An effort to exercise positive leadership, to take the initiatives and to do something serious and effective about a real problem that affects every aspect of football; referee development.

The present situation is the worse scenario one could possibly imagine;

1. There are no qualified referees "only 3 BCSA registered referees in the Nanaimo district.
2. Clubs send a group of kids to take an introductory clinic once. This clinic does not actually qualify them as referees, it only qualifies them to register with BCSA which they don’t do. They are merely acting-referees, not qualified registered BCSA referees. They were never technically really qualified and certainly were never monitored or assisted. They just attended a beginner weekend course, after which they never attend any other clinic even if they continue to referee next year or years.

Not only that the vague simple introduction of the laws they received was insufficient and needed follow-up, they actually get worse as their modest knowledge fades, gets diluted and contaminated. Each club has a list of names they use as referees; they are players, parents, coaches .. all of whom lack any reasonable training as referees and they often do more harm than good; however, understandably clubs have to use them as a body with a whistle to keep the activities going.

Referee qualification involves an annual BCSA status and unless renewed it expires. Ideally, the reason is to secure monitoring and developing that referee. The names on a club list which may include those who once upon a time took a course is not a qualified referees list. In fact even qualifying referees is not enough, it’s only a start that must be followed up with developing them.

3. Volunteer efforts at club level to educate referees did not work. A club with 100 acting-

referee names on their list holds free seminars with refreshments and tries to get their "referees" to attend a simple single short evening lecture. Out of 100, only 5 may show up! Why? Because there is no incentive and no enforcement. First, you must have a system and a structure that provides positive pressure, a carrot and a reason for self-motivated effort especially for those who don’t know and they don’t know that they don’t know.

This is what this programme is all about, creating an incentive and enforcement.

4. As of next year, even grade 4 referees must register with BCSA. As of next year, BCSA competitions will insist on the team’s right to have a qualified referee. Some may disagree, but it is a step in the right direction, a necessary bold and positive pressure. In fact in no other province that I know of, a non-carded referee could ever officiate a registered match. 14 years ago Ontario took the same stand and despite opposition by some claiming that leagues will shut down, it turned the referee situation around. Clubs in some cases took on the responsibility and paid the annual $25 referee registration fee and deducted it from the referee’s pay "which is about one minor youth game fee a year". There is no reason why approach should work as a back up approach.

It will be the home team’s or home club responsibility to appoint a qualified official and failure to do so may give the away team grounds for playing under protest - unless both teams agree on a substitute or each appoint a substitute for one half; a silly but last alternative. "This meant that each team coach and manger had to take a full grade-3 basic laws of the game course as part of the qualification as a rep team coach. This helped with promotion of laws of the game knowledge and the use of such individual as a back-up substitute official". Obviously we must work now on two fronts: introducing registered referees and developing them.

 

5. The programme is designed to utilize the experience of many active experienced referee assessors and instructors in the area. The regional / provincial referees’ association can be a major player. Referees are encourages to join the referees’ Association. The management of this programme will attempt to form a local branch or society of the Provincial SRA body; if this could not be achieved for any reason, a local referees’ club will be formed as part of the district association as a step-1, to be later converted to a district level referees’ association branch.

The programme however must be served as intended without rationalized or compromised short cuts under the excuse of "a simple approach". "Simple" and "practical" are words often used to justify one’s laziness or second class effort, time or commitment. This programme is simple but complete, practical but ideal, difficult a bit may be but feasible. I have seen many local referees association branches try the simple approach with a monthly meeting on the basics with little success. We will not achieve real progress without real effort.

It is not enough to call the "acting" referees for a once a month meeting and discuss basics. It’s a step in the right direction, yes; and it’ll help, yes, but this is not the answer nor it is sufficient. Many organizations did it for years and still do it and it never worked. We still have the same problems. A simple approach should not mean a useless approach.

This programme intends to utilize the energy of several experienced senior referees who may not be qualified as instructors or assessors, yet, they will be subjected to an instructional session as to how to utilized their experience to assist youth referees. They will be instrumental in teaching youth referees with the basics. An example is a local grade-2 referee who is an excellent and experienced referee, but, as he put it, he has no experience in instructing or assessing and he can only afford little time, once a month in assisting youth referees with the basics. This is great. Any contribution is great and all parts of input must fit together to make one complete picture. Hence, such effort must be directed within the entire format of the programme in order to serve the intent, goal and spirit of the programme. For example, the appointment of the good youth referees who participate at such educational sessions to better and to more games as an incentive.

Another factor that must be addressed is the clubs role. The unique nature of the local operation dictates certain understanding. I have met with the four referee in chief of the four clubs and they will, along with others, form the engine of the programme.

The implementation of the following programme is much more simple that it may look. The administration part involving records of attendance and other issues can be easily administered with a simple check-a-box form to be filled out by the coordinator in five minutes and forms such as signing in at the door when attending clinics can be a simple approach. A computer programme especially designed for that purpose would produce all the necessary reports, forms, records, charts and data needed to maintain the letter and the spirit of the programme with very little labor effort or time. This programme is available. I have designed it myself during my recent appointment overseas and it was successfully utilized as part of the "administrative" component of the RDP "referee development programme".

Highlights of the project:

1. Taking two approaches simultaneously:

1. The short-term approach: an aspirin or painkiller approach for temporary relief that accommodates the leagues’ practical instant need for existing referees.
2. The long-term approach: dealing with the roots, eliminating and correcting problems and building a solid and healthy referees body.

1. Dealing with two different fronts:

1. referee certification or qualification, new referees. This is only an introduction. This deals with approaching parents, coaches, high schools and others to get them into officiating. This involves the initial BCSA qualifying clinics.
2. referee development, training & education of referees to upgrade both their caliber and class. (Presently there is no RDP, nothing in our district except 2a !)

1. Areas of referee training (development):

1. Theory, classroom, courses, exams, discussions and exercises.
2. Practical, on-the-field sessions, special training drills.
3. Fitness, physical endurance and strength; special drills. As well, a more practical testing method (as a substitute to cooper) is introduced by the writer.
4. Mental; psychology of officiating: man-management, game control and personal mental exercises "special drills" to deal with such areas as improving concentration..
5. Administration: office structure including a computer programme, forms, regulations and a complete referee management system.

As indicated, presently, there is no RDP; nothing except 2a..

1. Basic management structure:

1. A technical committee formed of the four referee-in-chiefs of the four clubs and possibly other selected candidates, chaired by the Nanaimo District Soccer Association’s referee-in-chief acting as a district referee development director.
2. The committee chairman who is a member of the NDSA executive board of directors, reports monthly to the board.

1. Basic administrative structure, mechanics:

1. All club referees are to register locally with the district as an in-house regulation. This is not the BCSA registration. In fact, those registered with BCSA would be exempt from the special/additional local "district" registration; but, of course, included in the programme functions. It is understood that the great majority of club referees are actually non-registered acting-referees who once when they started may have taken a qualifying course, but did not register with BCSA annually and are only on an unofficial local list of a parent club. Those are the main target of the programme, some "150" unknown acting referees in the Nanaimo district and only "3" BCSA registered referees.
2. Registration fee to be determined after studying the total cost of the programme. It has to be kept low. An initial estimate is one game fee a year deducted from the referee’s pay check by the appointing body and forwarded to the programme committee / the district association.
3. Each club referee-in-chief is the local director and administrator responsible for and in charge of his referees, deals with them directly himself, and he is expected to form a local club subcommittee to assist him.

With the exception of paragraph "b" below, the actual local referee appointments at club level remains through the club’s referees’ coordinator but within the new over-all theme guidelines which will be influenced by such factors as "positive discrimination" i.e. use of game appointment as "incentive" or reward .. etc. As well, close consultation between the programme committee when it comes to referee appointment will mean meeting together to monitor the over-all game appointments and direct it to serve the programme goals.

4. Referee appointments for senior divisions and competitive / inter-town / inter-district leagues will be centralized and utilized to serve referee development and to provide fair and practical officiating service to leagues at the same time.
5. Each club referee-in-chief is responsible for his referees’ registration with the district. The club deducts one game fee from each referee, collects the fees and forwards it to the district.
6. The programme budget may include a district SA contribution and if necessarily fun-raising, e.g. a dance(s).
7. The committee meets regularly.

1. Technical administration:

1. The four referee-in-chief members are to be qualified and trained as local "club-level" or "district-level" referee assessors through the district referee-in-chief and any other programme services available.
2. The district will offer two classes "grades" of assessors, club assessor and district assessor. (Provincial assessors are qualified by BCSA). The programme director will introduce the criteria for each qualification.
3. The qualification for a local assessor (club or district) will include a clinic and actual practical training on assessment in the company of highly qualified and experienced assessors at the early stage of qualification following the completion of the initial theory training part.
4. A maintenance system will be in place. No one is to be qualified once for a lifetime. This applies to referees & assessors. An annual registration with the district as an assessor, instructor or as a referee for another year will consist of a refreshing seminar including a look at previous problems and any updates to the laws of the game. No annual fee applies to assessors and instructors.
5. Central record (copy) of assessments of referees kept at the district.
6. Central record (copy) of referee appointments kept at the district.
7. Uniformity and consistency will require one referee fee structure for all clubs in the district. The fee will be based on the match, not the referee; i.e. senior or youth, youth competition age group "which includes such factors as duration of play, competitive or recreational, regulation or mini ..etc."

1. referee assessments, a detailed written report submitted to the referee
2. attendance record at local refreshing "free" courses offered to referees
3. routine annual pre-registration exam
4. each referee will be expected to attend a minimum number of annual seminars, e.g. 2 out of 5 offered annually. Seminars will cover different issues and will be offered for free. The cost is covered by registration fee.
5. Big Brother: a senior referee trained to monitor, support and assist a youth referee.

1. Motivation, incentives, enforcement and special tools:

1. A point format system, similar to club-Z points or the driver’s license point structure. Points gained and lost to rate the referee’s attitude and effort in terms of attendance at training sessions, misconduct "including late and incomplete match reports", assessments .. etc. thus creating a reward and a penalty in terms of points to differentiate between a referee and another within the same class or grade.
2. The classes that are targeted by this programme are: class youth "5", class "4", and the main senior class "3" as well as acting referees who are not or have not been qualified by or registered with BCSA but are active club referees.

c. Sub-grades are created. Each of these four groups "classes" is to be divided to 3 different grades: A, B, C.

Meaning, club referees who are not presently BCSA registered will be listed locally as A, B or C. As well, as another example, BCSA-registered class 3 referees would be listed locally as 3A, 3B or 3C – or: "one star, two stars, three stars" referee.

Rationale behind sub-grading:

The objective is to differentiate between one class 3 referee and another class 3 referee, or between a young referee and another within the same class or grade. The approach will also create motivation and incentive factors.

A registered senior class 3 referee may have taken a one weekend course 10 years ago, and since then he never attended another course, never applied for assessment, never learned about law changes, never been corrected. Yet, he continues to register annually via a check to BCSA by mail as the only requirement to be on the official BCSA list.

Referee development necessitates enforcement, monitoring and rewarding. Unfortunately the system does not provide that to grades 5, 4, 3. "there is an intent now, I heard, to require grade 3 referees to take a simple fitness test annually "mere participation" and maybe one single assessment, still, that leaves grade 4&5 in the dark. As well, such minimum "yet positive and on the right track" attention given to grade 3 will not be sufficient to result in any serious development. It takes at least 10 assessments and a few seminars to achieve basic coverage of a new referee’s needs. A single assessment a year for junior and new referees would therefore be practically meaningless. This is why local effort at the district is the answer.

The sub-grading will create local positive discrimination. When another grade 3 referee voluntarily attends several educational sessions held annually and puts great effort into self-development, the two grade 3 referees remain officially equal on one BCSA list as being the same grade. This will not be the case locally. We would have a "3A’ and a "3B" recognition.

Without the two elements "incentive" and "enforcement" referees will not voluntarily attend the clinics offered to them and out of 100 you may have 5 show up. You must give them a reason to attend, an incentive, and pressure from an administrative system.

There has to be a structure that:

• differentiates between the three types of referees, those who should be acknowledged and rewarded, those who should be educated and assisted and those who should be shot.
• rewards the keen, responsible educated referee who puts forth the extra effort
• offers an incentive for the referee (who officially doesn’t have to move a finger except mail a check to BCSA annually) to get him to put forth an effort into self-development.