Arkansas Referee Committee

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CONGRATULATIONS MATT FOERSTER!

Saturday, April 4, 2009 is a red letter day in Arkansas referee history. It was on this day that Arkansas’s own, Matt Foerster, received his National Referee Badge from the United State Soccer Federation. While there is rumor and folklore of other Arkansas National referees, Matt is definitely the first Arkansas referee to advance from Grade 8 to the National Referee Grade 4. He was promptly invited to the Dallas Cup Referee Academy where he worked in the International division of the tournament.

We are proud of Matt and his accomplishments. The SRC knows you will join with them in congratulating Matt on this exciting fete. This certainly opens a new chapter for Arkansas and Matt. The SRC wishes Matt the best of luck as he ventures into this new segment of his life.

2009 REgion III youth referee of the year

The Youth Referee of the Year in Region III has been named and it is none other than our own James Johnston. James was recognized for his accomplishments both on and off the field. This is a huge award for both James and the Arkansas Referee Program. James was notified by Ryan Cigich, Region III Referee Administrator, of the award. Not only does James referee, but he also assigns, helps coordinate Young Gunz events, administers the website, holds down a real job and attends school and church, just to name a few of his activities.

James will have his award presented at the Adidas Workshop in San Jose, California, on March 5-7 as a guest of Region III.

The SRC is extremely proud of James and not only because of this award. He is a fine example of where the Arkansas Referee Program is headed and it gives us old folks hope that someone will be there to take care of us. James, Congratulations from all of us.

src announces new dra for district 1

The Arkansas State Referee Committee would like to announce that Brant Turner will be taking over for Mike Bossler as District Referee Administrator for District 1. We believe he will do an excellent job and look forward to working with him.

USSF LAUNCHES GUIDANCE SITE FOR REFEREES

Earlier this week, the United States Soccer Federation revealed a new website that contains very valuable information for referees on all levels. The website was designed to present additional guidelines and pieces of advice to referees in an efficient way. It contains all of the MLS Weeks in Review articles, memorandums from years past, as well as advice from National Instructors and National Assessors. It is our hope that you would utilize this site and that it will help you take your refereeing skills to the next level.

CLICK HERE:

http://www.thereflink.com/USSOCCER/index.html

REFEREE JERSEY RECOMMENDATIONS

With the advent of the new stripe style referee jerseys, the State Referee Committee has come up with the following recommendations.

All new referees needing a jersey should purchase the new stripe style yellow jersey first. As the new referee can afford, purchase the remaining jerseys in this order: black, red, blue, green.

The new referee should purchase short sleeve first followed by long sleeve. For any referees working local recreational leagues, yellow and one other color should be adequate. If a referee is looking to work tournaments, consider starting to collect all color jerseys. Any referee looking to advance to the advanced State Games, Regional Tournaments or National Tournaments, the purchase of all the colors is advised. For any referees working advanced Tournaments or Professional matches, the purchase of all the colors is highly suggested.

There is no date set, and no plans to set a date, by which the old jerseys will be “phased out.” To be clear, both the old and new designs comply with the “Standards of Dress and Appearance” listed in the referee administrative handbook – the only differences are aesthetic. For the old jerseys to be phased out, it would require a change to these Standards, and U.S. Soccer would not make such a change without providing a fair amount of lead time to the entire referee community. It should be noted, however, that OSI has ceased manufacturing the previous design. However the primary consideration for local games is that the jerseys for the referee team all be the same color (not necessary to all be the same style stripe pattern).

As you search for referee jerseys, you will find two types being offered - pro and economy styles. There is a significant price difference between the two jerseys because the pro style jersey is made of material to help move perspiration away from the body, has buttons on the collar opening and flaps that cover the pockets. For beginning referees, the economy priced jersey will satisfy the dress requirements for the soccer referee..

Regardless of the uniform type you purchase, be sure to consider a starter package (or kit) as this will have all equipment needed (except boots) for your first game.

Read over this recommendation and purchase as you see fit, but any new or replacement jerseys should be of the new stripe style.

TOP STORY:

5 MINUTES WITH: Cole Farris

...”[refereeing] helps me to be more of an impartial observer in potentially confrontational situations that have nothing to do with soccer.”

[FULL STORY]

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