Mentoring
Call for mentors! We need your help!
The Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League tournament on Oct 29 and 30 will be presented as an opportunity for referees to be mentored in the skill sets required for good officials.
To do this properly we need two things, mentors and those wishing to be mentored!
If you can help as a mentor please write ASAP. You will be scheduled as a referee and during your off time/break time, your services will be offered to eager, willing referees that want to improve. Contact Tom Dunlap at duro49@comcast.net.
Referee Mentoring Program
District 2 and some leagues have now been engaged in a mentoring program for two years. Clinics, training sessions and one-on-one mentoring have been very successful in providing a sort of big brother/sister network for our officials.
An integral part of the program is the mentors. Accordingly, should you have an interest in becoming a mentor and learning more about the program, please contact Ron Marfil marfil4545@aol.com.
The mentoring program has two primary goals. The first is retention. We are working to provide support and encouragement to keep our referees—particularly our newer referees—in the program. The second goal is growth. We want to help identify those officials capable of upgrading in the referee ranks and provide help in doing so.
The program is being fostered through and with various leagues in the district. Those leagues wishing to start a mentor program can contact Ron Marfil marfil4545@aol.com. He in turn will conduct an informational and training session for potential mentors on "whys and hows" of this program.
Mentor Program Notes, September 2007
Referee mentoring is alive and well. Two leagues, Orchard Valley in southern Santa clara county and San carlos in San Mateo County, have recently scheduled referee mentor introduction/training meetings with Ron Marfil. The aim is to intorduce mentoring and discuss what, why, how and who as it pertains to referee mentoring. The North Valley league, after a similar meeting, had a very successful mentor season in the spring. A group of dedicated referees headed by Paul Hack planted the seeds for some very successful officials of the future. The Santa Clara Youth Soccer League just finished conducting a weekend event for new referees to work easy-paced games under the tutelage of senior officials to work on their skills and gain confidence. More in another installment. If your league or club has anything to add to this topic, please let Ron Marfil know by sending email to marfil4545@aol.com.Mentor Program Notes, March 2006
I haven't taken the time to write lately, but here is another set of thoughts and ideas on the mentor thing.
From what I can see, our active list of leagues really pursuing the mentor thing has dwindled to two, the Almaden league and the Santa Clara League. These efforts are headed by Tom Dunlap and Tommy O'Brien (Tommy@SoccerRefereeMentors.com)/Casper Otten. Let me know if others are working the issue and I will share what/how you are doing.
To help a bit and maybe inspire you, let me try and update you on one league's efforts and plans. Tom Dunlap (duro49@comcast.net) of the Almaden league has really pushed his referees with scheduled D/G efforts from assessors, planned lunch meetings to go over the new law changes, and procedures for upgrades and other things. Results included:
- One of the refs active in the mentor program was named youth referee of the year in the district
- He has decided that this spring season would be dedicated to a group of refs desirous of mentoring and help and pairing them with some senior refs wanting to help. They will have a topic of the week/mechanic or skill set of the week to focus on.
- Tom Dunlap is also trying to round and kind of firm a focus group with a few young female referees. He is recruiting/looking for a role model for them to meet with.
- I have to believe there are unique issues facing the female ref, and perhaps if they could have their own focus group/meeting without the rest of us butting in, they may find a way to be retained and grow while getting answers and solutions to issues that the male side aren't even aware of.
On the overall mentor front, we in our district have been contacted by associations in Southern California and Indiana recently to ask for help and direction in starting a program in their area. They found us via web surfing and the mention in the D2SRA.org site.
If there are any league ref coordinators out there that want to start or restart a program, please contact me and maybe I can help with some ideas, an information and training meeting or ??? Ron Marfil 408-379-9773, marfil4545@aol.com.