The HSSOA rating system is the product of multiple seasons of effort between the current and previous development teams and the assigning team. We’ve received several questions about the system, and we are happy to provide answers.

First and foremost, we fully expect some of our referees to be dissatisfied with their ratings. We all strive to be the best, and we have confidence in our abilities – that’s a key feature in a good referee. However, each referee is at a different stage of their development and has different strengths and weaknesses. Good referees are honest with themselves about the areas they need to improve, and we are here to help you identify them and improve.

Second, the ratings are intended to change over time. If you don’t like your current rating, you can work to improve your performance, and you will see an improved score. If you don’t know why your rating is lower than you think it should be, you can request mentor feedback and/or an assessment to get individualized feedback and tips on how to improve. Our development team includes USSF National referees, USSF Regional referees, NISOA referees, USSF referee coaches, and USSF referee mentors. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience and share a common passion for helping their fellow referees improve and develop. Use them as a resource!

Third, we spent countless hours over the summer soliciting feedback from HSSOA and USSF assignors to create the initial ratings. No system is perfect, but we stand behind our process and make every effort to make objective, reasonable, and fair assessments of each official. More information about our rating system, as well as detailed information about the criteria we use can be found here.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bNTgSs55NVtpaRRR6RZourGD1MHZjGMGmp62qXO1LD8/edit?usp=sharing

Finally, these ratings cover your performance and professionalism on and off the field. Referees who habitually show up to their games less than 30 minutes before kickoff, wear improper uniforms (or wear non-prescription sunglasses or hats that aren’t all black), or frequently turn back games they’ve already accepted may find that they have lower ratings than they otherwise expected.

We are excited to help each of you improve as a referee over the course of this season. That will work best if you keep an open mind, accept feedback with humility, and are willing to put in some work to get better. Please let us know how else we can help you develop!

HSSOA Development Team:

Chris Dachniwsky – VP Development

Ruben Campillo – Director of Training

Sean Caouette – Director of Assessment