In the midst of one of the more exciting seasons in Broken Hill Soccer Association history, the lack of match day officials is becoming a real problem.
For the first time this year, the BHSA is putting a call out to the community for any budding referees to step forward and give them a hand.
“We do have a lot of junior referees coming through, but I only look after the seniors. And I am hesitant to move the juniors up to the seniors too quickly because it gets pretty heated out there,” BHSA Referee Coordinator, Michael Spencer, told the Truth.
Mr Spencer, along with Zane Kemp and Nathan Gagelar, are covering every senior match – that’s A-Grade, B-Grade and Women’s). It is not an ideal situation given that Zane Kemp also plays B-Grade football, tightening the reffing options even more.
So as the call for more officials goes out, it is important to remind people these are not volunteer jobs. A-Grade referees get $85 per match, while B-Grade and Women’s referees get $65 per match. Assistant referees (or linesman as they were called previously) get $30 per game.
“Sometimes kids run the lines for us and $30 is good pocket money. We had one fella do three games this past Sunday and I told him it was his shout for dinner when he was taking off,” Mr Spencer laughed.
So, if you or someone you know is keen to pick up the whistle, or you’re a youngster looking to make some pocket money by running the line as an assistant referee, give Mr Spencer a call on 0448 124 220, and he will guide you through the steps of how you can become a referee with the BHSA.
