TO: All TMSL Captains
FROM: Carl A. Piccarreta, President Tucson Metro Soccer League
RE: Referees
DATE: November 14, 2017
WE NEED YOUR HELP.
As you may or may not know, recruiting and maintaining Referees to officiate our matches has been an increasingly difficult task. In addition to the competing adult and youth leagues drawing upon the same pool of officials, TMSL has the added problem of overly competitive, overly physical and overly verbal players. This is not true of the majority of our players, but every team has at least one or two who qualify as an “Adam Henry” (aka Asshole). These Adam Henry’s have encouraged our Referees and Assistant Referees to go elsewhere.
We need your HELP. It is up to you, as Team Captains/Manager to caution your players on a weekly basis to control their physical and verbal selves. It is up to you to intervene when a player or players do not restrain themselves. Please remove the disruptive players from the field and, perhaps, from your team.
Although questions as to the “quality” of the officiating can be raised, TMSL has instituted a field observation policy designed to improve the officiating, but this will take time to have a significant impact.
TMSL also encourages players to become certified as Referees, a policy to encourage players to officiate is forthcoming.
In addition, Captains are strongly encouraged to evaluate the Referees every week – both positive and negative. The Referee Evaluation form is on the League website, www.tmslsoccer.com. These evaluations are reviewed by the Referee Assignor as well as a TMSL Board committee.
Perhaps most importantly, please keep in mind – and share with your team – that this is a recreational league. If we continue to lose our Referee pool, TMSL will have to limit team registrations and, perhaps, one day shut itself down. Together we can avoid that possibility.
Thank you for your help. We cannot operate this League without the full cooperation of you as Team Captains and Managers.