REFEREE INCENTIVE PROGRAM
At its August 16, 2007 Executive Committee meeting, the Austin Men's Soccer Association raised its base pay for AMSA officials. Starting with the fall season, centers will get $40 per game (up from $34), lines $25 per game (up from $22), and single refs $50 (up from $40).
In addition to raising the base pay, AMSA is starting an incentive bonus system for higher grade officials. Grade 7 refs will receive a $3 bonus for each game, grade 6 and 5 refs will receive a $5 bonus, and Grade 4 refs and above will receive a $10 bonus.
Basic referee pay will still be paid by teams at the fields. Bonuses will be paid by a check from the association at the end of the respective season (fall, spring, summer).
The AMSA Executive Committee also approved resuming having a referee hospitality area at Onion Creek when the weather permits. Last year's efforts in this area were suspended when a cold front destroyed our hospitality tent. We hope to avoid this problem in the future.
In approving the pay raise and bonus system, the AMSA Executive Committee has established several new conditions related to AMSA officiating:
1. For every game a referee centers, he or she will be expected to turn in an official AMSA game report including any player cards collected during the games. These materials need to be either turned in to the AMSA Referee Coordinator at the field (for OCSC) or mailed to the new AMSA postal address. To facilitate this process, AMSA will distribute postage-paid business reply envelopes for refs to use when reports and cards need to be mailed in. Game reports and cards will no longer be accepted at Soccer USA.
2. If the AMSA Referee Assignor has not received a referee's game reports by the Wednesday following game day, the Assignor has been instructed to not schedule that referee for the following week's games. If after resuming officiating, a referee continues to not submit game reports and cards in a timely fashion, he or she will be removed from the AMSA referee pool. No incentive bonuses will be paid for any week game reports and cards are not turned in on time.
3. Starting in the fall season, AMSA is instituting its own Referee Assessment Program primarily-but not exclusively-designed to evaluate the performance of Grade 8 and any non-certified referees. Assessments will NOT be used in any way to determine referee pay but will be used to (a.) help AMSA refs improve their officiating skills, (b.) determine at what levels refs should be officiating, and (c.) in extreme instances, decide whether a particular ref can continue officiating AMSA games.
If any of you are interested in becoming AMSA Assessors, please contact either the AMSA Referee Assignor or AMSA Referee Development Coordinator.
The Austin Men's Soccer Association very much appreciates the work our referees have done for the league. Hopefully this pay raise, the incentive bonus system, and the resumption of the hospitality area at Onion Creek will in some small way show you our appreciation.