Marian University, Saturday August 6th, 2022 – Indiana State Referee Association successfully implemented a recertification clinic for referees thanks to Marian University for hosting the event. 

The recertification course was attended by 30 referees, District Referee Administrators.  Jeff Mellen from U.S. Soccer was the Lead Instructor. 

A total of 28 referees walked away with their 2023 patches upon successful completion of the game assessment requirements, 4 hours of classroom training, passing the written exam, and completing an intense fitness testing.

It was exciting to see 10 new Advance Referees that were promoted/joined the top referees in Indiana.  It has taken them a year to prepare for the field assessments, getting 75 games as referees and 25 games as assistant referees to help them advance.  That is in addition to the written test, classroom learning, and passing the fitness test.

The day kicked off with physical testing comprising of sprints and agility testing on the track.This was followed by game and field training sessions with emphasis on simulating game situations. The afternoon was dedicated to classroom training.

Referees were split in different groups before going through physical testing.  Below is how the test was conducted:

Men’s Testing

• 40 meters sprint under 6.40 seconds 
• 75 meters-Run / 25 meters-Walk: Run 17 seconds, Walk 20 seconds (10 total lap) 

Women’s Testing

• 40 meters sprints under 6.60 seconds 
• 75 meters-Run / 25 meters-Walk: Run 17 seconds, Walk 24 seconds (10 total lap) 

“Subjecting referees to this kind of run-walk-run testing prepares the heart and body to simulate game scenarios", stated Eric Hench, The State Director of Referee Development. 

"In a typical game a referee can complete a total of 5 – 6 miles of running composed of sprints and stops and walks", added Hench.  

The classroom session covered a variety of topics including FIFA Laws of The Game latest updates. Topics included off-side, sideline behavior by spectators and coaching staff, game management skills (managing a game vs whistling to call fouls or refereeing). 

The classroom training ended with referees deliberating on different topics based on different videos scenarios projected on the large screen.

Like players who train to prepare for playing, the top/advanced Referees in Indiana take their responsibilities very seriously and spend hundreds of hours each year watching an evaluating game takes of other top referees in the country and the world.  The Referees are tested on the Laws of the Game, coached to apply the Laws of The Game correctly, and are put through intense physical testing.