The reasons for becoming a referee with the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) are as diverse as the personalities of our roughly 3,000 referees and assistant refs.

 

“25 years ago, I was with my sons at a tournament and in between their games, I walked around the complex,” said Cathy Caldwell, president of Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA). “What caught my attention was the complete lack of female referees. There were plenty of girls’ games going on but no women officiating their games or any other games. With intense curiosity and a desire to some day being there for young girls, I researched and found a referee course.”

Each week, refereeing became a little better thanks to encouragement from other refs and a willingness to learn by watching others,” she continued, “90% of the time, I love refereeing!”

 

Meanwhile, up-and-coming referee, Jared Sparks, said of the role, “There were not many young referees and I wanted to change how refereeing was perceived. The other reason was, of course, I loved being around the game. Nothing makes me happier than playing, refereeing and watching soccer. Making money while doing it is just a secondary benefit.”

 

Sparks continued, “Lastly, I’ve always been the quiet, shy kid. I remember when I first began “reffing,” I was timid and lacked confidence in my own ability. Now I am confident, and feel like a leader on the pitch. Although it’s taken a decent amount of time to grow into the person I am today, refereeing each game has brought me more confidence and certainty in myself.”

LOCAL YOUTH PLAY soccer in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Video by Síle Moloney

LISRA recording secretary Jean-Marie Maio said that she became a ref through the Genesis program. “Every Long Island Junior Soccer League club sent a parent to become a ref. If a referee did not show up for a game, we would therefore be able to ref. I stuck with it and have been officiating for the past 18 years.”

 

President of the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL), Paul Bascomb, said he became a referee when his playing and coaching career was over. “I love being a ref as a way to stay current with the players, coaches and parents,” he said. “I’ve been doing it long enough that I have earned the respect of almost everyone.”

LOCAL YOUTH PLAY soccer in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Video by Síle Moloney

For his part, longtime ref, Rich Ceonzo, said, “I was an assistant coach for my son’s under 9 team when an official ignored an opposing player who was 10 yards in an offside position during a direct free kick. The official said, ‘You cannot be offside on a free kick,’ which I knew is not true. That’s when I decided if that was the level of refereeing available for local kids, I could certainly do better, so I became a ref!”

 

For his part, Kami Riazi, president of New York Soccer Referees Association (NYSRA) said one of his co-workers was a ref and asked him to become a referee too. “He told me that I should learn the rules,” Riazi said. “I thought that I have been playing soccer my whole life, never really liked the refs, and I know the rules already. He said that he thought the same about the rules until taking the referee certification course. The course showed me that I did not know the rules either and was winging it based on what I experienced as a player.” 

“After refereeing my first game, I was hooked,” Riazi added. “Soccer refereeing has been the best thing that I ever did and has given me a passion in life that I am grateful for!”

 

Randy Vogt is director of public relations at Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

 

Editor’s Note:

Norwood News spoke to some young soccer players in the Oval on Sunday, March 10, who said they were not part of a league or any particular team but were interested in finding out more about the availability of Frisch Field as a potential location for soccer, as they said the Oval does tend to fill up with American Football teams practicing throughout the year, and especially in summer. Read our latest story on the renovation of Frisch Field in Norwood here.

 

At the May 2023 Bronx Community Board 7 Parks’ meeting, it was confirmed that the Frisch Field redesign was in the final stages. Norwood News has reached out to NYC Parks for more details on the plan and timetable and will share this upon receipt. The estimated completion dates for other parks-related, construction projects were also shared. These included the renovation of St. James Park Recreation Center, with an estimated completion date of March 2024; the boiler at Webster House, which had an estimated completion date of July 2023, and the Dog Run at St. James Park which had an estimated completion date of June 2023.

 

At the February 2024 Bronx Community Board 7 Parks’ committee meeting, more updates were provided on these parks-related projects. The Frisch Field project is still in the design phase, which is expected to be completed by June 30 this year. Additional work is needed on a storm plan, which must be approved by NYC Department of Transportation.

 

The St. James Recreation Center is slated to re-open in May 2024. Work is still needed on the floors and ceiling tiles, and a paint job is also needed. In terms of the Webster House Roof project, some improvements were made in house but the replacement of the roof needs to become a capital project.

 

Click here to watch a clip of David Beckham, former professional soccer player for Manchester United, among other teams, now president and co-owner of Florida’s Inter Miami C.F. and co-owner of Salford City F.C., being interviewed on The Graham Norton Show about stepping in once to referee his son’s soccer game. Video courtesy of the BBC via YouTube.

 

Click here, here and here to read some of our previous local soccer coverage.