1. Cumberland United Soccer Club Match Official Development Plan ©2015 Chris Wade

2. Objective Initial training New referee orientation and returning referee refresher Coach education OSA referee mentor pilot program Game Assignments Referee of the year award Ongoing communication and referee resources Next steps ©2015 Chris Wade

3. Objective ©2015 Chris Wade The objective of the Cumberland referee program is to recruit and train and retain referees. Our goal is to develop these match officials to assume more challenging assignments and progress within the Ontario Soccer Association’s Grading Protocol

4. Initial Training ©2015 Chris Wade Each spring, Cumberland Soccer evaluates its need for new officials. This is done by surveying all officials from the previous season to determine whether they will be returning. In 2015, the referee return rate was strong at 86.75% Cumberland Soccer hosts courses for both Small Sided Game (SSG) referees and Entry Level referees. For SSG referees, they are also required to complete the Game Leader online course offered by the Ontario Soccer Association. In addition to the Entry level course, Cumberland encourages all new referees to attend the ERSL Assistant Referee training course. Cumberland hosts the course and provides a certified instructor

5. New referee orientation and returning referee refresher ©2015 Chris Wade Each spring, the Cumberland Head Referee conducts a two hour session for all new referees and returning referees. This session covers important items such as: Overview of online referee system and any changes for the coming season Review of Cumberland-specific competition rules Overview of Referee resource page on Cumberland Soccer website Review and discuss any changes in interpretation of the Laws of the Game, as approved by the Canadian Soccer Association and/or the Ontario Soccer Association

6. Coach Education ©2015 Chris Wade Implemented in 2015, the Head Referee hosted sessions for both Competitive and Recreational coaches. The goal was to discuss how best to work with referees. This discussion included topics such as: Common complaints by coaches about referees Common areas of dispute Discussion of common misunderstood interpretation of the laws of the game Who can approach the referee and when How to provide feedback (good and bad) on a game official

7. Referee Mentor program In 2015, the Ontario Soccer Association began piloting a program to offer training for referees on how to be a referee mentor. The Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association (EODSA) was selected as a district to pilot the program. Cumberland Soccer strongly supports this approach to ongoing referee development and had eight referees participate in the training. The goal was to provide every new referee (SSG and Entry level) with at least one opportunity to have a mentor present at a game. These mentors would help in the development of new referees by providing feedback, answering questions and potentially relating some of their own experience. In its first season the Cumberland referee mentor program was able to cover approximately 70% of new referees. ©2015 Chris Wade

8. Referee of the Year award Implemented in 2015, this award acknowledges professionalism and dedication in officiating. It is awarded to a first year referee in recognition of their effort and development throughout the season. ©2015 Chris Wade

9. Game Assignments The objective in assigning games to referees is to aid in their development. The goals are: Provide them assignments in line with their capabilities Provide opportunities to expand their skills, through assignment to more challenging games and/or assignment to competitive games. In an effort to promote women in soccer, one of our objectives is to assign female referees to female games, where possible. For younger ages this helps encourage females to become game officials. Almost 1/3 of Cumberland referees in 2015 were women. ©2015 Chris Wade

10. Periodic emails during the season, summarizing observations by mentors and coaches. Typically these focus on reminders of rules and/or any updates from the district Rule summaries and referee updates posted under the Referee Resources section of the club website. End of year “season in review” session Solicit feedback on summer programs and ways to improve Discuss notable experiences over the summer season, both positive and negative. Discuss and review winter development program and officiating opportunities Present Referee of the year award Ongoing Communication and resources

11. ©2015 Chris Wade Expand Referee Mentor program This program will be rolled out province wide in 2016. In 2015, with only eight mentors, a pooled approach was used. For 2016, we will recruit and train more mentors, with a goal of moving to assigning mentors to a small number of referees, providing the new referees with an ongoing contact through the season for questions or feedback The Ontario Soccer Association will also be rolling out a pilot of the Referee Coaching program. Our goal will be to continue being a pioneer and participate in the pilot of this program in 2016. Next Steps

12. ©2015 Chris Wade Increase Referee Communication Roll out Cumberland Referee Facebook page. Solicit feedback on potential mid-season referee meeting Identify small number of younger referees to provide referee development opportunity with the ERSL Winter league Quantify Cumberland referee participation in the EODSA referee Winter Development Program and look for ways to encourage/increase participation Next Steps