Referee Appreciation

UFA REFEREE APPRECIATION

Referee Appreciation Days are held periodically each season. We ask that everyone take a moment to thank and recognize the effort made by all of our talented, committed UFA referees.

All of our UFA referees go through vigorous training and annual recertification so that our community youth can participate in the wonderful sport of soccer. While we understand there are a broad range of ages and skill levels represented in our referee pool, all of us as parents, coaches and players recognize that this is a difficult role - particularly for our younger teenage referees who might be working for the very first time. Most of these young adults have played soccer and understand the rules, but are still growing in confidence and assertiveness. And while perfection is always the goal, we all fall short. Professional referees make mistakes every match - as do we as parents and working-class professionals - so it bears to reason that our teenagers and even adults who do this for the love of the game, will not get every call right every time. Understanding there is a lot going on simultaneously during any game - especially for those not experienced in multi-tasking, instant prioritization, and using judgment to determine intent - really demonstrates that there is a bit of an art to what the referees do each and every game. These nuances are also not things that can be taught in a 8 or 16 hour referee class, but rather through exposure and experience.

We are very fortunate to live in a community where overwhelmingly, our parents, coaches and players carry themselves with dignity and are respectful to everyone they encounter. We're also very fortunate that UFA soccer is highly competitive and this generation of players is the best our community and country have ever seen. So with improved coaching and talent comes higher demands on our officials. Through a strong culture of respect, civility, and adherence to the rules and spirit of the game, we are creating an environment in which we hope our younger referees feel comfortable and safe so they return each season, more experienced and knowledgeable than before.

UFA Referee Staff
Skills for Soccer. Skills for Life.