CV Hosts Soccer State Tourney: Girls’ Got Game

Castro Valley Soccer Club hosted the NorCal State Cup Girls' Under-13 Competitive matches at Alden E Oliver Park in Hayward this past weekend, with a notable statistic: half of the referees were female. 

"It's cool to be out here officiating for other girls," Castro Valley resident Carissa Lee told the Forum. "I got into being a referee because I played the game when I was younger. I knew most of the rules of the game after playing for so many years."

Lee, who is a Junior at Castro Valley High School, and her fellow Freshman classmate Lillian Cooke were among the seven female referees officiating the 22 matches this weekend. Statistically, they are ahead of the average. Out of the estimated 3 million youth soccer players in the US, 48% are girls. That percentage is drastically different when it comes to officiating. Of the more than 8,700 professional referees in the US, only 24% are women. However, women are very slowly gaining momentum in officiating matches. The Germany vs. Costa Rica game on December 1 had an entire female referee crew—the first time ever at a men's World Cup.

Back on the local pitch, Cooke says the players, coaches, and fans do notice if the refs are female, though it doesn't faze her or change the way she officiates the game.

"Sometimes we have to be a little tougher on our calls and put more of our voice into it because the players and the coaches will try to push us to make a different ruling, but I feel like many referees deal with it that too," Cooke said. 

"Some people say that girls' soccer is tougher than boys' soccer to officiate, and we have our moments when we're tough on our calls, but we have to understand the players and the coaches as well," Lee added.

Both girls referee for the Castro Valley Soccer Club (CVSC), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The club supports 100 recreation teams with 1100 players and 18 competitive teams and TOPSoccer teams designed for those with special physical needs. 

CVSC referee coordinator Steve Goswell says the club is trying to encourage more female refs and coaches to step forward.

"When girls show interest, we go out of our way to help them along, to mentor them, and put them in situations where they're going to be successful," Goswell said. "The last thing you want to do is have them walk away because they don't feel supported or getting yelled at. So, we put them in situations where they will be successful, including having the girls working together, particularly on girls' games. In this way, the girls that are playing can look up to these referees and say, 'Maybe I can do that.'" 

Goswell said he was in a unique and fortunate situation a few years ago in recruiting six female players, including Cooke, to become referees.

"It’s still a smaller number of female referees than I would like it to be, but it is growing, and we have an ever-increasing number of youth referees overall," Goswell said. 

CVSC referees can start officiating as early as age 13 following an online training session and passing a test. The refs are then required to train in person on a field so they can get hands-on experience before reefing their first match. 

Goswell added that young refs almost always become better players themselves. 

"The more you know the rules, the stronger you know the game. As a coach, I like my players to ref because they have an appreciation for the game and the skills needed to play successfully," Goswell said. 

NorCal Soccer covers all of Northern California, comprising around 250 clubs, including Castro Valley.

For more information about Castro Valley Soccer Club, visit https://www.castrovalleysoccer.com.