The Referee Kickoff meeting held on Tuesday, March 11 at Countryside Elementary was a success. The meeting was attended by more than 50 referees with 25 new referees in attendance as well.
Below are the minutes of the Kickoff Meeting:
Minutes of SYSA Ref Kickoff Meeting – Spring 2008 / Tue March 11, 2008 - Countryside Elementary
Welcome back for another season of refereeing with SYSA!!!
We are your referee team:
· Kat&Steve DeLong, Ref Assignors (ensures proper game assignments based on experience level, will call refs if they are needed in a pinch)
· Tammy Ryan, Ref Coordinator (backup for assignor or mentor, assists youth refs in game issues, supports overall program)
· Dave Taylor, Ref
Mentor (answers any technical questions, supports youth referee training, coordinates mentor program in support of youth referees)
Email from www.mysoccerleague.com is the primary way we communicate, so please make sure your email address is correct in www.mysoccerleague.com AND monitor your email frequently please!
SAFETY ISSUE – do not start any game without the goals being anchored in some fashion. This year we will be using sand-bags to anchor the goals. If goals are not properly anchored, request the home coach take care of this by finding some means of anchoring the goals.
General Information:
· Congratulation and welcome to all new referees!!
· SYSA will continue to use the self assignment system at www.mysoccerleague.com for game assignments
· All refs should now have a login and password to www.mysoccerleague.com If not or you forgot it, email Dave at sysa_ref_mentor@yahoo.com
· Bring your game schedule to the fields on game day. It avoids confusion with other ref assignments and tells you exactly when and where you are supposed to be.
· NOVA fields are in same basic location as last season but always have a NOVA Field Map handy just in case. One can be found the website
· A new set of documents for the Spring season have been posted – please review and print for your reference:
o Updated Policies and Procedures (P&P) discussing new pay sheet usage
o Updated U6-U10 Game Rules (basically same as last year but indicates game formats for the different ages, like 4v4, 7v7, etc)
o Updated Pay Sheet to handle 3 games per sheet
o New SFL Guide to Referees document provided by SFL
· See the guidelines within the P&P document for which games are the proper level for YOU. Note these are only guidelines! You must apply common sense regarding game levels, game numbers, factoring in your experience. Be conservative so that you don’t get yourself into a situation you are not prepared to handle!!! As far as moving up:
o After 2 seasons of U6/U7, consider U8AR/CR at some point this season
o If you feel you are ready for SFL or ODSL, please talk to one of us first
· We reserve right to bump you from a self-assignment if needed and will do our best to notify you as to why, but in a pinch, we may not have time, so monitor you email for assignment changes
· Game Cancellation policy - last minute no-show is a no-no without good reason. See Policy and Procedures for details. Bottom line, for cancellations of “critical” matches (SFL, ODSL) within 48 hours of match time, a phone call to the Assignor is required. Cancellation of anything as Friday night or morning of game also requires a phone call to the Assignor.
· Phone numbers for the entire referee team can be found in both the Policies and Procedures document as well as at the bottom of the Pay Sheet.
Pay Sheet rules for payment (all of this is also in the P&P document on the website)
· We are abandoning the use of the game schedule for reporting purposes · ONLY the new Spring 2008 Pay Sheet will be accepted for proof of work · ALL referees must submit a pay sheet for each and every game worked · Up to 3 games may now be recorded on a single pay sheet · U6-U10: each CR and AR needs to fill out a new pay sheet and get it signed by BOTH coaches · U11:
o only the Center Referee needs to get the signature of the home coach
o Assistant Referees should get the signature of the Center Referee on their sheet
· Payment times – schedule is on pay sheet
Ref Uniform review
· If you need a uniform, check the website for online purchase options
· yellow ref shirt is default for U6-U10, and needs to be tucked in
· black shorts
· ref socks pulled up
· whistle, watch, flags, water, snack, sunscreen, phone, assignments, paper, pen and plenty of Rule 18 “Common sense”…basically come prepared!!! It’s a real job!
· Flags should be carried whether you are an CR or AR on U8 and above games
Game limits
· P&P states initial 2 game Center Ref limit per game day is the initial maximum to allow all interested referees to get some games
· You may also add up to 2 AR for U8-U10.
· 2 game limit MAY be lifted as needed. Email will be sent to notify you if the limits are lifted. Emails will provide exacts directions as to how many games may be added.
· Since we never really know what the demand will be for any given weekend, this policy must be followed
Mentor program
o Ref mentors will be wearing solid yellow shirts, primarily focusing on U6-U10 games
o Ask them any question you have
o Be ready for their input for you, it is meant to help
· Reminder: NO JEWELRY – NO exceptions, end of discussion – it’s all about SAFETY!
U8-U10 Game Suggestions for Referees:
o especially for U8, you are still 25% teacher, 75% referee
o protect the new goalkeepers by whistling early and loudly –
o remember, safety ALWAYS comes first!!!!!!!
