1. Steve Mauricio, SRA
Brian Sperlongano, SYRA
March 22, 2014

2. Session Objectives
 Learn how big data can improve your referee program
 Learn how standard software can be easily used
 Learn the benefits realized by Rhode Island’s pilot
program
 To State Referee Associations
 To Assignors
 To Referees
 Discuss the challenges in developing and maintaining
a program

4. Our Challenges
 Referee identification
 Who do we have?
 How good are they?
 Who is next for State Cup, Regional, etc… ?
 Change the Culture
 Assignor barriers
 Referee motivation & self-improvement
 Awareness of leagues & tournaments

5. Solution: Referee Rankings
 Developed an identification committee tasked with
creating a ranking process
 Created a “Top 100” ranking database
 Specific to Grade 8 referees under age 25
 Uses weekly assignment data
 Assigned numeric values to each League, Age
Group, and Referee position
 Publish public list on our web site!
 Keep internal statistics on all assignments and all
referees

6. How We Create the List
Regional
Assignments
Adult
Assignments
Premier
Assignments
Competitive
Assignments
Fitness Test
Results

7. Formula Examples
5 points=
663 points=
Final
2x
Travel League
1x1
U10
x5
Assistant Referee
3.9
State Cup
x8.5
U18
x10
Referee

8. Promoting Fitness at Grade 8!
 % bonus for passing the
fitness test
 Bigger bonus for
exceeding minimums
 Fitness test used as an
identification event

9. Challenges
 5 assignment systems in use statewide
 Different report formats
 The “John Smith” effect
 Pen-and-paper assignors
 Volunteers with technical skills
 There are engineers & computer scientists in your
community
 Use standard tools, Microsoft Excel, Access, etc.
 Frequent updates are important but require labor

12. Opportunities to Educate Referees
To: syra@risrc.net
“Brian, ###### is so upset. How is
this ranking done? What are the
qualifications? He is trying like crazy
to be a great ref, but it seems he
almost never gets ref assignments,
simply ARs. He will be taking the
fitness test and the ODP ref class. I
understand there is a RI Ref Academy;
could you tell us about it?”

13. Opportunities to Educate Assignors
To: syra@risrc.net
“Could you please give me some info on how the
referee raking is compiled? I have some referees
that I feel should be able to make the list.
I was looking at the link you sent out to the refs
of the top 100 under 25 years old and I see
that ranked 47th you have ###### from Pawtucket and
I am wondering how he made the ranking seeing how he
just got certified for the first time this year and
he has never refereed a game until this weekend.”

14. Outcomes
 Filling open games / assignment opportunities
 Referee awareness of higher leagues
 Remove perception of favoritism
 Create competition between referees
 Referees more willing to reach out to assignors
 Leagues WANT to be included / builds unity
 Future GameOfficials & US Soccer collaboration?
 Objective annual award decisions

15. Grade 7 Enrollment
 2015 Grade 7 class will
double the population
of high grade referees!
 High Ranking =
Motivation to upgrade
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
7.0%
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Referee Population: Grade 7+

16. Gender / Assignment Disparity
 Assignment data can reveal other trends!
 Below U12, males & females assigned at same ratio
 Above U12, assignments to females decrease
 Gender disparity a 2014 focus area
 Can’t fix what you don’t know about!
Referee
Population
Assignments
Below U12 U12/U13 U14+
Male 67% 67% 73% 80%
Female 33% 33% 27% 20%

17. Questions & Answers
Thank you!