March 29, 2004

Referee Fee Schedule for Spring Season

Referee fees will remain as follows for the spring season in the State Competition League:

U11-U14: $40.00 total; $20.00 per team
U15-19: $55.00 total; $27.50 per team

At its January meeting, the Board of Directors clarified this referee fee schedule for the State Competition League. There had apparently been some confusion during the fall season about the rate for officials in the U15 through U19 age groups.

The confusion apparently arose from an effort two years ago by the Board of Directors to make the payment of fees more convenient for teams and officials. In the U15 through U19 age groups, the fee was originally set at $55.00 per game. When this fee is split between two teams and then divided among three officials, the parties found themselves reduced to exchanging quarters.

At the March 21, 2002 meeting of the Board of Directors, a motion was reportedly passed to revise the payment scale to eliminate the need for coins. Unfortunately, while the minutes from two years ago indicate that a proposal was passed by the Board, the minutes do not indicate a specific amount for the match fee. As a result, many interpreted the Board's action to have increased the fee to $58.00.

The Board addressed the situation during its meeting in January. Rather than immediately increase the fee to $58.00, the Board elected to wait until the fall season to officially change the fee from $55.00 to $58.00 for the U15 though U19 games in the State Competition League.

Coaches and referees are therefore reminded that the game fee will be $55/match in the U15 through U19 age groups during the spring season. Coaches are asked to submit a report to the State Office in the event that any referee refuses to accept this fee or demands more from the teams in order to officiate an assigned match. Any referee who might engage in such conduct will be subject to discipline by the Utah Youth Soccer Association and/or the State Referee Committee.