A few days under the tutelage of a top referee can do wonders for the inexperienced official.

Like many American men in their 50s, Joe Bean knew nothing about soccer when his elementary school-age son began playing several years ago.

Like some of them, Bean – a freelance writer not to be confused with another Illinois man of the same name, the veteran Wheaton College coach – earned a coaching license in order to learn more about the sport. But he was frustrated that the course glossed over the rules, so he did something very few soccer parents do: He became a referee.

In 1998 Bean earned his U.S. Soccer Federation Grade 8 badge and fell in love with officiating. He enjoyed the physical activity and the chance to help teach youngsters. But he quickly realized that his lack of playing experience put him at a disadvantage.

The subtleties of the game escaped him. He had difficulties determining real fouls from dives and understanding the proficiency levels of various age groups. Without a subtle knowledge of strategy, he had a hard time anticipating what would happen next on the field and positioning himself accordingly.

Bean refereed wherever he could, for the Greater Libertyville Soccer Association, the Illinois Youth Soccer Association, and in high school and women’s leagues. He lined for older games in order to watch more experienced officials. He signed up for the USSF’s referee mentorship program but, despite repeated phone calls, never received a mentor.

Then he heard about the Paul Tamberino Referee Camp. Tamberino, a former FIFA assistant referee and three-time MLS Referee of the Year, ran three sessions last summer.

Bean chose the three-day mid-August camp at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn. In attendance were 15 men and one woman. Instructors included Tamberino’s brother, Mike, a referee administrator from Maryland; MLS assistant referee Richard Eddy; and WUSA referee Rachel Wu. Field work was done in conjunction with Joe Machnik’s Number One Goalkeeper Camp. Each referee was videotaped and received written critiques based on that performance.

On Saturday the group spoke with an MLS official. That night they attended his MLS match in Foxboro, Mass. The next day the referee returned to camp and answered questions.

One dealt with a cardable offense that had been treated relatively lightly.

“He was very honest,” Bean said. “It added a real human dimension. We saw there are the laws of the game, and then there are the applications of laws.”

Bean learned a tremendous amount, including concepts he had not realized he did not know.

“As crazy as it sounds, I never knew wall management is so important,” he said. “Managing a defensive wall is just a series of steps, but it really works. It’s already become second nature to me.”

He learned the importance of body language.

“A referee communicates with players, and they communicate with him, in so many ways,” Bean says. “You really need to read what they’re saying – and say the right things back.”

Bean also learned not to use cards as weapons, and how to let key players know they will be protected.

Bean had always heard about the need to talk to players, but his son had told him he did not like being talked to by referees. At Tamberino’s camp, Bean asked how to do it. The answer, he learned, was simple; nonetheless, he had not heard it in any officiating clinic: “Nice play, son. … I saw that foul, but you had the advantage. … I saw that, and you won’t do it again.”

Earlier this fall, he noticed a cheap foul just before the halftime whistle. Leaving the field, he told the player who committed the foul that he had seen it.

“Sorry, sir,”the boy replied. Before the second half began, he quietly told the player who was fouled that the other player had already been warned. That player thanked him.

“I can tell the players have a different attitude toward me now,” Bean said. “They see I’m more confident on the field, so they have more confidence in me. It makes for a better game all around.”

This fall, Bean is officiating up to six matches a week. He looks forward to earning his Grade 6 certification. And he is working with Tamberino to organize a referee camp next summer in the Midwest, closer to home.

by Youth Soccer Letter Editor Dan Woog