Program Overview and Roles of the Referee In Chief and Referee Scheduler

Recruitment

Keeping a roster of qualified referees for the RMMHA usually involves recruiting new officials every year.  It is advantageous if they have prior experience, but this is not mandatory. We normally have 5 to 6 new officials each season that are completely new to this facet of the game.

We try to keep the numbers of new officials each year to the above size. There are only so many games to officiate, and the goal of our program is not to have officials quit due to lack of games to work.

Someone interested in becoming an official must be at least 14 years of age and should have good skating ability and knowledge of the game of hockey. They should view their role as one more of a volunteer who receives a modest compensation for his/her services.

If making money is the sole driving force one has in becoming an official, we try to persuade the individual to consider seeking employment from other sources. The official has to enjoy officiating and sometimes the challenges are somewhat overwhelming for the new and inexperienced official. However, the satisfaction received in the end far outweighs the challenges placed before every official.

Anyone interested in becoming an official should contact the Referee In Chief normally at the end of the current season, in consideration of joining our team next year.  He can be reached at both 838-4834 and arthay@sympatico.ca .

Supervising

Supervising is a formal approach we have to assess the capacity of each official and assist the official in bringing his/her game up to the next level. There are three to four of our senior officials who supervise on a continuing basis. Usually all three officials (referee and two linesmen) are supervised during the same game that they are working. All facets of their game are covered including positioning, feel for the game, judgement, penalty selection calls, ability to handle pressure situations and many other key areas. The assessment is completed on an official ODMHA supervision sheet and is forwarded to our District RIC and the ODHMA office.

The information contained within the assessments is strictly confidential between the official and supervisor and is copied to the ODMHA Official's Program. There is a 15 to 20 minute interview with the official immediately upon conclusion of the hockey game. The official is provided with feedback that includes two areas of his/her game that had been noted as strong and two suggested areas that may require some improvement.

It is our goal each year to supervise all new and intermediate officials a minimum of three times.

We are very fortunate to have Bob Dungey in Richmond as part of our officials team and in his role as one of the Supervisors. Bob has over 20 years of officiating experience and at one time worked as a Level 4 official (qualified to referee at the Junior hockey level) in Winnipeg. After moving to Ottawa in the 1980's, he managed the supervision program in Orleans that covered the development of over 130 officials.

Communications

The Referee In Chief acts as the interface with the hockey community at large. This means communicating with RMMHA executive committee members, coaches, managers and parents. Not everyone understands officiating as well as officials, so it is our responsibility to attempt to break down the barriers of communication so that we are all hopefully on the same page.

This takes time and a willingness for all parties to address issues with an open mind, and to keep in mind that all of us have the same goal..... that is, to provide a fair and safe environment for children to play the game of hockey, and above all, to have FUN.

Acting upon a suggestion from the RMMHA Executive at the end of last season, we had a very successful meeting with the coaches of the RMMHA. There was open and frank discussion from both sides, and it really improved the communications and understanding of each of our roles and challenges within the game of hockey.

We plan to have two similar sessions again this season, one before the Christmas break and another in late March.

Also, two to three coaches are randomly invited to attend the monthly Officials Meetings. Again, every little bit helps in improving communications and the understanding of everyone’s role.

Management of RMMHA Official’s Program

Officials have monthly meetings usually during the first week of every month. This is where direction is provided to the team regarding any issues that seem to be surfacing more than normal. We also encourage open dialogue so that all officials have an opportunity to raise questions and concerns.

The Referee In Chief provides direction to the Referee Scheduler regarding the capacity level of each official. This assists her in ensuring that each official works at the level of hockey consistent with their ability.

The Referee In Chief reports directly to the President & Executive of the RMMHA and receives functional direction from the Referee In Chief of District 4 (T.J. Moffatt) and the Referee In Chief of the ODMHA (Mark Gallant).

The RMMHA Officials are responsible for officiating house level hockey within the jurisdiction of the RMMHA from Novice up to and including Juvenile games.

2003/04 Roster

The RMMHA currently has 23 officials on the roster  - four Level 3 officials, nine level 2 officials and ten Level One officials.

There are seven first year officials with us this season.

We also have a small number of alternate officials from Stittsville who help us out when we are short handed, especially at the midget and juvenile levels.

Referee In Chief vs Referee Scheduler

The Referee Scheduler is vital to the efficient operation of our program. The scheduler is responsible for assigning officials and informing officials of any late changes. She also works closely with the Treasurer of the RMMHA, to reconcile monthly records so that officials are compensated, consistent with their assignments.

This position requires, at a minimum, between 40 to 50 hours of volunteer time each and every month. We can never thank the volunteer in this position enough for the time and effort they expend to ensure that we have games covered each and every day.

The scheduler manages the game assignments. The Referee In Chief addresses all other issues including complaints (and of course they take compliments as well!).