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Canada Soccer National Officials Day essay winners announced
 After receiving over 150 submissions, Canada Soccer's Referee Department is proud to announce Victor Ogbechi (ON) and Etienne Bossé (QC) as the winners of the National Officials Day essay contest.
The theme of the contest was What Motivates Me to Officiate, outlining the reasons why individuals became a referee and what motivates them to continue refereeing. Essays were received from officials in seven Provinces, with youth, district, regional, provincial and national referees all submitting entries.
"We received many creative submissions, with each essay providing honest and heartfelt insight into an official’s motivation for refereeing", said Tiger Liu, Head of Refereeing, Canadian Soccer Association. "Although every essay was different, we saw recurrent themes of camaraderie, commitment to the game and a desire to give back to the soccer community. It is evident that we have a very passionate group of officials in our country."
Read the winning essays:
Victor and Etienne will each receive an Umbro Refereeing Prize Pack, valued at $400.
The National Officials Day essay contest was launched on 17 April to celebrate National Officials Day, an initiative started by Sports Officials Canada to increase the awareness of officiating in sport and promote respect of officials.
Calgary man charged over alleged punch to Regina soccer ref
A Calgary man is facing a charge of physical assault following an incident in April at a soccer match in Regina where a referee was allegedly punched in the jaw.
The alleged punch took place at a soccer game April 10 between Poland and Sudan in a tournament called the World Class Players Cup.
Police were called to the event by tournament organizers, who said the game was marred by several scuffles among players.
According to tournament organizers, near the end of the game a referee issued a red card to a player and that is when a punch was allegedly thrown.
Police say the referee, 45, was hit in the jaw and knocked out but the man declined to be taken to hospital by ambulance.
They said officers who responded to the incident checked locker rooms and other areas of the building looking for a male matching the description of the suspect.
He was not found that night, but the police investigation led to the assault charge, announced Tuesday, against a 26-year-old man from Calgary.
06.05.2013
Referee punched in face by teen player dies
From Jackie Castillo, CNN
updated 10:38 AM EDT, Mon May 6, 2013
(CNN) -- A referee for a recreational soccer league who was punched in the face by a teenager has died, police in Salt Lake City said.
Ricardo Portillo, 46, was refereeing a game in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville on April 27 when he cited a player for an infraction and issued him a "yellow card."
In soccer, a yellow card is a caution to the player; a second results in his ejection from the game.
The decision, police say, prompted the 17-year-old player to turn around and punch Portillo in the face.
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NHL Announces Officials for first round of the playoffs
 Congratulations are extended to the NHL Officials that have been selected to work the first round of the 2012-13 Stanley Cup Playoffs. All are SOC iMembers!! They are as follows:
Referees: Paul Devorski, Eric Furlatt, Marc Joannette, Greg Kimmerly, Tom Kowal, Steve Kozari, Mike Leggo, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Brad Myer, Dan O'Halloran, Dan O'Rourke, Tim Peel, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollack, Chris Rooney, Kelly Sutherland, Francois St-Laurent, Brad Watson, Stephen Walkom Standby: Gord Dwyer & Frederick L'Ecuyer.
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Steve Barton, David Brisbois, Lonnie Cameron, Scott Cherrey, Greg Devorski, Scott Driscoll, Darren Gibbs (*first-time selection), Don Henderson, Shane Heyer, Brad Kovachik, Brad Lazarowich, Steve Miller, Jean Morin, Brian Murphy, Jonny Murray, Tim Nowak, Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers, Mark Wheler.
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Sports Officials Canada (SOC) now offers a bulk registration program for our iMembership Program with lots of bonus features. We have also initiated a special Associate membership program directed towards Provincial Sport Organizations (PSO) and Municipal Sport Councils (MSC). This new PSO/MSC Associate membership will provide access to the activities of SOC including the annual Professional Development Conference at a reduced rate. Currently SOC has three levels of membership: National Sport Organization (Voting Member), Associate Membership (Non-Voting Member) and two categories of iMembership (Individual Membership) – Basic & Enhanced (includes the SOC "gap" insurance program).
