To all referees, I am writing to explain many questions I am often asked regarding the different competitions that STYSA offers to players and referees. The text below is from the STYSA website which can be found stxsoccer.org.

I will add the referee competition information below each entry and will be in italics. Additionally, some of the leagues mentioned here are targeted leagues for mentoring and referee development by senior referees, assessors and mentors. The President and National Cups in both the district round robin level, as well as the stat cup finals are the 2 highest levels of competition offered by STYSA in the Spring and lead to teams advancing to regional tournament as well and referees being selected for regional and state cup assignments.

Just as players who wish to develop at the highest level, referees must work and be willing to learn in the highest level of play that is available to them. With the recent decision by STYSA to take a direct role in scheduling and administering all of the below competitions, it allows us to also have a greater impact on the referee assigning, mentoring and development within these games.

The competitions offered by South Texas Youth Soccer Association and the levels of play eligible for each competition are:


• Director’s Cup – U11 through U19 Super II and Division II teams are eligible to enter the spring competition to which first and second place teams from each District’s spring competition advancing to a State Tournament in mid-May.

Director’s Cup is played a various sites in the East and West Districts. Sites are in Houston at Katy Park and Lyndsey Lyons with some over flow at Burroughs Park. These Games begin on March 26th and are assigned be the following persons:

West Venues:
Various Assignors and Sites including Corpus Cristi, The Valley, Austin and San Antonio

East Venues:
Burroughs Park – Brandon Ward
Lyndsey Lyons – Jimmy Cheng
Katy Park – Paul Hooks

For more information about Director’s Cup games and assignments, please feel free to email me at syra@stsr.org.


• President’s Cup – U11 through U19 Division I and Super II teams are eligible to enter a spring competition designed to identify the top two teams in each District to advance to the State Tournament in late May. First place winners in the U13 through U17 age groups then qualify to advance to the US Youth Soccer Region III President’s Cup to be hosted by one of the Region III state associations.

President’s Cup is played a various sites in the East and West Districts. Sites are in Houston at Katy Park and Lyndsey Lyons with some over flow at Burroughs Park. These Games begin on March 26th and are assigned be the following persons:

West Venues:
Various Assignors and Sites including Corpus Cristi, The Valley, Austin and San Antonio

East Venues:
Burroughs Park – Brandon Ward
Lyndsey Lyons – Jimmy Cheng
Katy Park – Paul Hooks

For more information about President’s Cup games and assignments, please feel free to email me at syra@stsr.org.




• US Youth Soccer National Championships – Although open to all levels of play, this competition is recommended for the highest level competitive teams. Teams enter at the beginning of the year and compete within their District during the Spring season for an opportunity to be one of two teams advancing from each District to the State Cup to be held Memorial Day weekend. First place teams in the Under-14 through Under-19 then advance to the USYSNC Regional Tournament to be hosted by one of the Region III states in mid-June.

USYNC is played in the East at Burroughs Park and West at NEMP. These Games begin the first week of April and culiminate in the Memorial Day weekend State Final to Determine the advancing temas from South Texas to the Regional Finals in Tennesse during June. Each State also selects 12 – 14 referees to attend this regional final as the highest level of officiating offered in the State and Regional through USYS and STYSA.

Any referees who are hungry to learn and ready for the next level in their development and eventual Regional and State appointments should be striving to referee this level currently or working their way to this level through the previous level(s) above.

This is the simple concept that only those referees doing this level games and higher will be prepared to do the State and regional finals at this level.


West Assignor – John Jones

East Assignor – Brandon Ward


For more information about National Cup games and assignments, please feel free to email me at syra@stsr.org.



I hope everyone is having a great season and enjoys the beautiful game. Any questions or desires about any of the above information can be emailed to me directly. Additionally, I urge everyone to visit STSR.ORG to learn more about South Texas Referees and programs along with upgrade and clinic information.


Twwitter @phooks

Regards,

Paul Hooks, State Youth Referee Administrator
713-409-1198

South Texas Soccer Referees will be hosting a New Assignors Clinic and a Roundtable Discussion at the STYSA General Meeting on February 13th in Kerrville. Currently registered assignors, as well as league presidents, referee coordinators, and anyone interested in learning more about the STSR Assigning programs are encouraged to attend the Roundtable Discussion. Included in the discussion will be a presentation of the STSR database system, with enhancements for assignors.

New Assignors clinic will be held on from 8 am to 1 pm. Pre-registration is required at www.stsr.org. If you are not currently a member of STSR, follow the instructions at the site to register as a new referee, except select Assignor as the Registration Category. If you have questions, contact the Operations Manager at dir@stsr.org or the State Referee Administrator at sra@stsr.org. Current STSR members who are becoming assignors may register in their account by selecting Add Registrations. The Assignor Clinic number is 06-23-0210-AGE. This clinic will meet the requirements for registration as a US Soccer Federation assignor.

The Roundtable Discussion will be from 2 pm to 5 pm, same day, same location. You may register with the State Assignor Coordinator at sac@stsr.org, or for further information.

STSR encourages ALL leagues and associations to meet STYSA, USYSA and US Soccer's requirement to have Registered Assignors for their referee assigning programs. .

*The clinic fee is being waived for this STYSA event by STSR, but the US SOCCER registration fee is required on the online registration

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I share my recent knowledge of Earl Pierce's passing.

I have no details other than it was within the past 2-3 days, according to one of his Church Member's notification to another referee.

I will pass along more details as I have them come available.

Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. I know that everyone who knew him will feel the pain of his loss. His gentle ways and human compassion was profound. He helped trancend the Divine and the Human experience and personified the idea of "Let them know that we are Christians by your Love".

The referees of STX will miss him deeply!!!!!