The Soccer Ref Shortage in Eastern New York - Eastern NY Youth Soccer Association

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 10, 2021-Have you noticed something off during the fall? Some of your kids' games might not have had a referee and, if three officials–one referee and two assistant refs–are normally assigned, chances are three officials were not at some games.

There is a soccer referee shortage across the USA including in all nine leagues here in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).

We lose most refs in their first two years of their officiating career with verbal abuse by kids' parents being the number 1 reason for quitting. So the next time that you yell at a ref, you could be contributing to our referee shortage. And that official could even be on his or her fifth game of the day to ensure that your kid's game has a referee.

So please, please sit in your chair by midfield, cheer on the teams and say only positive things to all participants, including the refs. And if you think that you could do a better job refereeing than the person in the middle, then please take one of our referee courses. You can get the ball rolling with becoming a ref by contacting the coordinator in your area below:

With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/