Question Number: 24097

Other 10/6/2010

RE: competitive High School

brent kelly of mequon, wi usa asks...

I ave been a level 8 WI soccer referee for a year. I took the high school exam and passed. They made me a L1 - I do not know what this means. It seems like it will take 5 years for me to become masters level. is this correct?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

You should first contact the Wisconsin State Highschool Sports authority and possibly National. Not a question I can answer

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Brent
Progression in refereeing is about a range of factors including assessments, performance, experience, opportunity etc. Exams are only one element of the process and experience counts for quite a lot as well. I have seen referees fast tracked because of ability and I have seen others make little progress for a variety of reasons. Also I have seen some referees that have been fast tracked become unstuck because they do not have the required experience to manage difficult games. That can have a damaging effect on the referee's progress.
Only the referee authority that you are assigned to can answer your question directly.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

High school matches are not under USSF, and will be subject to the state high school federation and your local association.

In Southern California, our association will assign new high school referees at the lowest level and they are mentored and/or assessed during the season to determine what level of play they should do. Our 'levels' are used internally to decide who is ready for which assignments.

IMO, nothing is worse for potentially great referees than being assigned to a matches before they are ready. High level varsity matches are very fast, physical, and can spin quickly out of control. The referee needs experience to know what to call and what not to call, and when it makes a difference. It is hard for the referee's confidence to recover from a series of disastrous matches, and players and spectators are not always kind when referees make mistakes . Too many prospects quit because they were "fast tracked" before they were ready.

IMO, it is the rare referee who can handle varsity matches with 17 year old boys or girls in their first two years as a referee. My experience was that I needed to learn from about 3 years of mistakes before I was ready to handle tough matches with this age group. Some never learn from their mistakes, and keep making the same ones. They will do a great job in a JV or freshman match, but might never be assigned a tough varsity one.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Are you referring to your high school level or your USSF level? There is no 'masters' level in soccer in the US, at least not by that moniker.

If you are a high school referee, L1 probably means entry level - you'll be assigned lines and some low to medium level JV centers, until the assignors and the HS referee board in your area get some feedback on the way you conduct a game and how well you know the rules of play. This could take years or weeks.

If you are referring to your USSF level 8, I would refer you to the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook to look up the requirements for becoming a Grade 7 referee. It will take you at least a year to accumulate the required game totals, I would think, and there is the fitness requirement to be satisfied, although hopefully that isn't an issue. Beyond that, it gets much more difficult and requires much study and experience.

I wish you best of luck in your quest!