Mentor/Mentee Program

[billyu2]

I think you are definitely on the right track. I might suggest not limiting your mentors to just "current" referees. There may be some excellent retired officials in your area that would be strong candidates to help out. Plus, they may have more time to put into the development of the newer official. I would strongly encourage your mentors to use their smart phones to take pictures rather than trying to jot down notes. Pictures say exactly what one is trying to scribble down and takes a fraction of the time. Pictures can show when an official is out of position, a late rotation, failure to close down, a head coach well out of the box, a head coach and assistant both standing and coaching, cheerleaders too close to the end line during play, obvious uniform infractions and a possession arrow that has not been switched among other things. If you need to take notes do those on the phone as well. They are easy to revise and correct following the game and can be easily sent to the newer official if requested.