Referee Assignment

OVERVIEW

There is one assignor grade:

Although there is only one grade, assignors service leagues and tournaments at a variety of competitive levels.

The State Assignment Coordinator is responsible for the coordination of the assignor network within the State Referee Association.

Local Assignment Coordinators are selected by the U.S. Soccer Referee Department.

ASSIGNOR APPOINTMENTS

Assignors should be selected by the affiliated competitions being served with advisement from the State Referee Committee.

Assignor appointments should be made for a period of at least one year and assignors should be familiar with the registration and certification processes for officials.

When an assignor is also a referee, they should not officiate in any competition where they also serve as an assignor (unless in an emergency situation).

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Referee assignors must offer equal opportunity to all qualified referees and avoid discrimination against any individual or group regardless of age, race, color, religion, gender, national origin or disability.

DIRECTORY OF REGISTERED OFFICIALS

A directory of currently registered and certified officials must be furnished to registered and certified assignors by the State Referee Administrator and this directory may not be transmitted in any way to any outside third party. Assignors should review the directory prior to making any assignment and prior to the start of each season.

ROTATION OF ASSIGNMENTS

Assignors and referees must recognize that officiating where familiarity or family relationships with coaches or players exist should be avoided. Assignors should limit the number of times a referee officiates for any one team or club.

Referees and assistant referees should be rotated on a regular basis among all the assigned leagues and all the teams within a league. No referee should be assigned to any one league or club exclusively.

FEEDBACK ON OFFICIALS

A standardized rating system should be documented by the assignor with updated input from developmental and formal assessments, coaches' reports, mentors, evaluations and other sources of information made available.

Assignors are encouraged to listen to complaints about officials. When the complaint concerns an official who has demonstrated bias, unfair officiating or incompetence, the assignor should direct that the complaint be filed in writing to the State Referee Administrator and all such reports should be investigated.

In some instances, an assignor may want to work with the State Director of Assessment to obtain an objective assessment in response to complaints about an official's performance.

Affiliates