SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Referee complaints

I have no issues with being rated by a coach. I get rated every game I do by both head coaches here in IL, so it isn't a big deal. The only thing that annoys me is that we have the number of ratings is taken into account for your overall rating. If you do 15 games a season, and another referee does 41 games a season, the referee that did the 41 games is considered a better referee because of the weighting system here in IL. Even if those were easy games with no playoff implications. If I choose to do 15 games, all at a high level, and with major playoff implications, it woulnd't matter. That is the one weakness with the system they use up here to rate referees.

Here is the general system that we use:

About the Power Rating (listed on main page): The Power Rating is calculated on or about the "snapshot date" of September 7 for fall sports, December 7 for winter sports, or April 7 for spring sports. Any information that changes after the snapshot date -- including clinic attendance, change in promotion level, or ratings by schools or officials -- will not be included in the Power Rating. The IHSA administrator uses the Power Rating calculated on the snapshot date to make state series assignments. The Power Rating is viewable for two months after the snapshot date.

How the Power Rating is Determined: The power rating is a number from 0 to 40, derived from 8 different criteria, as follows:

1.Promotion level: Certified (C) -- 5 pts., Recognized (R) -- 3 pts., Registered (X) -- 1 pt.
2.Part 1 exam score: 96 -- 5 pts., 92 -- 4 pts., 88 -- 3 pts., 84 -- 2 pts, 80 -- 1 pt.
3.Previous tournament experience for contests by this gender: state final -- 5 pts., super-sectional or football semifinal -- 4 pts., sectional or football quarterfinal -- 3 pts., football second-round game -- 2 pts., regional or other football playoff game -- 1 pt.
4.Contest ratings (percentile rank of all officials): 90% -- 5 pts., 80% -- 4 pts., 70% -- 3 pts., 60% -- 2 pts., 50% -- 1 pt.
5.Top 15 lists (percentile rank of all officials): 90% -- 5 pts., 80% -- 4 pts., 70% -- 3 pts. 60% -- 2 pts., 50% -- 1 pt.
6.Clinic attendance (highest clinic in last three years): Level 2 -- 5 pts., Level 1 -- 2 pts., Level 0 -- 0 pts.
7.Clinic attendance (most recent clinic): this year -- 5 pts., last year -- 3 pts., two years ago -- 1 pt.
8.Varsity games worked (percentage of games a school is allowed to play in the regular season in that sport): 70% -- 5 pts., 60% -- 4 pts., 50% -- 3 pts., 40% -- 2 pts., 30% -- 1 pt. See table below.

First year referee's, and I mean true first year, meaning never refereed in USSF either are assigned to only run AR positions with spots in a two man system as required in games that are not as difficult.

Referee's are rated each year and the better referees do get better assignments.

There are no real age restrictions that I know of for refereeing high school soccer.

I am an advocate of having a mandatory fitness for officials but experience officials can often times make up for diminished mobility by being in the right position and knowing what to look for.

I think a lot of times it is very easy to be a "backseat" referee meaning that you can see it in the stands with some sort of bias thinking that you could make every call. When you are down on the field being completely unbiased, with a whistle or flag in your hand things look different, just the way it is.

Also, to note the test is timed, you have an hour and a half, and there is a minimum passing grade of I believe an 80 out of 100.

The age requirement is 18 yrs old and out of high school. No matter what you do, the entire system is a losing battle. When you have two referees making decisions, there will be two separate opinions. One referee maybes like to called a tight game while another allows the physical nature play out and people often forget about that and forgot about the fact that it's simply impossible to see the entire field at one time.

The issue isn't with the training of first years referees. There are very few true first years (No USSF). Most first years are people who have played and refereed USSF and finally able to meet the age requirements.

This issue is the attacks of both parents and coaches. If one coach disagrees, then often the parents jump on that bandwagon and fight against. When one parent disagrees, it's amazing how fast the others are too join in. And coaches are certainly a factor in the behavior of both players and parents. I never believed it during club but during high school, it's truly amazing how it correlates to coaching behavior.

And it's also very difficult to restrict referees to only certain games when there's a lack of them available.

It shows the mentality of the lower class sport. In Rugby which is traditionally for the upper classes, the Referee is God, you do not question the referee and if you do and he talks to you during a match, it is an embarrassment to you and your team. One of the greatest clips about officials is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5YUF9LSXAkY

My solution is simple. Referee abuse is not tolerated by fans, referees during matches need to stop the game go to the home game manager and have spectators removed, if not the referees go home. I did that once and only once in South Carolina and received an apology from the principal of the school and never had a problem since.

With players and coaches its the same thing, too many referees tolerate the abuse that goes on out there.

Rugby employs hookers so it really takes them out of being "upper class".

If being "lower class" means taking a dim view of humans with a "God complex," then I do not take offense at being deemed "lower class."

Look, I agree that some players/fans/coaches can be royal pains, or worse. That said, short of credible threats of violence against players and/or officials, and/or overtly racist/sexist comments ...
Any referee who walks out on a game -- AND EFFECTIVELY PENALIZES HONEST ADOLESCENT PARTICIPANTS AND MANNERLY SPECTATORS WHO PAID ADMISSION -- because of something a single rogue spectator says ...
Should find another hobby.
You turn off your rabbit ears, make note of the spectator, then work out any significant problem through a cooperative effort between your professional association and the school's administration. Then again, when said association doesn't consistently evaluate and discipline its own for poor performance and/or misconduct, how can it have credibility in dealing with spectators?
In short, I have been at hundreds of club, academy, high school, college and professional matches over the years, and (especially at the H.S. level) I've witnessed as many "problem" officials as "problem" spectators. The difference is, the big-mouthed spectator paid his way in, while the lousy official takes a check on the way out.
Should players and coaches have the privilege of walking out on a game when they're being home-jobbed, big-timed or shined-on by an official?
The correct answer is accountability and respect for ALL involved. If it isn't easy being a ref, imagine how hard it is for some parents to make a 150-mile round trip on a school night, only to see three presumed "professionals" sleep walk (or worse) through a match.
I've been there, brother. And it stinks.