Hi ,
This is a great time to share with you a few lessons that were learned over the weekend at the Youngers weekend of the Lightning Tournament.
To be fair we do have a large number of new referees and as many of you seasoned referees will see, these are lessons we seem to need to learn every year.
These are in no particular order. It is not only our new referees who need to learn and adhere to these policies, many of our senior folk had issues too.
If you believe, in the list below, we have something incorrect...we do not. For the most part these are USSF accepted procedures or at the very least our association's policy.
Let's get it right before we get in to the heat of the season.
First off, we really want to say THANK YOU so much to everyone who put in availability for the two Lightning weekends! The Lightning tournament for this weekend is completely covered.
* GREAT WORK! Overall we did a fantastic job on the fields! We did not have a single complaint or even a comment from the tournament staff.
* Know where you are going BEFORE you leave your house. The tournaments all have directions to the various fields you will be assigned to. It is your responsibility to know where you need to be before game day, plan ahead!
* Directions. Do not call Leanne for directions! Even she admits this is NOT her forte.
* Whistling for goals scored. We do not whistle as a signal for a goal scored. Look at your A/R confirm the goal and point to the center circle.
* Uniform Standards - there is no reason not to be perfect. Do NOT show up with moth eaten, faded, torn or any uniform that is in disrepair. It is one thing to embarrass yourself, it is an entirely different thing to embarrass your crew and your association. We all make enough with one day's assignment to be able to replace that jersey we have worn almost every game for the last five years.
* Basic Mechanics. Some of you need to review the Guide To Procedures and get your mechanics sorted out.
* Games from multiple assignors in the same day. You are really going to get yourself in trouble here. While we appreciate your desire to work, if you take assignments from us, we expect that we are the only assignments. At the very least we better be your first assignments of the day. Our standards require a fresh referee not someone on their seventh game of the day. We do not assign via Arbiter. Your assignments are directly by email from Leanne.
* What on time means. Yes, USSF standards say 30 minutes before game time. OUR standards say checked-in, dressed and ready to take the field 30 minutes before game time.
* Tournament website vs Leanne's assignment. Please do not call Leanne and tell her the assignments she gave you does not match the tournament website. It does not matter at all. Show up and do the assignments exactly as she has made them. It all works out. All you need to use the tournament website for is directions.
* Cards to coaches. In USSF soccer we do not show cards to coaches. Yes, even if they say you have to. A coach's bad behavior is "Irresponsible Behavior" that is not one of the seven cautions or one of the seven send-offs.
* Print your schedules and take them with you. It seems simple doesn't it.
* Submit availability early. Submitting availability a few weeks before a tournament won't cut it. Leanne is trying to assign three weeks out and is working off of forms she's received several weeks, even months, before that.
* New Grade 8 Referees and many seasoned Referees who are new to us. Please make the new folks welcome! With some, who are new to us, we'll need to introduce them to and reinforce our standards with them.
* Contact us with problems. Please call or email either me or Leanne if you have ANY problems or any kind. We really are here ti help you.
YOU ARE THE BEST, WE BELIEVE THAT!
Take the above to heart.
Take pride in what you do.
Take pride in your association.
Look Like A Referee
Act Like A Referee
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San Diego 
