National Referee Good Standing Policy

Click here for a .pdf version of this policy.

In an effort to standardize the procedures for USA Volleyball Junior National and National Referees to remain in good standing with the Referee Sub-Commission, guidelines have been established for use within the regions. These guidelines will replace what was previously referred to as “In Good Standing” within each region. As the certifying entity, the Referee Sub-Commission will have the obligation to determine whether a national-level referee retains his/her certification.

The Referee Sub-Commission recognizes the importance of national-level referees’ contributions to their region’s officiating divisions, and suggests a list of activities in which the referees can contribute to the ongoing well-being of the referee’s region. In addition to officiating matches and tournaments, there are many tasks that need to be completed to ensure the smooth operation of the officials’ division within each region. Rather than suggesting that Junior National and National referees officiate a specific number of tournaments, we believe they can contribute to their region through various training, educational and officiating activities. This may be broken down into a minimum number of service hours or service activities, whichever best fits the region.

Each national-level referee cannot be required to be available for more than thirty (30) hours of service within the region per season. More service hours can be offered at the referee’s discretion. The required hours may take several forms, as noted below. Rationale: An official typically spends roughly ten hours officiating at a tournament in a single day, so this would be the equivalent of officiating three very full days in the region. Naturally, a national-level referee can contribute much more to the region, but 30 hours of work is all that is required by the Referee Sub-Commission.

The following is a list of activities, through which a national-level referee can contribute to the region’s success, are deemed appropriate and proper by the Referee Sub-Commission. The referee may complete the service hours in any combination of these activities. The Referee Sub-Commission believes that fulfilling one or more of these activities each season will result in approximately 30 hours of work – probably more – and this is a sufficient amount of time in which a trained, national-level referee can share experience, mentorship, training information and officiating duties.

• Refereeing at tournaments within the referees region
• Developing clinic and/or training materials
• for existing referees, or
• for junior player referees, or
• for adult player referees
• Actively working as a clinician and/or trainer in the region
• Mentoring fellow referees
• Serving as a member on the region’s Board of Directors or Officiating Advisory Council
• Chairing a program within the region’s officials division
• Maintaining a database for the region’s officials division
• Other contributions as prescribed by the regions referee chair; i.e., representing the region at national meetings
• Serving on the USAV National Training or National Rating Teams **
• Serving as tournament staff at National Championships or other recognized National events, i.e., National Qualifiers **
• Assisting the Referee Sub-Commission with editing of documents or other tasks that need to be performed on a regular basis **
• Serving on a referee related USAV commission **

** We request RVAs to recognize that National referees, who serve on the USAV National Training and/or Rating Teams, or who serve as tournament staff at National events, are gaining valuable experience that may be shared with grassroots referees in their respective regions. Likewise, the national-level referee is a representation of his/her own RVA when serving in such a capacity at the national level, and this is worthy of recognition and acknowledgement by the referee’s RVA. A maximum of 10 hours out of the 30 may be earned at the National events.

Annually, the Referee Sub-Commission will send a request to each region’s referee chair to confirm all USA Volleyball Junior National and National referees’ completion of this requirement. The referee chair or his/her designee will, in turn, submit a list of their referees who have met the requirement. It is of equal importance for the referee chair or his/her designee to identify any and all referees who have not met the standard and include the reason(s) why.

If the referee(s) who are identified as not meeting the standards set by the Referee Sub-Commission feel that they did fulfill the requirements, they can send a list of their activities to the Chair of the National Indoor Referee Sub-Commission. The Referee Sub-Commission will have the final say in whether the referee(s) met the required standards. If they feel the referee(s) did not fulfill the necessary requirements, the referee(s) national level rating will be revoked.

In the event that a Junior National or National referee is said to have not met the standard set by the Referee Sub-Commission, he/she will have the opportunity to appeal. This appeal will follow the process set forth in the Officials Commission Administrative Manual.

For a list of the Carolina Region nationally rated officials, visit this page.