Committees
High School Soccer Officials of Central Florida
(2023–2024)
- Evaluation & Assessment Committee
- Assignment Committee
- Recommendation Committee
- Grievance Committee
- Education and Training Committee
- Mentoring and Information Resource Committee
The following committees are required, as a minimum, by FHSAA: Evaluation, Assignment, Recommendations, Grievance, and Education. These committees exist to ensure that each local officials association operates in a fair and democratic manner that is in the best interest of each of its member officials. Neither the members of the Board of Directors nor the Assignor may serve as a voting member of any of these committees. No member of HSSOCF may serve as a voting member on more than one committee. Committees must consist of at least three to five members. Committee members shall be appointed annually by the Board of Directors from a listing of members volunteering for consideration. Should an insufficient number of volunteers be forthcoming, the Board of Directors may make direct appointments to fill committee vacancies.
Evaluation and Assessment Committee
The main goal of the Evaluation and Assessment Committee is to help assure the association supplies competent referees for the level of the games the association is assigning. Another goal is to develop and challenge each individual referee to improve his or her ability and the knowledge of the rules. The Evaluation and Assessment Committee must work closely with the Assignment Committee and the Education and Mentoring Committee.
The Evaluation and Assessment Committee is responsible for setting up the process and selecting individuals who will assist in the assessment of HSSOCF members. Each individual used as an assessor (evaluator) must have completed, as a minimum, an HSSOCF sponsored assessor (evaluator) training class. Use of HSSOCF member assessors trained through the National Federation, NISOA, or U. S. Soccer will also be considered. The use of past members that may no longer be refereeing games on the field is acceptable with the approval of the Board of Directors provided that that assessor joins FHSAA, attends the rules clinic, and takes the FHSAA high school rules exam. At the option of the Board of Directors, the HSSOCF dues may be waived and these assessors placed on Honorary Membership status. These conditions were established since it was felt that anyone assessing must be current in the specific high school rules in order to do proper high school evaluations.
Initially the pre-season ranking of each official will be made by the Evaluation and Assessment Committee and reviewed by the Assignor and the Board of Directors for any possible modifications. The committee will come up with guidelines and criteria for making the initial season rating of each official based on such things as each referee’s experience, ability, test scores and fitness. Each individual should know their own rating, if they request it, but not that of anyone else. Ratings may be changed up or down during the season by the committee or the Board based on events that occur during the year.
An official’s rating is used as a guide to the assignor in assigning games to individual officials. There is no requirement for officials to have mandatory assessments (evaluations) if that individual official is content with his assigned pre-season rating. Periodic evaluations are encouraged, however, in order that each official may have an opportunity to improve their field mechanics. Members desiring to improve their ranking within HSSOCF must request a formal assessment in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Evaluation and Assessment Committee. The member requesting a formal assessment will be liable to pay an amount equal to one half ( ½ ) the game fee to the assigned assessor.
(Chairman: TBD – contact vicepresident@hssocf.com if interested)
Assignment Committee
The Assignment Committee is responsible for reviewing and overseeing the regular season game assignments established by the Assignor prior to the Assignor issuing the game assignment list to the members. This includes ensuring compliance with requirements on the composition of officiating crews, reviewing and approving each member official’s schedule of assigned contests, and making the Assignor aware of any corrections that need to be made before the assignment schedule is issued to the membership. It is not implied that the Assignment Committee is to make assignments, but must take into account the rules for assigning that are established by FHSAA and those rules listed in the FHSAA Official’s Guidebook. In addition, criteria for assigning established by HSSOCF must also be considered as long as they are not in conflict with FHSAA requirements. Game assignments made by the Assignor will be based on established criteria and guidelines that include such things as each referee’s experience, ability, FHSAA and HSSOCF ranking, test scores and fitness. Any Committee recommendations for game assignment changes must be made to the Assignor based upon the established criteria and not their opinion of a particular referee.
Field Inspection Committee
(Chairman: TBD – contact vicepresident@hssocf.com if interested)
Recommendation Committee
The Recommendation Committee is responsible for reviewing all members meeting the guidelines established by FHSAA and HSSOCF, and for making a list of members that they feel should be recommended to FHSAA to officiate post season games. The guidelines and criteria for selecting members must be established by the committee based on the FHSAA requirements listed in the FHSAA Official’s Guidebook and any requirements established by the HSSOCF Board of Directors. These guidelines (but not specific member rankings) will be available to the general membership and will include such things as each referee’s experience, ability, FHSAA and HSSOCF ranking, HSSOCF meeting attendance, Field Clinic and Rules Clinic attendance, test scores and fitness.
The Recommendation Committee is responsible for preparing a preliminary draft of members that they feel should be recommended to FHSAA to officiate post season games. The Recommendation Committee, Assignor and Board of Directors will meet and discuss the recommendations of the committee, and establish a final list of officials that they feel deserve consideration by FHSAA for assignment to State Series contests. The final list will be submitted to FHSAA by the President or his designate on the required FHSAA form in the time required.
(Chairman: TBD – contact vicepresident@hssocf.com if interested)
Grievance Committee
The Grievance and Suggestion Committee is responsible for hearing complaints and appeals made or brought by one or more member officials, schools receiving the services of HSSOCF, coaches, or any party with vested interest. Any committee member, who is party to a particular complaint or appeal, must excuse himself or herself from any deliberations on that matter. All complaints to the Grievance Committee must be in writing, stating the complaint and the facts of the incident. The individual whom the complaint is directed towards must have the opportunity to respond in writing to the complaint. The Grievance Committee will review the facts, taking into consideration all the circumstances and background of all individuals involved in the incident, and shall make their recommendations to the Board of Directors.
Another function of the Grievance and Suggestion Committee is to keep a pulse on the membership, and to investigate and report to the Board any ideas or suggestions for improvement (or complaints). (Quite often people complain and never say anything to the leadership of the association.) The Committee may use such techniques as surveys, polling the membership on any specific issue, or by just talking to individual members. If a topic is determined to warrant further investigation by the Committee and the Board, a special purpose committee may be formed to investigate and recommend specific action on the topic to the Board for presentation to the membership.
(Chairman: Brion Berman)
Education and Training Committee
The Education and Training Committee is responsible for educating FHSAA Officials in the rules of the sport of soccer. It is important that each FHSAA Official has a thorough knowledge of the rules before he or she officiates his or her first contest and takes the FHSAA rules exam. The Education and Training Committee shall work with other committees to determine the educational needs of the association. The Education and Training Committee shall aid the Vice President in his duties as Rules Interpreter for the association. The committee may be presented with play situations that will require research. The Education and Training Committee will aid the Vice President, as requested, in the educational portion of the general meeting.
The Education and Training Committee is responsible for developing an overall education plan for the association each year. This plan shall encompass the training of new officials to the association and the sport of soccer, as well as advanced training for experienced officials. This plan shall be presented to the Vice President and Board of Directors for review and approval. One of the goals of the committee is to assure each official passes the required FHSAA rules exam and is adequately prepared to take the field to officiate a contest.
(Chairman: Rick Richardson)
Field Inspection Committee
The Field Inspection Committee is responsible for pre-season inspection of the fields at each individual high school based on established rules for safety and field dimensions. Rules on playing field recommendations are listed in the Soccer Rules Book and Official’s Guidebook, additional criteria to assure safety may also be established by FHSAA or HSSOCF. It is the Committee’s responsibility to report in writing any out of compliance conditions at any school to the appropriate school administrator (probably the Athletic Director or Principal) and to the HSSOCF Board of Directors. Severe safety conditions that yield “A NO PLAY UNTIL FIXED” status must be immediately reported to the respective school administration, the HSSOCF Board of Directors, and the Assignor. The Committee must also establish guidelines and a method for each individual member to report playing field and site concerns to the HSSOCF leadership during the regular season. These concerns will be reviewed, and where corrections are required, the administration at the school in default will be contacted for a corrective action plan.
(Chairman: Tom Miscannon)
Mentoring and Information Resource Committee
Experienced Official will be assigned a new Official to help answer any questions and to train the new Official to become better.
(Chairman: TBD)