Referees Given Opportunity to Shine at NCFC Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase

Published in Partnership with NCFC Youth

The off-season is typically an opportunity to rest and recover, however this December, there will be some eager officials who will use this time as an opportunity to excel.

This year, in collaboration with North Carolina FC Youth (NCFC Youth) and their annual visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series which brings in nearly 1,600 youth teams and 500 college coaches over four weekends of play, the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) is proud to once again hold its College Cup Seminar. Teams participating in the visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series can look forward to a premier match experience, elevated by the presence of top-tier officiating through this partnership. Due to this collaboration and prior seminar success, the event will be expanded to both the Women’s and Men’s NCAA College Cup weekends, which are both hosted in Cary, NC.

“At NCFC Youth, we are committed to providing not only the best possible experience for our players, families, and college coaches, but also for our referees, as they play a critical role in the success of these events,” said Bryan Bachelder, Director of Administration. “The collaboration with NISOA shows our commitment to creating a world class environment featuring the best competition, officiating, and recruiting opportunities in the country.”

(+Players to Watch: North Carolina FC Youth 2024 Girls College Showcase)

While officiating matches at the visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, 30-hand selected college soccer officials from across the country will travel to North Carolina to be observed and provided instruction by world class referee mentors. Referees will gain valuable knowledge from FIFA, PRO (Professional Referee Organization), US Soccer National Coaches, NISOA National Clinicians, NCAA Coordinators, and Conference Coordinators to be the very best soccer officials they can be. The expansive list of referee mentors are not the only impressive guests coming to Raleigh for this extraordinary opportunity, but so are the keynote speakers for Saturday evening’s event.

Keynotes for the NISOA Seminars will be delivered by two FIFA World Cup Final Referees. The Women’s College Cup keynote address will be given by 2015 Women’s World Cup Referee Kateryna Monzul from Ukraine. Recently coming off her tenure as a FIFA Instructor at the Paris Olympics, she will join officials to share her perspective of being a top match official in the world. A week later at the Men’s College Cup, the keynote address will be given by the legendary match official from Italy, Nicola Rizzoli, who notably officiated the 2014 Men’s World Cup Final between Germany and Argentina, and more recently in his position as Head of Refereeing at Concacaf, is focused on developing the next generation of world class officials.

“It’s not often two World Cup Final Referees will be in one place, and NISOA is honored to be able to bring this unique experience and opportunity to hear from the world’s best right here in The Triangle” said Jude Carr, Vice President of NISOA. “We’re thrilled to partner with NCFC Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series to add a new dimension to the event, allowing officials to take the pitch and show off their skills first-hand.”

At both the women’s and men’s events, match officials will be observed, creating opportunities to learn on the job from some of the best in the business, including Alex Prus head of PRO2 and former MLS Referee, as well as John Collins NCAA National Coordinator, Carmen Serbio ACC Coordinator, Karen Coulson (Abt) RMAC Coordinator, Chris Penso AAC Coordinator, Cien Asoera Big 10 Coordinator, and many more. These events will not only create connections with fellow officials and key stakeholders across the soccer landscape, but also provide learning experiences for the officials in the Triangle.

“Working with NISOA allows us to attract and develop top referees from across the country while also investing in the growth of our local referee pool,” said NCFC Youth Director of Referees Brian Miller. “Together, we’re raising the standard of officiating and creating opportunities for referees to excel at every level.”

This will be the fourth edition of the Women’s College Cup NISOA Seminar and for the first time, NISOA will have a full class of 100% female participants, all hand-selected from Conference Coordinators, NCAA and NISOA National Staff to represent a promising group of up-and-coming officials who aspire to work at the NCAA College Cup level. The women’s seminar will have a specific agenda tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities that female match officials are presented in today’s game. A richly curated educational agenda including special guests such as nutritionists, sports scientists, and world-class speakers to discuss topics like nutrition for women athletes, to building your brand will help these officials take the field with confidence.

“With less than 10% of all college match officials today being female, we have an obligation to develop this underserved, yet growing sector of match officials,” added Jude Carr. “We are able to provide these uniquely targeted opportunities thanks to partners like WAGS (Women And Girls in Soccer) who have helped sponsor soon-to-be mothers to be able to attend.”

Together, NCFC Youth and NISOA are proud to foster an environment where players, coaches, and referees alike can enjoy an unparalleled soccer experience, ensuring that everyone involved leaves the field inspired and excited for the future of the game.

About NISOA: NISOA is an NFP organization of roughly 5,000 match officials nationwide who serve the collegiate game. NISOA’s Mission: Identify and recruit officials for the collegiate game while progressively developing NISOA members to their highest potential through collaboration initiatives. More can be found out at NISOA.com.

About NCFC Youth: NCFC Youth is a non-profit youth soccer organization who serves nearly 17,000 youth players through all levels of programming each year. Founded in 1974, the youth club hosts tournaments throughout the year, including the annual NCFC Youth visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, which welcomes nearly 1,600 teams across four weekends of play. NCFC Youth is dedicated to providing positive, high-quality soccer at all levels of play and serving as a valuable community partner. To learn more, visit NCFCyouth.com.