Media Advisory Statement:
Friday, November 3, 2023
Ventura, CA – Approximately 1,000 certified soccer referees in multiple parts of Southern California will boycott CIF Southern Section games to seek negotiations with CIF-SS over unfair compensation for officials working all levels of high school soccer matches for both boys’ and girls’ teams.
The referees are taking this action to bring representatives of CIF-SS, the governing body for high school sports in Southern California, to the table to discuss adjustments to the fee schedule mandated by CIF-SS.
“We requested discussions with CIF about the fees in November of last year and again in January, March, and May of this year; each time, our requests were met with silence,” said Nico Esquivel, President of Unit I of the Southern California Soccer Officials Association. “Our referees receive extensive training on each year’s new rule changes. They cover upwards of five miles in competitive varsity matches. Like the other sports, we struggle to recruit, train, and retain referees to officiate these games for the kids. The current fee structure, unilaterally mandated by CIF without discussion or consultation with our group, makes recruitment and retention difficult. We haven’t seen a real increase in fees in over 20 years, whereas the other sports have received significant increases in the last edition of the CIF-SS Blue Book. In light of CIF’s refusal to discuss changes to our fee structure, we have decided that it's necessary to take this action now. Despite our best efforts to avoid any disruption to the season, they have left us no other option.”
High school soccer matches are set to begin on November 13. Schools have been informed by CIF-SS that they can use unregistered and uninsured officials to officiate their upcoming games.
All levels of high school soccer – boys and girls, freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity – are affected by the referees’ boycott. The referees’ association continues to train and certify officials in the hopes that after a resolution to the fee issues, the 2023-2024 soccer season can proceed as planned.
BACKGROUND
The Southern California Soccer Officials’ Association (SCSOA) represents approximately 1,500 soccer referees throughout Southern California. There are separate unit of the association that represent officials working from Santa Barbara county to San Diego county and east to the Coachella Valley. CIF-SS controls high school sports in Southern California and is the largest high school sporting organization in the country. In November of 2022, the SCSOA Board reached out to CIF-Southern Section (CIF-SS) commissioners to open discussions about adjustments to fee schedules for SCSOA members. SCSOA reached out twice more, in January and March, in an attempt to address the fee issues. On May 3rd SCSOA units notified CIF-SS of the potential SCSOA boycott of the upcoming 2023/2024 season in hopes of spurring progress. There is no contract or agreement between SCSOA and CIF-SS for officials. Each official is an independent contractor.
At issue is the pay structure devised by CIF-SS and its Fees Committee, which unfairly compensates soccer officials. Soccer officials are not paid commensurate with the work they do, and the gap in compensation relative to other sports officials has increased as officials for some sports received significant increases. Two years ago with the printing of the newest CIF-SS Blue Book, officials for football ($51), baseball ($21), basketball ($15), and softball ($10) all received significant increases; whereas a soccer referee for a varsity game received one cent increase. The pay for a referee of a varsity soccer match has increased by only $8 per match in the last fourteen years. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index over that same period, has been 57%. In game, soccer referees cover more ground, manage more players per official, and are actively officiating for a much greater duration of time than any other sports' officials.
CIF-SS uses a single formula and hourly pay rate across all sports, with premiums paid for varsity matches. The formula counts ‘time on campus’ to pay officials. SCSOA contends that the formula does not fairly compensate soccer referees for the significant amount of ‘in-game work,’ and adjustments are required. SCSOA officials note that CIF-SS has made adjustments in the hourly calculations for officials of other sports in order to raise compensation for those officials. Those adjustments only happened after those other officials’ associations threatened to or did boycott games.
Soccer is the most participated sport among member schools in CIF-SS. Many schools have JV and Varsity teams for both boys and girls. Some schools also field freshman teams.
Many schools charge admission fees for varsity games, so soccer generates revenue to offset costs. Outside of expenses for uniforms, goals, and corner flags, soccer is a relatively inexpensive sport for schools to offer and often shares facilities with other sports like football.
The Southern California Soccer Officials Association is comprised of more than 1,500 trained and insured referees working high school soccer matches in Southern California, ranging from Santa Barbara to San Diego County and the Inland Empire.
Friday, November 3, 2023
Ventura, CA – Approximately 1,000 certified soccer referees in multiple parts of Southern California will boycott CIF Southern Section games to seek negotiations with CIF-SS over unfair compensation for officials working all levels of high school soccer matches for both boys’ and girls’ teams.
The referees are taking this action to bring representatives of CIF-SS, the governing body for high school sports in Southern California, to the table to discuss adjustments to the fee schedule mandated by CIF-SS.
“We requested discussions with CIF about the fees in November of last year and again in January, March, and May of this year; each time, our requests were met with silence,” said Nico Esquivel, President of Unit I of the Southern California Soccer Officials Association. “Our referees receive extensive training on each year’s new rule changes. They cover upwards of five miles in competitive varsity matches. Like the other sports, we struggle to recruit, train, and retain referees to officiate these games for the kids. The current fee structure, unilaterally mandated by CIF without discussion or consultation with our group, makes recruitment and retention difficult. We haven’t seen a real increase in fees in over 20 years, whereas the other sports have received significant increases in the last edition of the CIF-SS Blue Book. In light of CIF’s refusal to discuss changes to our fee structure, we have decided that it's necessary to take this action now. Despite our best efforts to avoid any disruption to the season, they have left us no other option.”
High school soccer matches are set to begin on November 13. Schools have been informed by CIF-SS that they can use unregistered and uninsured officials to officiate their upcoming games.
All levels of high school soccer – boys and girls, freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity – are affected by the referees’ boycott. The referees’ association continues to train and certify officials in the hopes that after a resolution to the fee issues, the 2023-2024 soccer season can proceed as planned.
BACKGROUND
The Southern California Soccer Officials’ Association (SCSOA) represents approximately 1,500 soccer referees throughout Southern California. There are separate unit of the association that represent officials working from Santa Barbara county to San Diego county and east to the Coachella Valley. CIF-SS controls high school sports in Southern California and is the largest high school sporting organization in the country. In November of 2022, the SCSOA Board reached out to CIF-Southern Section (CIF-SS) commissioners to open discussions about adjustments to fee schedules for SCSOA members. SCSOA reached out twice more, in January and March, in an attempt to address the fee issues. On May 3rd SCSOA units notified CIF-SS of the potential SCSOA boycott of the upcoming 2023/2024 season in hopes of spurring progress. There is no contract or agreement between SCSOA and CIF-SS for officials. Each official is an independent contractor.
At issue is the pay structure devised by CIF-SS and its Fees Committee, which unfairly compensates soccer officials. Soccer officials are not paid commensurate with the work they do, and the gap in compensation relative to other sports officials has increased as officials for some sports received significant increases. Two years ago with the printing of the newest CIF-SS Blue Book, officials for football ($51), baseball ($21), basketball ($15), and softball ($10) all received significant increases; whereas a soccer referee for a varsity game received one cent increase. The pay for a referee of a varsity soccer match has increased by only $8 per match in the last fourteen years. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index over that same period, has been 57%. In game, soccer referees cover more ground, manage more players per official, and are actively officiating for a much greater duration of time than any other sports' officials.
CIF-SS uses a single formula and hourly pay rate across all sports, with premiums paid for varsity matches. The formula counts ‘time on campus’ to pay officials. SCSOA contends that the formula does not fairly compensate soccer referees for the significant amount of ‘in-game work,’ and adjustments are required. SCSOA officials note that CIF-SS has made adjustments in the hourly calculations for officials of other sports in order to raise compensation for those officials. Those adjustments only happened after those other officials’ associations threatened to or did boycott games.
Soccer is the most participated sport among member schools in CIF-SS. Many schools have JV and Varsity teams for both boys and girls. Some schools also field freshman teams.
Many schools charge admission fees for varsity games, so soccer generates revenue to offset costs. Outside of expenses for uniforms, goals, and corner flags, soccer is a relatively inexpensive sport for schools to offer and often shares facilities with other sports like football.
The Southern California Soccer Officials Association is comprised of more than 1,500 trained and insured referees working high school soccer matches in Southern California, ranging from Santa Barbara to San Diego County and the Inland Empire.