With the clock ticking down to the last seconds and a player going down in the box, one whistle could change the game’s outcome. Who has the power to make that call? The referee.
Referees are part of every high school soccer match and often play a crucial role in the game’s outcome. Whether that means managing a clean and fair game or stopping a match from getting out of control, they often face scrutiny from players, coaches and parents. Yet these referees are not on the field solely to make these tough calls. In reality, they are driven by their passion for soccer and the differences they are making on the field.
Referee Andrew Bondarowicz has been in the game for over 20 years now. He began his career as a referee in his late twenties. “I was working full-time and going to law school four nights a week. So, refereeing was a way not only to get some scheduled exercise but also to be a ‘release’ of sorts. It also allowed me to stay close to the sport that I grew up on,” he said.
Another high school referee, Rich Pardo, described a similarly meaningful reason that he became a referee. “I became a referee because after I aged out of being my daughter’s coach, I wanted a way to stay involved in the game, and I knew that referees were in need, so that’s why I decided to become a referee. I enjoy being part of the game. I look at it as a service, even though I’m getting paid to do it, and I enjoy the exercise. It’s several different things that I enjoy,” Pardo said.
People like Bondarowicz and Pardo have to go through training before they can become referees. They have to take tests to judge their knowledge of the game, and participate in field training as well. Especially for high school games, the setup is different because most games require only two referees, whereas in professional soccer matches, there are always three referees on the field.
The number of referees available for high school soccer games is lower than the referees in demand. Both Bondarowicz and Pardo cite the game times and pressure as one of the reasons that this may be the case. “As participation in sports grows, you do need to grow the supply of officials. Therefore, you could often have a scarcity problem at times, as well as distribution issues. High school games are often in the afternoon, so availability can be an issue as referees with full-time jobs can make it difficult to be there for a 4:00 p.m. start. Many referees and officials are retirees, so mobility can become an issue, too. So, you constantly need to be recruiting new referees to meet demand and needs,” Bondarowicz said.
Pardo added that “People also get burnt out from being constantly questioned and yelled at. You’ll notice that most younger referees, like high school age referees, don’t last because of that, because they’re just intimidated and sick of hearing the abuse. You have to have a certain mentality to be a referee.”
The mentality that Pardo cites for referees is one that should be made up of composure and balance. Especially for high school games, dealing with older players can be tough, as many will try and challenge calls. “You have to be focused, and you have to be on top of everything; you can’t afford to let things go because that’s how matches spiral out of control,” Pardo said.
“Being an official, there are days when you feel like you see everything perfectly. You call a good game, don’t miss any calls and get to walk off the field unnoticed. Those are the good days,” Pardo said.
Senior varsity soccer captain Callie Schmidt described the relationship between players and referees as often “very hostile and tense.” When calls go wrong, Schmidt says that “players become charged with energy and anger, leading to more emotionally driven playing.” Because calls do have a weight in the outcome of the game, there is often disagreement and a lack of understanding between players and referees.
Despite being a referee for over 20 years, Bondarowicz says that there is always room to learn and grow. “You have better and worse games, and you replay them in your head to learn from them: How did I handle a situation? How was it different from other instances? What could I have done or said differently? It’s your personal version of Google Reviews. So, each game is an opportunity to get better – even after doing thousands of games,” Bondarowicz said.
Even though referees do not always make the right decisions, similar to players in the heat of the moment, their passion for the game is reflected in their dedication to their job and to the teams that they referee.
“When a coach that just lost a game comes up to you after the game to thank you and tell you that you did a ‘great job,’ that is probably the best reaction you can expect,” Bondarowicz said.
