"Soccer: Your game for life"

Must time is spent from many of us discussing either the youth game, or the professional and international game. There are times it can be easy to forget the space in between where there are tens of thousands of players in the US, and no doubt millions across the globe.

This space is where the adult players reside.

It is my opinion that no referee is ready for "the big time" unless they have a healthy diet of "adult" matches under their belt. I place adult in quotes because I am referring to chronological age only and not behavior patters as frankly some of the most childish behavior I have seen has been during these matches. Which is exactly why it is critical for referees to get experience in them.

Much is said about US Youth Soccer and AYSO, the youth organizations in the US that support THE game, and rightly so as these are huge mechanisms that keep the youth engaged and excited about THE game. This is no small feat as soccer is the most played sport in the US for the youth.

In "the gap" as it were (which is really funny as this "gap" is the largest chronological span in a players life) is the adult game. Here, the USASA has purview as the keeper of the adult game, with the (very appropriate) tagline "Soccer - your game for life."

While I think we hear less about these folks, they play a vital role in preserving continuity in THE game. After all, where does one play after U-19? Here is where the USASA provides a venue for competition after ones "youth."

As you would expect, there is a critical need for referees to service THE game at this level. As you also would expect, there is a referee committee made up of some of the best and brightest administrators to assure referees are well represented and THE game is cared for. A listing of these folks is here.

You may note a familiar name.

Indeed, Massachusetts SRA, Andy Weiss has been named as the Region I referee administrator for the USASA. Please join me in congratulating him to his, additional, new post.

I am confident he will be the guardian of THE adult game for the USASA, as he has done throughout his career for Massachusetts.