Assessor vs. Mentor

Refereeing organizations like USSF and AYSO make a clear distinction between a Mentor and an Assessor. Mentoring is widely used in many organizations and it’s widely held that mentoring is an informal position, contrasted to an assessor which is usually appointed position that comes after training and certification.

ASSESSOR. In developing referees, the Assessor has an important role as a formal coach to referees.

Assessors generally follow a three-step process:

1. Build on strengths
2. Identify areas for improvement
3. Facilitate on-going development and success

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) both have established assessor programs. Assessors are appointed to their position after years of experience, training as an assessor, and practical experience as an assessor. This process ensures consistent assessment, training, and development within the organization. Assessors, and their similarly trained and certified counterparts, Instructors, receive notices of the latest in best practices, policy changes, and law interpretations, which they pass on to the membership. Certified Assessors and Instructors have the job of debunking the many myths of the game that seem to creep into refereeing practices by lesser experienced referees. Questions on laws, mechanics and interpretations should always be referred to a certified Assessor or Instructor.

MENTORS. While certified assessors and instructors hold formal, appointed positions within the organization, mentors are individual referees. In the AYSO, all Intermediate and higher referees are de facto mentors.
Unlike the assessor, who is charged with assessing a referee’s performance, the mentor seeks to support the referee. Indeed, mentors, especially those who are not certified assessors or instructors, should avoid assessing a referee’s performance, but concentrate on affirming the performance, e.g., “Good job” or “Well done.”

Mentors can give referees balance to challenges the newer referee may experience but not understand, i.e., “Hey, I know what it’s like to get yelled at. Here’s some ways I cope with it,” or “Yeah, I’ve had days I’ve asked myself, ‘Why do I do this,' but…”

Mentors can provide career guidance to new referees on how to find a class, what to expect at a higher-level match, how to get an assessment scheduled.

Unlike assessors, mentors are “self appointed;” that is, they either make themselves available to a protégé, or the protégé seeks out the mentor for guidance. Mentoring is not a position like an assessor, rather it’s a value. Indeed, that real value comes in the form of retention!

Soccer loses far too many new referees every year due to the referee’s inability to put his new experience in perspective. As the English FA has recently acknowledged, the lack of new referee retention is truly hurting the game.

Assessors rarely know the subject of the assessment personally, whereas, mentoring is usually a personal, individual relationship. The assessor’s three-step approach contrasts to the mentor who merely shares her experience to help the protégé to get through their life as a referee.

CONCLUSION. Mentoring and assessing are two, separate processes, and the mentor and the assessor are two, separate positions. Both roles are important but clearly distinct.