Join the Junior Referee Program training program

Pike Soccer has begun a Junior Referee Program under the guidance of Georgia Soccer and U.S. Soccer in response to the nationwide shortage of sports officials in all sports.

The first class will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 15 at the new Pike County Community Center at the recreation department’s soccer park.

“This is a program for our younger players, aged 9-12. We put them through a precertification class to teach them the basics of refereeing a game, then put them on the field to get some experience,” said Pike Soccer’s president Don Bohensky.

“They will begin refereeing in our Under 6 group to gain experience.”

To register for the Junior Referee Program, email Don Bohensky at donbohensky@pikesoccer.org and George Danner at gbocce@comcast.net to get on the list.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience with these young referees. Just as the young players are learning to play the game, the young referees are learning how to referee,” said Bohensky.

Once completed, their first game assignments will begin in March.

This program is sanctioned by U.S. Soccer and is designed to begin developing referees at a young age and to insure long term availability of referees.