The Eastern New York Referee Program is looking for a few good men and women to work the middle of soccer games -- youth and amateur.

In fact, ENY would love to see some of the Soccer Moms become game officials. Rich Ceonzo, the ENY director of instruction, felt that is an untapped resource for the sport.

"There is so much good with this game," he said. "The value to girls in aerobics and bone exercise is begging to give it as much support as we can. And they would rather sit on the sidelines in a folding chair.

"Why not consider it a slightly paid form of public service? "I hate to preach. Let them help us help them help their kids."

Ceonzo said that officiating matches isn't for every one.  "If you've got a three- or four-year-old, I understand you have problems," he said about leaving the child alone.

Regardless of the sex of the game officials, Ceonzo said the state needs to add referees because there is a shortage as the number of players in Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association grows.  "The growth is huge," he said. "Let's say there are 150,000 registered players between youth and adults in New York," he said. "We have less than 4,000 referees. Every referee has to work for 30 kids every day."

So what is the answer to get more parents, teenagers and former players to become game officials?

"We're looking for that answer," Ceonzo said. "Nobody says, 'I'm going to be a referee and make a lot of money."

But . . .

"If you do it, you see the value to the game," he added.

Ceonzo realized that the state must replenish its pool of quality game officials.

"What I consider our A list referees, they're not getting younger," he said. "I am looking for the backfills, the guys who are younger and the guys who are coming up. That's where the gap is."

Someone could become a referee by taking an 18-hour course for $200. And Ceonzo added, the new game official gets "a great uniform."

"You don't go on the field and you don't start doing 19-year-old games," he said.

Not surprisingly, the state has made sure that the number of referee courses has increased. In the mid-Hudson valley alone, there have been eight courses this year; in the state, somewhere between 25-30, Ceonzo said.

The courses usually are given between November and March, when the outdoor season is shutdown, though there are exceptions.

"Kids and adults don't want to be sitting inside in April," Ceonzo said.

The state also is planning to have a Grade 9 referee course at the Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn. A non-entity giving a soccer entry course is rare, Ceonzo said.

"A recreational course is doable in one day," he said. "We call it referee light."

The state is giving courses in Spanish as well this month -- one in the Bronx, the other in Newburgh.

"Many times a Hispanic league realizes, 'Hey, we have a league. We need officials,' " Ceonzo said. "It helps if former players step up and take the whistle."

Ceonzo was a Soccer Dad when he decided to take the plunge into officiating.

He remembered when he worked the middle of a game during in in-house game in LaGrange, N.Y. in 1995 with his son Michael, then 11-years-old, playing for one of the teams. Ceonzo had to give his son a yellow card.  Ceonzo remembered the dialogue between him and his son on the field:  "Sir, your wife is not going to like this, sir," Michael said. To which Ceonzo responded: "You've got a yellow card and you've got to wash the car."

For more information about the organization, visit www.eny-soccer-referees.org.