REFS NEED LOVE TOO
An honest perspective from the 3rd team on the pitch... the referees. Through humor, analysis and education, we are slowly changing how people view referees and officials in all sports. We care and have a love for the game as much as any player or coach. Sometimes even more. Youth soccer (proper football) is a multi-billion $ industry in the US. Tremendous money is spent on players, competitions, travel etc., but almost nothing spent on developing the next generation of referees. I hope that this Podcast inspires, educates and humanizes the next generation of referees for their own development and appreciation from the players, coaches and spectators they need to work alongside.
REFS NEED LOVE TOO
Latest Episodes
You Can Build A Referee Program That Kids Want To Join with Carlos Ledesma
The fastest way to lose a new referee is to certify them online and then throw them into the deep end on a busy weekend. We start with a few big updates from my world, including our first Dr. Tom Gerson Pops Memorial Scholarships for referees a...
Update! Bouncing Back After A Mistake
A single referee mistake can hijack your confidence for days, especially when it happens in a high school playoff match with a crowd watching. I share a raw update on a procedural error I had to admit publicly, including the moment I took a go-...
Integrity Over Ego: Why I Took a Goal Off the Board
A playoff match can feel perfect for 50 minutes and then unravel in 10 seconds. That’s what happened to me in Georgia, and I’m not proud of it. I’m sharing the full, raw story of a high school postseason game where I made a procedural mistake o...
Brand New at 42 with Holly Jimenez - It's Never Too Late To Be Great!
The hardest part of picking up a whistle as an adult isn’t learning the signals, it’s walking onto the field while everyone assumes you’ve done this forever. Holly Jimenez knows that feeling firsthand. She starts refereeing at 42, feels the ner...
What Elite FIFA Officials Can Teach Grassroots Referees with Jan Aravirtra, Referee Academy
The fastest way to level up as a soccer referee is not learning one more obscure law, it is learning how to handle people when the match te. I’m joined by Jan Aravitra, a former FIFA international referee from Finland with nearly two decades at...
Fan Mail
just finished this podcast and I couldn’t agree more. As a follically challenged adult, I often wear a hat. At a regional event it was brought up with the mentor saying “You don’t see Premier League referees wear a hat.” I thanked them for the feedback and went about the event. I’m 52 and am working towards my regional badge. When I’m getting an assessment I will forgo a hat, otherwise it’s about protection and being able to see. One of our state reps is tolerant of young referees not having black shoes right away. Shoes are expensively and he gets it. By year 2, absolutely you should have black shoes. Socks not pulled up is a big no-no that many of us are working to correct from younger refs.
Ladue, Missouri