Here we are, on the cusp of the 2011 season. A perennial problem for most regions is Referee retention. One of the major factors (cited in various publications and verified by our own experience) in losing referees is having to deal with abusive parents and coaches. It doesn't help that we take our brand new, inexperienced referees and throw them into the U10 division - which is both our largest divisions and the first competitive one for many parents, and they really don't know how to behave properly!
One of the ways to combat abusive people is to make sure the referee is confident in their skills; another is make sure that they have a place to go with concerns and questions.
I called this"putting a face on the referee program"; since most of the referees get nine hours of face time with the instructional staff and then we push them out the door.
At the U10 field we put up a pop-up tent, tried to staff it up for the day, and passed out a flyer with some sort of training point. It also was a place for them to put down their referee bag and hang out with their peers and staff.
I think it was fairly successful, and I am hoping that we have planted the seed for retention.
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