AYSO National Referee Program

How To Be A Mentor

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What Is A Mentor?

• A knowledgeable, more experienced helper

• A friendly source of guidance, advice, and confidence for new referees

• A source of knowledge and experience for referees who wish to upgrade

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Why Is Mentoring Important?

• Every season, Regions recruit new referees

• The next season, many don’t return

– Lack of experience makes new referees unconfident

– Criticism from the sidelines is embarrassing

– Perceived lack of support from the Region can be frustrating

• An active mentoring program can help

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The Mentoring Program

• Experienced referees (like you!) act as mentors

• These referees attend training (this course) to understand the best practices for helping referees

• Mentors schedule their mentoring assignments using the Region 9 referee scheduling program

• Region 9 has developed mentoring check lists and observation forms for use by the mentors

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Being A MentorThe Basics

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The Mentor As A Teacher

• Mentees will rely on your knowledge and assume that it’s correct

• If you get the Laws wrong, it only affects your game

• If you pass along incorrect Law or guidance to your mentees, it affects many more games

• This means that mentors must be good students of the Laws, USSF Advice to Referees, USSF Guide to Procedures, and AYSO program documents

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The Mentor As A Friend

• Work to build a relationship of trust

• Greet your mentee with a smile and a handshake

• The mentee will know whether you truly care

• Always communicate positively, not negatively – even if the mentee has a lot of room for improvement

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Negative Guidance

“You’re doing it wrong. You are almost always running straight up and down the field, chasing play. That means you have no angle to see fouls. And you’re constantly missing your assistant referees’ flags!”

If you were the mentee, how would you feel?

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Positive Guidance

“You’re doing a good job keeping up with play! Now try this: when you run on what we call the left diagonal, as much as you can, stay a little to the left of the ball. That way you’ll have a better view of what the players around the ball are doing, and you’ll be able to look through them to see your lead AR.”

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Region 9 Tools for Mentors:Mentoring Check List

• One-page Mentoring Check List for following categories: Appearance, Pregame, Communication, Positioning, Signaling, Mechanics, and Attitude

• Check List contains key questions to consider within each category

• Have separate Check Lists for Referee and for Assistant Referee

• Can attach the Check List to the Mentor’s clip board for use during the match

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Region 9 Tools for Mentors:Referee Mentor Form

• Use the Referee Mentor Form to record observations during the match

– Basic info: names, date, time, field

– Check boxes (Acceptable or Discuss) for each of the 7 categories on the Mentoring Check List

– Separate check boxes for Referee and for each Assistant Referee

– Space for comments on Restarts and Foul Recognition

– Space to note Strengths and Areas for Improvement

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Watching the Mentee

• You must watch the mentee in action to understand his strengths and weaknesses

• Ideally, you’ll watch the mentee work multiple games

• You don’t have to watch an entire game to understand how the mentee is performing

• Don’t interfere with the mentee’s game: wait until halftime or post-match

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Post-Match Discussion

• Find a quiet, private place

• Let the mentee get a drink and cool down

• Thank the mentee for doing the game

• Discuss your mentoring notes made during the match on the Referee Observation Form

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Post-Match Discussion

• Provide a summary of performance, starting with the good things listed as Acceptable or Strengths

• Provide guidance on areas that could be improved– Limit this to the two or three things that will provide the

biggest performance gains

• Don’t just say what to change: explain why

• Discuss whether a follow-up mentoring observation should be scheduled

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Mentoring New Referees

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Challenges For New Referees

• New referees are unsure of their ability to remember and properly apply the Laws

• They can become easily confused during a game, adding to a lack of confidence

• New referees are especially vulnerable to negative comments and criticism from the sidelines

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Tools For Mentors

• Greet the mentee with a smile and remind her that you are there to support her

• Let her know not to be worried about making mistakes – otherwise known as “learning opportunities”

• Wear the uniform and be visible to parents and coaches

• Always comment on the positive things the mentee is doing and on any improvements made

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Mentoring New Youth Referees

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Characteristics Of Youth Referees

• New youth referees have often played soccer themselves, or are still playing

• They may be more confident in their ability to referee a game being played by younger players

• They are less able to handle irresponsible adult behavior from the sidelines – nor should they have to

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Mentoring Youth Referees

• When you observe their game, be fiercely protective

• Be visible, and proactively deal with sideline dissent

• Suggest that if you aren’t there for a game, the youth should find a suitable adult to deal with irresponsible coaches or spectators

• Be generous with praise and gentle with suggestions

• Be patient

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Mentoring Upgrading Referees

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Mentoring Upgrade Candidates

• Be familiar with the required skills for the level the mentee is pursuing

• Don’t try to turn the mentee into “another you”

• Be patient as you work on changing bad habits

• The mentee may resist your advice – try changing your communication style

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Scenarios

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Other Mentoring Resources

• Referee reference library available on Region 9 web site

• Contents:

– Mentor Program Description, Mentoring Check Lists, Referee Mentor Form

– Referee Handbook, Becoming a U-10 Referee, U-7 & U-8 Dual and Single Referee Systems, Referee Tips, Youth Referee Policy, Refereeing Adult Matches

– Sample game lineup cards completed correctly, How To Write a Misconduct Report, sample misconduct reports

– Links to utube videos on various refereeing topics

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Conclusion

• Mentoring is vitally important

– It helps us retain referees

– When it’s clear that we support and protect our referees, it helps with recruitment

– It helps our new referees quickly become capable and confident

– It helps our experienced referees upgrade

• Thank you for being a mentor!