The Real Problem

Over the last 10 years, I've been a referee, ref assigner, ref coordinator, ARDP candidate and referee mentor. GA has an outstanding training program which isn't the problem. Imagine a business you are in. Each year, your business has extremely high (50%-60%)employee turnover due to attrition. You are constantly trying to train new employees. What kind of product are you able to provide to the market if your resouces are spent training new employees EVERY YEAR?

Being a referee is a good starting place for a youth. My 2 boys started at age 10 and have stuck with it with my encouragement. At 14, both have CD's at $1500 in the bank, they get to keep 1/2 but they save the other 1/2. Many parents don't hang with their kids through in the initial stages of their youths working as refs. This lack of "protection" can be devastating to a youth with parents (most have no clue) yelling crap at them. For some kids who stay with it, it can help young refs with respect to people management, problem resolution and other situations they confront. For the majority who don't stick with it, they feel threatened and rightly so.

I would say parents can do several things. Parents of refs can stay at the venue and provide the presence most young refs need. I remember, my youngest was doing one of his first centers and a U-8 Girls REC coach was yelling at him for nearly everything he thought was a foul. I walked over to him and politely said LAY OFF MY SON! This has been repeated on only 2 other occasions but the fact that I was there gave my son confidence. Parent-coaches, bring a chair, shut up and sit down. Don't yell at the ref as most rec refs are younger kids. Your players will learn in practice. During the game, they're just as nervous as you and the young center referee are and will absorb very little of what you are screaming at them.

Clubs, provide field marshalls to help control the occasional unrulely parent.

Refs, get to learn all the restarts so you get them right. Stay up within 20 yards of the ball and do your best. Younger refs, stay with it and try to get better. Don't have rabbit ears.