Recruiting and retaining a diverse team of referees

• To inform program design for other organizations exploring innovative approaches to grow and diversify participation, especially among referees.
• When considering how we can better engage and create a sense of community for and with our referees.
• To demonstrate how ITG funding supports sustainable and inclusive soccer programs.

It couples highly targeted and specific engagement work, alongside very creative larger scale events and community building. It’s a case study full of innovative approaches to referee training and development that other organizations can learn from and adapt.

• How will your program address barriers to diversifying refereeing in your community? Are you speaking to the communities you want to recruit referees from? 
• What community level partnerships will be needed to help recruit and retain referees from a range of backgrounds over the long term?
• Do you have feedback loops in place so that you are consistently connected to insight from active referees themselves? 
• What would you need to adapt from this case study to make it an effective approach in your community? 

North Texas Soccer is an active member of U.S. Soccer committed to growing the game through innovative programming and community partnerships. They oversee the game for pver 125,000 registered players, and over 110 Member Associations that maintain a large volunteer base of coaches and program administrators. North Texas Soccer’s driving purpose is to ensure that each participant has an enjoyable soccer experience while moving toward his or her personal goal. To learn more visit ntxsoccer.org.