Jimmy Brooks began refereeing as a Grade 8 referee in New Hampshire at the age of 11 in 1992. In 2001 he attained the status of a New Hampshire State Referee. Now, as a current National Official in the Assistant Referee track, he discusses his career to date, including developmental experiences, mentorship, and many other topics (listed below).
Most of the points addressed during this episode touch on refereeing issues and challenges for adult amateur and professional level matches. However, they also apply quite well to youth level matches.
Other topics or references mentioned:
- Referee vs. Assistant Referee roles and responsibilities
- Referee Mentorship
- National Referee Fitness Test
- PDL: Premier Developmental League, a development league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league system. PDL is currently considered the top-level men's amateur soccer competition in the United States, although it has no official designation as such from US Soccer.
- Player gamesmanship
- Referee self-evaluation
- Player communication
- Professional Referees Organization (PRO)
- Referee Abuse
About PRO
The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is the organization responsible for managing the referee and assistant referee program in professional soccer leagues in the United States and Canada, working alongside the U.S. Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, Canadian Soccer Association, the North American Soccer League, United Soccer League PRO, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The organization’s targets are to increase the quality of officiating in U.S. and Canadian professional leagues, develop more professional-quality officials at a younger age, and produce officials who will represent the United States and Canada in FIFA competitions.
New Hampshire State Referees Committee
https://sites.google.com/site/nhreferee
