friends with it over and over again.
Amen. Both for training and background checks it would seem there could be some overarching process. I've done so many of both I've lost track. (Kid's school, AYSO, YMCA, Cub Scouts, Little League, PONY. . . .) I guess it's one way to keep those of us who volunteer a lot on the straight and narrow, as our fingerprints are everywhere . . .
IMHO the answer is yes. The question is how much. In certain demographics I expect it to be significant for a couple of reasons. First, if I understand it correctly, the Grassroots recert will be 100% online and there is no dual language option. That alone will be very problematic. Doing it online itself will be a problem as some demographics have less comfort or technical ability to deal with this modality. Second, the SafeSport content itself will be something that some folks will have problems with. Language barriers here will be a double hit as this is content that will be unfamiliar to many and translation will be problematic. Its a barrier that is in front of a potential referee and the more barriers you put the more people will turn aside. As I said earlier in this thread, I do modules like this every year for my job. I understand the legalities of why everyone wants them done, but some folks will consider the amount of content versus the reward and just decide not to do it and work without a badge. Law5 said he's seeing it and we see it here too. Some referees will work for unaffiliated leagues or find assignors who don't bother to check things. I would not be shocked to see an underground economy take shape where someone will offer to do the recert for others for a fee.
We don't use the "SafeSport" thing here, but use "Respect in Sport" and it was mandatory for all referees that had not done it yet. It was also another $30 on top of the rest of our registrations. And the best part? It was CLEARLY not geared towards referees at all, because there was a whole module about... not shouting at the referees! I'm not sure about the whole province, but we lost a number of referees in our local area because of this added requirement.
Go on.... I'm interested. @Gary V I agree. We have the technology where we can pinpoint an individual who says, look "this person has training in THESE areas legally." and have that organization and others reference the same profile. And I get why organizations are making individuals retake the same test because there is no current standard that regulates the technology of today with how things can be done to make things easier for everyone.
Ugh I just completed the NFHS exam (twice), the Safesport refresher course, and all of the online recertification for US Soccer. Talk about information overload.
I'm holding off for a bit on USSF recert to avoid mental cross-contamination with NFHS as HS season is about to start...
Wow, taking a look at the DA manual and it mentions twice that vanishing spray is prohibited and so are communications systems. The explanation: "Referees must master the basics of eye contact with assistant referees and getting 10 yards (9.15m) on ALL free kicks without an artificial device. When referees master the Page 15 I 16 foundational skills, they can begin to use new technologies." Yeah, because the guys doing DA games really need to work on the "basics". I totally get the spray thing, but no comms makes zero sense. Heck, they gave them to all crews on the stadium field at Summer Showcase (and Championships), and at least one guy used the spray. Overall, I see the headset rule being ignored a lot.
Does the HS seasoon nominally start everywhere near the same time? I thought it wouldn't be until Jan 2020.
Our area has a winter season. Depends on your state and some on states your locale. I can’t imagine doing HS soccer in Minnesota in the winter. But see it completely feasible in Florida or Arizona.
Yikes, no kidding. I don't even like doing the cold February games in Atlanta. But I am very thankful that I don't have to do HS games in August/September. It was 97 yesterday with a heat index of 105. And there were no doubt kids out practicing for pointyball in full gear.
It does not. States are all over the place - fall, winter, spring, sometimes different genders at different times. You can look at Top Drawer Soccer - it’s rankings are by season.
Fall for Boys. Start this weekend, and run into November. Yes, we can get snowed on late in the season, but it doesn't stick. Spring for Girls. Start late March, end in early June. Yes, we *will* get snowed on, and have to reschedule games due to cold/snow. Why do we live here again? Is it the climate, or the economy?
Illinois is the same as Michigan. Here in Texas preseason games start as soon as Christmas is done. So down here in Houston there will be a couple of 'cold' game nights (high 30s) but when I was reffing in Wichita Falls, once or twice a year we'd reschedule due to snow/ice. Then, come playoff time, teams that play daytime games on Saturday will watch their players wilt as they play their first game at 80+ degrees in Houston, let alone what it will be in the Rio Grande River Valley.
It depends on the state. Some states (like NY where I live) have fall season, some states (mostly in the south) have a winter season, and some states have a spring season. There are even some states that have boys in one season and girls in another!
Kansas has boys in fall, starting in about a week and going into November. Then girls in the spring starting in late March and running into June. This has affected girls state cup so a couple of years ago we went to doing girls state cup in the fall. They end up with the same problem of not having played together for a while when they go to regionals, but at least they have a little more time to prepare after HS season.
Its interesting that so many states play a fall soccer season. Clearly pointy ball football is not a high priority in them.
Well, some states try to handle that by having boys play in the spring and girls in the fall. It is "all over" the map about how states schedule high school soccer. I think weather is another factor, besides competition with gridiron football for athletes, or at least that perception when the sport first became a high school sport in that state. I think the reality has been that there really isn't much competition for athletes. We had a school that was a big football school 20 years ago, but, over time, their student body became much more Hispanic. Now their football team is terrible, hasn't won a game in years, but their soccer team is quite strong. The smallest schools are the ones that play soccer because they don't have the numbers to play both soccer and football, even 6 v 6 football. Even with virtually all boys in the school playing, some of them have to persuade some girls to play soccer for them to have a team. Probably an easier sell to get girls to play soccer with the boys than to get them to play football. One state actually plays both fall and winter, with some schools entering both seasons and others choosing one. I suppose someone could then be All State twice in the same school year. Our state plays both boys and girls in the fall. It does complicate rule making a little bit, because with the committee meeting in January, the spring only states have not even played yet under the new rules adopted at the previous year's meeting, essentially leaving those states two years behind IFAB, rather than only one, for better or worse.
Kentucky does both boys and girls high school soccer in the fall. Regular season started on Monday. State Finals are first weekend of November. And we do not have classes for soccer. All schools are grouped together. So that means only one boys champion and one girls champion. Heat index is an issue for the first few weeks of the season, especially when teams try to schedule games on a Saturday afternoon.
Leaving the joke about nothing getting in the way of football in Texas, we use the same venues and play soccer on Tues/Fri nights. Football is of course Friday Night Lights. And Thursday night Lights and Saturday Night Lights. It has to be Jan-April sport for us strictly from a stadium usage standpoint.
This is similar to Arkansas except we play both boys and girls in the Spring, generally starting the last week of February and finishing the championships mid May. Since the vast majority of schools use their football stadiums for soccer (and they are most definitely football stadiums, not multi-sport facilities) there would be tremendous resistance to playing a Fall season. Pointy ball rules all, for now anyway.
Grassroots Online Course is supposed to be available in Spanish soon. SafeSport is federal law. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/534/text It's not optional.