A Cyclical Approach to

Referee Identification

Rhode Island State Referee Committee

Session Objectives

•Describe a blueprint for state-wide referee identification that scales up or down to any geography and budget.

•Describe Rhode Island’s approach to referee identification.

•Discuss and share best practices.

A model for identification

Enable Competiti

on

Create Sense of

Team

Raise the Standard

Peer Mentorshi

p

Market Your

Brand

CHANGETHE

CULTURE

Enable Competition• Educate the community – do your referees know:• What other leagues are out there?• What the advancement path is?• That they can work for more than one assignor?

•Differentiate referees amongst their peers.• Assignments tell the truth! • Ranking systems, tiers, lists, etc.• Public measures work better than private ones!

• Assignors will happily leverage your competitive environment.•Make a big deal about big appointments!• Past success raises future expectations

•Hold an identification event!

RI Solution: Referee Rankings

• Rank the “Top 100” referees in Rhode Island• Grade 8 referees under age 25• Grade 9 referees under age 25• Update weekly

• Publish public list on our web site!• Keep internal statistics on all referees•Hold annual information session / assignor meet & greet open only to referees in the top 100.

• Started in 2013, now entering its 4th year…

How we create the list

Regional Assignments

Adult Assignments

Premier Assignments

Competitive Assignments

Weekly update

Assignment Point System

Assistant Referee U10 Travel League

5 1 1x x 5 points=

Referee U18 State Cup Final

10 8.5 3.9x x 663 points=2x

An Identification Event• Invitations should be exclusive, based on past assignment.•Most promising (i.e. highest ranking) prospects should be observed by administrators/assessors.• Current ID group members, mentors, senior referees are assigned to observe lower-ranking prospects. • Observer should be 1 grade higher than referee.

•Mentors/assessors submit written recommendations on a simple form.•Develop a ranked list of individuals recommended for next year’s identification groups.

Referee Observation Form

Enabling Competition in RI

Top 100 Grade 8 Referees

Under Age 25

Rhode Island CupIdentification Event

2 Games Each!

State PanelAcademy Panel

Create A Sense of Team• Create exclusive groups of identified referees• Group should have a size limit

• Require a shared commitment• Demand specific time commitment up front.• Mutual investment in Time and Money• Groups meet regularly in person• Create exclusive opportunities

Rhode Island’s Groups of Identified Referees

• State Panel• Annual Commitment• Require referees to commit up front to 4 out of 5

dates: 3 regional events & 2 state cups.• Monthly meeting

• Academy Panel• 6-month Commitment• Require referees to commit up front to 2 out of 3

mentored tournaments• Monthly meeting

Mutual Investment in Time and Money

• SRA, SYRA, SDA, SDI personally involved in operation.• Exclusive state gear (warmups, shirts, etc.)• SRC pays 50% -- referee pays 50%

• Subsidized travel (SRC and State Ass’n)• Create favorable environment at in-state events• Tented rest area• Food & drink• Mentors / instructors / assessors

Monthly in-person meeting

•More effective than web-based model• Scheduled based on group consensus• Instructors are not paid• Encourage peer learning• Content based on:• Current events• Upcoming calendar of events• Expectations / professionalism• Advanced topics

Create Opportunities• 1st priority of assignment on high-level youth games• Assigning team members together in crews

• Frequent on-field mentoring• Backstage pass for invited national speakers•Out-of-state mentored tournaments• Entry to the LAC list

Raise The Standard• You cannot personally work with every referee. Use your ID program as a proxy for the wider community.•Demand a higher level of professionalism in your ID program• Professionalism trickles down

• Establish a fitness requirement independent from the Grade system•Develop a “giving back” culture.• Identify lower-level tournaments where ID groups are

assigned to mentor less-experience refs.• ID referees get to learn “what it feels like” to

mentor/coach/assess.

Market your Brand

•Exclusive apparel is a MUST.•“Where did you get that from?” is a frequent driver of new referees into the ID program.•Huge positive impression on coaches& leagues•Establishes credibility as a state organization•Referee success can market the brand internally

Measuring Success2013 vs Today

Out of a population of ≈ 800 referees:• Created a National Referee• Annual appointments to USYS / Presidents Cup Nationals• Consistent assignments to regional final matches

• Took away the stigma of “Rhode Island”

Registered Referees 2013-15

2013 2014 2015

756

847795

Referees

Grade 7+ 2013-15

2013 2014 2015

40 39

54

Grade 7+

Conclusion: Change the Culture

• Culture change happens by changing incentives for behavior.

• You are the leaders in your state.• It doesn’t matter what you inherited.• It doesn’t matter what we’ve always done.