February 19, 2009

Dear MAYSA colleagues,

Thank you for the invitation to offer a report to the assembled clubs and Board of Directors at the MAYSA 2009 Annual General Meeting.

The Madison Area Soccer Referee Unit (“MASRU”) develops, certifies and represents United States Soccer Federation referees throughout MAYSA’s service area. Our primary service to referees (youth and adult) and to the Game is to annually train game officials and assignors and to provide developmental and advancement assessments. MASRU’s members annually elect a volunteer Board of Directors who organizes the Unit’s activities. The MASRU Board advises the District Referee Administrator (appointed by the Wisconsin State Referee Administrator) on disciplinary issues, including assault, abuse and misconduct. The MASRU Board regularly collaborates with MAYSA Staff to advance our shared goal of conducting matches in a fair and safe manner that ensures player and spectator enjoyment.

Recruit, Develop and Retain Referees. A perennial priority for the MASRU Board is to meet the demand for game officials from MAYSA’s leagues. For example, to meet the increased demand in Fall 2009 for single and three-official crews, MASRU will offer a “School’s Out!” mid-June 16-hour large-enrollment entry-level course for youth referees and will expedite USSF registration for this group (contact: Linda Huttenhoff, lhuttenhoff@maysa.org ).

To steadily increase the number of new youth referees who develop the skills to serve in three-official-crews in MAYSA Classic leagues, the MASRU Board invites MAYSA Clubs and MAYSA Staff to plan with us how to affordably increase the number of Recreational league games that use Level 9 youth referees as assistant referees, starting in Fall 2009. This initiative complements and builds upon our registered assignor initiative, described next.

Registered Referee Assignors Needed. A new priority for the MASRU Board is to steadily improve compliance with the Federation’s policy that only USSF-registered assignors may assign referees to USSF-sanctioned games at U10 or older age-levels in MAYSA’s Recreational and Classic leagues. The MASRU Board invites MAYSA Clubs and MAYSA Staff to plan with us how to make registered assigning the affordable, efficient norm. To increase the supply of assignors available now to MAYSA’s Clubs, MASRU will offer a referee assignor class in early Spring 2009 (contact: Linda Huttenhoff, lhuttenhoff@maysa.org ).

Coach Feedback Pilot Program. During the Spring 2009 season, the MASRU Board will accept comments on referee performance _directly and only_ from MAYSA coaches when e-mailed to:

masru.feedback.spring09@gmail.com

The MASRU Board will review coaches’ comments to improve the training, game assignments and assessments provided to our member referees. We will expect coaches to provide date, time, teams, and field. In line with the expectations that MAYSA has set out for such feedback, we will expect coaches to offer reasoned, temperate and knowledgeable comments that aid referee development. When the Spring 2009 season ends, the MASRU Board will evaluate how this feedback has improved our activities on referee development and whether to continue it in Fall 2009.

For the Good of the Game. We in the MASRU Board and our members are committed to developing and advancing as referees and thereby contributing to the Good of the Game. We look forward to our ongoing work with you, our MAYSA colleagues, to prepare for and conduct matches in a fair and safe manner that ensures player and spectator enjoyment.

For the MASRU Board,

Shaun Abshere, President