Special Points of interest

• Interview with Francisco Villarruel
• Women’s Academy in Massachusetts
• Referee of the Month: Matt Crouch
• 2021 John Bieniewicz Winners
• Who’s Who: Amanda Field

Welcome to the July issue of the MRC newsletter. We had a very busy spring season but it is finally slowing down a little bit.

Michigan referees were busy at various events. As you will see below, eight referees were in Massachusetts for a tournament during the Memorial Day weekend. Dozens of referees were invited to Saginaw for the State Cup Final weekend. A group of referees were in Ohio for the USYS Presidents Cup and another group was in Missouri for the USYS Regionals. Many tournaments happened within the state, too. Below, you will see some good news from the Presidents Cup.

Our referee coaches and mentors were also busy. Over 100 formal assessments (upgrade and maintenance) were completed in June, alone. Many performance observation forms were also submitted to help grassroots referees.

July marks the first month of the U.S. Soccer registration year. July 1 will be a new year. Any referee who is certified after July 1 will have a 2022 badge. They will not have to recertify this upcoming winter. This may be a good incentive for some people to decide to officiate, because their registration will be good for a long time. As far as more details on brand new referee classes and recertification classes go, we will announce them as we hear from U.S. Soccer.

As always, our July newsletter is full of exciting stories and information. We are featuring Dr. Francisco Villarruel, aka Chico, as the former MRC member of the month. He was the State Youth Referee Administrator. Our regular content includes Referees of the Month and Who’s Who. We are featuring Matt Crouch as the Referee of the Month, and Amanda Field for Who’s Who. Ken Wikle has an article about handling the benches and spectators.

Beyond this newsletter, please be sure to follow our Twitter (@MichiganReferee) and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Inside this issue

• Villarruel Interview
• A New Mentor Development Cohort
• Women’s Academy in Massachusetts
• New Instructional Tool
• Say Hello to Callous!
• State Cup Weekends
• Referee of the Month: Matt Crouch
• 2021 John Bieniewicz Winners
• Regional Referee Fitness Test
• USYS Presidents Cup
• Ref Tan Lines
• What is Your Call?
• Who’s Who: Amanda Field
• Tips on Handling Coach and Spectator Misconduct

For the July newsletter, we also had an opportunity to interview Francisco Villarruel, a former State Youth Referee Administrator.

When and how did you become the SYRA of Michigan?

I was appointed as SYRA after Pete Morrissey was elected to the position of the secretary for MSPSP. I served as SYRA between 2007 and 2016 until I was appointed to serve US Youth Soccer Midwest Region Referee Administrator.

How were you involved in Michigan soccer before you became the SYRA?

There are multiple ways that interested referees can assume leadership and support the programs of the Michigan Referee Committee. After officiating for a few years in the Lansing area, I became more involved with the Greater Lansing Area Referee Association (GLASRA). For several years, Michigan State University hosted the State Referee Committee – and this is how I made the transition to supporting and being offered opportunities to be involved with the MRC. Given that I am a faculty member at Michigan State, I would help with logistics and anything that was needed to support the event. I also became involved in assignments – first local high school then to State Cup and MSPSP.

Prior to being appointed SYRA, I was asked to support Michigan referees who were selected to attend the USYS Midwest Region Championships as a mentor. I have also been involved with the instructional and assessment programs for over a decade.

What did you enjoy the most about being the SYRA?

Without a doubt, it was the opportunity to work with young referees who wanted to develop and enhance their skills in the officiating world. Because of my involvement with the Midwest Region Championships and the National League Conference (formally the Midwest Regional League), opportunities to take referees to various events (e.g., ODP Camp, Warrior Classic, MRL/NLC hosted weekends, Midwest Region Championships, Super Y Playoff, and many others) always created an opportunity where there was an environment where referees could develop skills, but also learning about the person was possible. The accomplishments of many of these young people – both on and off the field – is something that is impressive. They learned to balance their passion for officiating while establishing professional identities.

Equally enjoyable was the identification of the Michigan Young Referee of the Year, and facilitating a portfolio that resulted in multiple Regional and National Young Referee of the Year award winners. The only disappointment in this area is there are many deserving young referees that deserve recognition for their commitment to excellence.

Do you still remain active in refereeing?

Since 2014, I have continued my involvement with the Michigan Referee Committee on the instructional and referee mentoring programs. I have also continued my role as the assignor for Great Lakes and Midwest Conferences National League Conference for matches played in Michigan, and ECNL as well.

However, most of my time is involved in the logistical planning of referee support and programming for USYS Midwest Region Presidents Cup and the MW Regional Championships. These two events bring over 400 referees from 14 states (and referee mentors) together to officiate the Midwest Region Championships. A focus of these events is to identify officials that are selected to officiate at the National Championships.

We have also developed a referee academy at the Midwest and Great Lakes Conference spring (Grand Park, IN) and Fall (St. Louis, MO) showcase events, where national referee coaches and referee coaches/mentors work with aspiring referees.

What is your best memory of being a referee?

There are many memories that one has in their officiating careers. But nothing replaces the opportunities and individuals who have influenced views that I hold on the game, and the lessons that they helped me learn that in turn I pass on to others. Having been involved with the MRC took me to national meetings where opportunities to meet with different state administrators happened, and where ideas of how to advance the programs and support offered by the MRC were seeded.

Having served as the Regional Referee Administrator, and being on the staff of the Midwest Region under the leadership of Jonathan Meersman, also created unique opportunities. Each year, through support of U.S. Soccer, current/past FIFA referees have attended our events as well as National Referee Coaches. And attending the National Championships has further widened the net.

What is common in both of the opportunities that I have been exposed to is passion and commitment that each of these persons hold. They are more interested in people than in their own achievements. They are committed to helping others achieve officiating goals. This is what I have embraced. FIFA referees are no different than any of us. They have a passion for the game. They want others to have the opportunity to succeed and will find time to help you when asked.

What I unique about Michigan? How does it compare to other state referee committees?

There are two realities that I learned from the time I served as SYRA in Michigan. First, how wonderful Michigan is in terms of the support and opportunities offered to referees. Other states look at Michigan and cannot understand how we develop so many innovative programs. The Adult and Youth Associations support the Michigan Referee Program and its leadership. They value referees.

But the most significant insight gained from my 20+ years in U.S. Soccer involvement is that we have a leader (Carlos Folino), who along with his wife (Josie) and family, have created one of the most unique referee programs in the nation. Carlos cares deeply about all referees and has dedicated his leadership to supporting others that want to impact referees in the most positive way. He has touched the lives of referees beyond the State of Michigan. He is open, accessible, and supportive beyond anyone’s imagination. He will always find time to speak to referees and help them find a path for them to achieve the highest levels possible.

If one takes the time to go back and review all of the interviews that have been conducted since the inception of the Michigan Referee Committee’s Newsletter, a common theme emerges. Those that have assumed leadership roles have followed in the footprints established by Carlos, but we have also influenced and expanded his vision by his hearing the ideas we had, and helping us to implement them to the benefit of referees that seek support. His investment in all of us – and in our ideas, is what makes Michigan unique. It is a commitment to ALL referees.

Do you have any advice for aspiring referees?

Four thoughts. If you want to succeed, get out of your comfort zone. Seek opportunities to officiate across the state, not just in your local community. The competition in Grand Rapids is different than in Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Lansing, Detroit, Sterling Heights…there are always opportunities to learn about your officiating skills and practices when you are not familiar with the teams and other referees.

Second, find balance. It is not only the number of matches that one officiates that contributes to excellence. It is also the rest, recovery, time away from the game, training, and studying the LOTG or watching matches that help. Few of us will have the opportunity to be a full-time referee. We are at our best when we can leave our school/work at home when we are officiating, and when we can focus on our work/school without thinking about officiating. Seek opportunities to officiate at tournaments (not local) where you will be out of your comfort zone – but on a limited basis. Overworking can lead to bad habits, but being in an unfamiliar environment will challenge you to think about what you are (not) doing and what you need to do better because of the novelty.

Third, be open to feedback. Be a sponge. Learn from others – be open to feedback (positive and negative) that are offered by peers. Seek opportunities for formal (or informal) feedback from mentors. What higher level officials officiate matches. Develop the habit of self-reflection. What did you like about your performance that day? What do you think you can do better? Establish a goal for each match that you officiate. And finally, work each match as if it is the most important match of the day – because for the players it is. And if we dismiss the importance of the match, we do not focus on the attention that we must give to ensure we do our best, but we also lose the focus on the meaning of the game. Have someone video your match – which provides you with an opportunity to see what ‘others see’ when you officiate.

Finally, be open to comments from coaches. While coaches may have different opinions on fouls that we (do not) call, they see the game from a different lens. Some coaches were high-level players and they desire three things – integrity, consistency, and the opportunity to express themselves. They understand that we make mistakes – they coach aspiring players. We too can be viewed as athletes – and coaches are interested in supporting athletes to develop. None of us will ever call a ‘perfect’ game – but when we are open to seeing how others see the world, only then will we begin to understand and learn that the world is not just how we see/experience it.

Enjoy each match. Something can and should be learned from each assignment, from each match.

Thank you, Chico.

Thank you.

One of the issues referees have to deal with is coaches and spectators questioning their calls and/or harassing referees verbally during the game. Soccer is a passionate sport and for many reasons some people involved with soccer cannot contain their emotions or opinions without sounding off during the game. Spectator and coach misconduct is often credited as the reason for many referees deciding to not continue officiating. What are some ways that we as officials can do to help from this getting out of control?

Every coach or spectator with a player in the game may express an emotion verbally when something happens to their player or their team that they feel is unfair or not in accordance with the rules. A verbal expression of this feeling is sometimes hard to contain. Referees need to be able to handle a few of these when they hear them. Having “Rabbitt Ears” is overreacting.

What needs addressing is verbal expressions of dissent that are loud enough to be heard by many others are abusive, personal, or profane. Continuing verbal comments by a coach that are attempts to make calls for the referee need to be addressed.

Many referees are teenagers which also presents a special challenge. Refereeing a youth soccer game can pit an unruly adult against a teenager. Most well-raised teenagers are taught to respect adults. When there is a full-grown adult acting irresponsibly towards a teenage referee, the world is “turned upside down.” This can be difficult for teenage referees to handle, especially if the coach or spectator is getting angrier and angrier because they don’t like the way the game is being officiated. The intimidation factor is surely in play in this situation.

Most leagues in their rules state that coaches are responsible for the conduct of their spectators. The referee does not have to directly confront an unruly spectator. The coach is responsible for warning the spectator. Most coaches know this and will help. I personally have seen this handled very effectively by coaches when I have asked. On occasion a coach may not be willing to help the referee with his spectators. I will address how to handle this.

Confronting the situation is the only option. As my old referee mentor used to say, “If you have a headache, take an aspirin!” As intimidating as it may seem, confrontation is the only method of stopping this behavior. The referee must step up to this issue or the behavior will continue.

While the referee may warn a bench personnel, if needed, a yellow card must be shown. Or, the referee may need to issue a red card. The Laws of the Game is very clear what behavior warrants what sanction by the referee.

Please reach out to us!

If you have any referee-related stories to share or someone you think should be featured in this newsletter, please reach out to us at sdi@michiganrefs.org.