One of the prouder moments I've had as a referee came this fall, when my 14-year-old son, at the beginning of his second season as a referee, worked a line opposite me on a U-19 girls game. At the end, one of the coaches made a point of telling him he did a good job. To see the pleased, surprised smile slowly spread across his face was a great moment. If younger referees have the ability and confidence to work higher age group games as ARs, it can be beneficial to their growth. However, that should be balanced against the potential for coaches/parents to give them a hard time because of their age. The bottom line: let the younger refs push their boundaries, but monitor the first few games to make sure they're not in over their heads and they're not being abused.
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Sun Oct 27, 2002, 01:37pm
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