Dear Stamford Referee:

First of all, thank you for being a ref in SYSL.

Referee Frequently Asked Questions 

Welcome to the ranks of certified referees. You are starting a job that can bring you loads of satisfaction, broaden you perspective on the game of soccer, teach you many things about yourself and human nature and, not least of all, provide you with spending money. 

You must have lots of questions. Below are some of the more frequently asked ones with some info to get you started. 

Q How do I get assigned to games? 

A When you are certified contact Mike Crocco III.  He will assign you.  Please email him at  [email protected]. What he needs to know initially is your name, contact information and general availability to do games. Say, for example: "I can do games all day Saturday but not Sundays."… "I can do games Sunday afternoons or Saturdays before 1:00". This will allow him to lay out a general schedule. He will then call you to discuss specific dates and times. 

There are two types of assignments that are made: 

1) Travel team games (generally Sundays) are given out as individual games. 
2) House league game slots are assigned to the same referees for the duration of the season. In other words, you may be assigned to line Division 1 games at 9:00 & 10:30 for every Saturday for the season. This Becomes your spot. You are responsible for it. 

Remember: The assignor for a typical spring season has about 300 games (900 spots) to cover (between travel and house league) and many more for the fall season. There are lots of pieces of the puzzle to coordinate around: individual referee’s own playing schedules, family & school events and appropriateness of the referees for each level of game. 

Q Can I also request additional games? 

A Yes. Go to the website: "stamfordsoccer.org". Click on field schedules. Select a field. Select either Saturday or Sunday. What will come up on the screen is the entire season’s game schedule for that field. Look for games that have a spot open that you are available to referee. 
On the left side of the field schedule is a button marked "Referee Game Request". When you click on this button a request form will appear. Fill in the game information and submit. This message turns into an email for Bob Pepi. He will then consider your request and respond. Because there are at least 900 spots to fill in a typical season, this effort by you helps the League fill in the blanks and gets you more opportunities. 

Q What kind of games will I get to referee? 

A Referees are assigned to games based on their age, experience, responsibility and proven effectiveness. 
Newly certified referees typically will be assigned to games with minimal pressure ie: House League Divisions 1 and 2. There they will usually be given several regular game spots to line. Towards the end of the season those referees who have performed well may be assigned to the center some House League games. Some may also be assigned to line travel games. 
Referees who have performed well in their first season will be assigned to center House League games and line more travel games for the 2nd season. They may also be assigned to center younger aged travel games. 

Q What constitutes good performance as a referee? 

A Being a good referee involves many things. You must know the rules and how to apply them. You will get better at this with time and more games. 
Some things are easy to control and are required of a good referee: 

1.You must look like a referee: 
Wear only an official uniform-shirt tucked in, shorts, socks. Do not wear hats, sunglasses, jeans, sweats, headbands, jewelry, etc. 

2. You must be on time: 
This means at least 20 minutes before a House League game and 30 minutes before a Travel game. Travel games require passes and rosters to be checked. And this does not mean arrive on the field and start to get dressed! Dressing time is separate. If the assignor gets calls about your lateness, you may not get additional games. 

3. You must be prepared: 
Besides being dressed properly you must always be ready to take over the center on every game. Be in the habit of checking your referee bag for equipment. This means you must always have with you: whistle, backup whistle, flags, stop watch, cards, pad to record scores, 2 pencils, current referee badge, 2nd color referee shirt. 

Q How do I become a referee? 

A Go to the Connecticut State Referee Program website: www.ctreferee.net and follow instructions for enrolling in an entry level course. These will be either Grade 8 (14years and older) or Grade 9 (12 or 13 years old).