While the fall sports season may be in doubt, that doesn’t change the plans of those who have a job to do.
Thomas Vallandingham is the 3rd Region assigning secretary for soccer, and he is also a baseball umpire.
Even though KHSAA is the deciding factor as to when, or if, the season gets underway, the games can’t be played without officials.
This is where Vallandingham and the rest of the officials come into play. Vallandingham is responsible for making sure all the games in the 3rd Region are covered on a nightly basis.
But, the 3rd Region also sometimes helps out the 2nd Region, which is even more limited in the number of officials it has available.
One major difference between the two regions is the number of officials on a normal crew. For the 3rd Region, Vallandingham said they’ve been able to consistently have three-person crews for games, while the 2nd Region has been mostly two-person crews the past couple of seasons.
Vallandingham said one thing he often runs into is having to be mindful of conflicts among officials and schools. While it doesn’t mean an official is for or against a certain school, it’s still something he has to consider when assigning crews for games.
“It’s those types of issues that you run into with certain assigning gigs on soccer,” he said.
In their organization, Vallandingham said they usually have between 30-40 officials.
But, the current number isn’t near the amount he needs, although he anticipates that changing in the next few weeks.
“We have, including myself, seven that are registered,” he said. “Right now, if the season — which was supposed to start in two weeks — was continued to start in two weeks, at this point in time … we would not be able to cover the games in the city.”
Vallandingham said registration usually opens in early July, so it’s still relatively early in the process.
“That number will go up,” he said. “We’re going to delay our meetings. We haven’t had our first officials meeting. I think what’s happened, the registration deadline for soccer without a penalty is Aug. 18 … After that, you have to pay a $25 late fee.
“I think a lot of veteran officials are waiting to see what happens — if the season occurs, if it’s shortened, etc. Then instead of going ahead and registering, they’ll save their registration fees.”
Being outfitted to be a soccer official isn’t as expensive as other sports.
Vallandingham said it could cost upwards of $400 or more to get the necessary equipment as a baseball umpire.
For soccer, it’s much different.
Vallandingham said a new official could get everything needed for $100 or less because unlike baseball, it’s just a special shirt, shorts, socks and a few other items.
Another aspect Vallandingham enjoys about being an official is the camaraderie with the others in the profession.
He said there are even family members that do games together.
“It’s dad and son driving over to (Breckinridge) County to do a girls’ game,” he said. “People from all walks of life are calling, and you meet some really good people that have fun doing the games.”
It’s also a family affair for Vallandingham, as he gets to call games with his brother-in-law now.
One aspect of being an official that Vallandingham said often gets overlooked is the ability to attend other sporting events around the state.
“You get a card as a registered official. The 3rd Region has a policy that if you’re a registered KHSAA official, you and a guest get into all 3rd Region matches for free,” he said. “On Friday night if I want to go to a football game, my wife and I can go.”
Meetings are starting soon for soccer officials in the 3rd Region. For more information, contact Vallandingham at [email protected].
