…that a club is growing is the number of certified referees on its roster. Before last season, we had basically two certified referees; Duane Thorpe and Mark True. Last season, however, Emma Staecker, Steve Overton, Dave Kallemyn (pictured, right), Andrea Conroy (currently deployed to Iraq) and Valerie Goodhue-Nolte became certified and began to referee games at the Carlisle Soccer Complex. Before this season, Kyle Kephart and Mike Kephart were added to the roster and have been working tournament games in addition to our games. Lucas Millman recently passed the certification class and will be doing games this weekend.

That’s NINE certified referees…more than many clubs much larger than ours.

In addition, under the guidance of ref assigner and club secretary Joy LeClaire, we’ve also started a junior referee program where those who aren’t old enough to become certified (you have to be at least 12 years old) can gain valuable experience refereeing under-8 games. It also helps prepare us for future growth of the club! Our junior referees are Ashton Goodhue-Nolte, Dean LeClaire( pictured, below), JoJo Haack and Courtney Black.

Referees (not junior referees) are the only paid position in the club, as is the practice at clubs all over the country, but their job is a difficult one, at best. So next time you applaud your players and the other team, take a few seconds to say thanks to our refeerees. They are as a critical part of our success as a club now and into the future.

If you’d like more information about becoming a referee, contact Joy LeClaire.