CVSRA Shadow Program - Fighting the 70%

“I wanted to quit refereeing because I was scared of being yelled at by parents, coaches, and players, and of making mistakes., said one CVSRA youth referee.”

Unfortunately, it is all too common that youth referees quit before they really get a chance. In fact, according to a South Carolina Referee Association study, 70% of new officials in youth soccer quit within their 1st year. Everyone loses when new officials give up.

CVSRA offers its shadow program as one strategy to support the development and confidence of our youth referees and it is working. As the story continues for our youth referee quoted earlier, after being ready to quit, she joined the CVSRA shadow program.

With the program, I worked three U10 games with Jeff Lobb. During the first game, I shadowed him by following him around on the field. He told me how he positioned himself during plays and in relation to the players, tips on being more assertive and respectable, and how to deal with players. In the second game, he reffed one half and I reffed the second. When I reffed on my own, I was not as nervous as I expected myself to be because I knew Jeff was there to help me if I needed. In the last match, I reffed on my own and I felt much more comfortable than the start of the day. At the end, he told me what he had seen me do that was good and what I could work on. Now I feel much more confident and I actually enjoy my job reffing such a wonderful game that is soccer and I feel completely confident while doing it.

Congratulations Jeff and congratulations to this referee for showing grit and developing your love for the game. CVSRA continues to be here to support you and look forward to seeing you gain leadership and communication skills that are unmatched in any other job available to teens.

If you are referee interested in being part of the Shadow Program reach out to our mentoring lead, Chris Barnard.