Ref shortage could disappoint would-be soccer players - CBC.ca

Ref shortage could disappoint would-be soccer players
Last Updated Apr 25 2006 06:00 PM CDT
CBC News
The Manitoba Soccer Association plans to cap the number of teams in its leagues and reduce the number of games to deal with a shortage of referees.

Hector Vergara, the association's chief administrative officer, says the group has 80 to 90 active referees but needs several dozen more to accommodate growing interest in the sport.

He says a special task force has been working for months to develop solutions for the referee shortage, but in the meantime, the association is taking steps to limit the number of teams and games.

"One of the things that we are doing is asking leagues to try and maintain the number of teams that they had last year without increasing," Vergara told CBC News.

The association is also trying to reduce the number of games per team to 18 "at the max" per season, he said, which would allow the association to cover every game with the available referees.

Previously, Vergara said, teams played as many as 22 games a season.

Vergara says the reductions will affect teams in the MSA's premier youth league and senior men's and women's leagues.

Problem is retention, not recruiting

Retaining amateur referees is a problem in all sports, Vergara said.

"If you recruit 100 referees in one year, the likelihood is that you'll probably retain, at the most, 10 of them to stay with the game for a lifetime if you're lucky."

He says retention is crucial because it takes years of experience to develop a good referee.

The No. 1 reason referees quit is pressure from the sidelines – from parents, coaches and players, Vergara says, adding that the MSA is working to provide a "safe environment where the young referees can actually grow."

The association is working on the discipline section of its training, so young refs are better equipped to deal with inappropriate behaviour during games.

Vergara says the age of referees also contributes to the problem. He notes that most are teenagers looking for part-time jobs, and as they grow older, refereeing becomes less of a priority.

MANITOBA SOCCER ASSOCIATION: More on the sport