VYSA WORKSHOP

January 23-24, 2009 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Arlington, VA

Don’t forget about the VYSA Workshop and Awards Luncheon that will be held January 23-24, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

There will be many referee sessions intended for both the youth and adult referees in our program.  Special guest presenter will be Herb Silva, currently a member of the National Staff of US Soccer for referee programs where he serves in the capacity of Associate Manager of Assessment and Training.  Mr. Silva is also a National Instructor, National Assessor, and National Emeritus Referee.  He has certification as an indoor referee, is a youth-licensed coach, and recipient of the 2006 Eddie Pearson Award.   Mr. Silva will be conducting three sessions at the Workshop this year.

Also conducting a referee session, we are pleased to have Bill Dittmar, one of our own National Referees who has been an MLS referee since 1996, having officiated over 100 MLS matches.  In addition, Bill is a high school coach and former collegiate player.

Finally, we are glad for the opportunity to have presentations by other participants in our referee program.  Bob Perry, Paul Mungra, and Alan Liotta have agreed to speak on various topics intended for youth referees.

Referee Sessions  

Foul Severity Determination- Herb Silva  This session will cover how referees learn to determine the severity of fouls and how to apply the penalities uniformly.

Youth Referee Session: Managing the Match, Dealing with Sideline Behavior - Bob Perry
Bob Perry, former US Soccer National Director of Referee Assessment, will speak to young and inexperienced referees about how to manage the match beyond the Laws of the Game.

Communication Skills - Herb Silva  Herb will talk to referees about "Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk".  

Youth Referee Session-Referee Certification and Re-Certification - Paul Mungra
Paul Mungra, State Director of Referee Instruction, will speak about the certification and re-certification of referees and referee development.

What’s in it for me, the Referee? - Bill Dittmar
A look into the various reasons why completely sane people become referees. In this session, Bill will examine the physical, intellectual, and spiritual benefits derived through being a soccer official.

Youth Referee Session: How to Have a Successful First Match - Alan Liotta and Ted Longworth
This session is geared to teen referees and newly certified adult referees to help them enjoy their early referee experiences. 

Focus Criteria - Herb Silva
This session will give points of emphasis for referees showing updates for 2008-2009.

For registration information and everything else you need to know about attending the Workshop, please go to the VYSA website at www.vysa.com.

Hope to see you there!