8/1/2009 - Substitution Procedures in Wisconsin -

Referees: You may wish to print this out and bring it with you to your games in case of confusion with the new substitution procedures in Wisconsin. Referees are encouraged to briefly discuss this with both coaches prior to the beginning of each match early in the season to avoid confusion during play.

Substitution Rule Change – Effective August 1st, 2009 The WYSA Board of Directors at its June 2009 meeting modified the "at any stoppage" substitution rule enacted for the 2008-2009 soccer season. The change in the substitution rule pertains to all leagues and tournaments, with the exception of the WYSA State Championship Tournament. The modification to the substitution rule reads as following: Substitutions may be made prior to a throw-in in favor of your team, prior to a goal kick by either team, following a goal by either team, following an injury to a player from either team or at half time. Substitutions may also be made for your team on the opposing team’s throw-in if the opposing team also has a player at the half-way line. This rule is effective for the 2009-2010 soccer season beginning August 1st, 2009.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS IN WISCONSIN
Q. Can a team substitute while the ball is in play (i.e. on the fly)?
A. NO! Substitutions can only take place during a stoppage of play.

Q. Can a referee deny a substitution request?
A. No, assuming all of the procedural requirements (see Law 3 below) have been met. However, if the substitutes are not ready when the game is stopped, the requirements have not been met. This is particularly important to recognize when a team wishes to take a quick restart. See 3.5 below from the ADVICE TO REFEREES ON THE LAWS OF THE GAME published by U.S. Soccer Federation.

FIFA LAWS OF THE GAME
LAW 3 – The Number of Players
Substitution Procedure
To replace a player by a substitution, the following conditions must be observed:

• the referee is informed before any proposed substitution is made
• a substitute only enters the field of play after the player is being replaced has left and after receiving a signal from the referee
• a substitute only enters the field of play at the halfway line and during a stoppage in the match
• a substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play
• from that moment, the substitute becomes a player and the player he has replaced ceases to be a player
• a player who has been replaced take no further part in the match (PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT APPLICABLE TO YOUTH OR AMATEUR GAMES IN WISCONSIN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED BY THE COMPETITION RULES SUCH AS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS – YOUTH AND AMATEUR GAMES PERMIT UNLIMITED SUBSTITUTIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED IN COMPETITION RULES)
• all substitutes are subject to the authority and jurisdiction of the referee, whether called upon to play or not

ADVICE TO REFEREE ON THE LAWS OF THE GAME
3.5 PREVENTING DELAY DURING SUBSTITUTION
Referees should prevent unnecessary delays due to the substitution process. One source of delay is a request for a substitution that occurs just as a player starts to put the ball back into play. This often (incorrectly) results in the restart being called back and retaken. Another common source of delay is a substitute who is not prepared to take the field when the request to substitute is made. In each case, the referee should order play to be restarted despite the request and inform the coach that the substitution can be made at the next opportunity. The referee shall not prevent a team from restarting play if the substitute had not reported to the appropriate official before play stopped.

State Referee Committee
Joseph Krzyzaniak, State Referee Administrator
Sue Walter, State Youth Referee Administrator
Thomas Mesalk, State Director of Assessment
Bill Vanasse, State Director of Instruction
Paul Beck, State Assignment Coordinator

1/16/2010 - State Referee Administrator - Wisconsin Soccer Referee Development Program, Inc. -

From: Joe Krzyzaniak – WI SRA

This message is being posted to clarify for members of the Wisconsin Soccer Referee Development Program confusion that has occurred due to the inappropriate email sent out to many program members by Dmitar "Mich" Jovic. The first statement is directly from the Referee Administrative Handbook. Our program currently is set up as stated below. Only the State Referee Administrator is singled out in the USSF Handbook as being a jointly appointed position by the President of the Adult and Youth Association. The other positions are appointments made within the State Referee Committee unless a single individual is named jointly by the President of the Adult and Youth Association to serve as both the Chairperson and Administrator. The second statement was issued directly to named individuals by Adrian Garibay -- Director of Registration and Referee Administration - United States Soccer Federation -- with permission to post for your clarification. Changes occurring to State Referee Committee positions would also be posted on both USSoccer.com and www.wisref.org for you to verify Federation recognized changes.

SECTION 4 of the Referee Administrative Handbook

(b) The State Referee Committee shall consist of at least the following positions: a Chairperson, the State Referee Administrator; the State Youth Referee Administrator, the State Director of Referee Instruction, the State Director of Referee Assessment, the State Assignor Coordinator, the President or a representative of the youth State Association, and the President or representative of the adult State Association. The positions of Chairperson and State Referee Administrator may be combined with the joint agreement.

1/15/2010 - Wisconsin State Referee Committee -

Contrary to what some individuals in Wisconsin have been saying and publishing, the current State Referee Committee members in Wisconsin, as recognized by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and confirmed at http://www.ussoccer.com/Referees/Referee-Development/State-Contact-Information.aspx are:

• Michael Wuertz, State Referee Committee Chairperson (SRC)
• Joseph Krzyzaniak, State Referee Administrator (SRA)
• Sue Walter, State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA)
• Thomas J. Mesalk, State Director of Assessment (SDA)
• William Vanasse, State Director of Instruction (SDI)
• Paul Beck, State Assignment Coordinator (SAC)
  Note, Paul Beck is not listed on the ussoccer.com page linked above, but properly appointed by the current SRA

11/9/2009 - Wisconsin No Longer Conducting Grade 9 Courses -

In order to increase the level of instruction and better prepare our referees for challenges on the field, we will no longer be conducting Grade 9 courses.

All individuals aspiring to become referees will attend the 16 hour Grade 8 course.

Individuals 12 and 13 will be registered as Grade 9 Recreational Referees. Upon reaching 14 years old and completing the Recertification Requirements these individuals will be advanced to Grade 8.

All individuals will take the Grade 8 exam and are expected to obtain a grade of 75 for satisfactory completion.

Currently registered Grade 9’s, will be required to attend an Upgrade Grade 9 to 8 Course when reaching 14 years old in order to advance to Grade 8. Should an Upgrade course not be available, current Grade 9’s will be required to attend the Grade 8 course.

Posted by: William L. Vanasse Jr., WI State Director of Instruction

11/1/2009 - Jonathan Meersman Appointed as US Youth Soccer Region II Referee Administrator -

Congratulations to Wisconsin's Jonathan Meersman, who has accepted the appointment as the US Youth Soccer Region II Referee Administrator - Region II is comprised of 14 states in the Midwest. His term begins today, November 1, 2009. This position is also a part of the US Youth Soccer National Referee Committee.

Jonathan served as the Wisconsin State Director of Instruction and member of the Wisconsin State Referee Committee from 1999 through 2008, where he helped increase the number of referees in Wisconsin by 240% during his tenure. He has been around Region II as a registered referee for the past 22 years, getting his start in refereeing in 1988 when he took his entry level course in Ohio South. Since that time, he has worked over 2,500 games at all levels of play. He is now a state referee emeritus. He also a state assessor and state instructor. He has served as an assignor at a variety of levels - including leagues and tournaments. He has been a referee, mentor, and assessor at the Midwest Regional Championships - and will now oversee the referee program at this annual event.