Age Groups are used to define the following attributes:
- Age of the players playing the game
For youth sports, this may describe "Under 10", "Under 16," "College," "Mens Open," "Womens Under-30" etc..
- Length of the game
The length of the game, defined in minutes. This is used to determine whether a referee is available at a specific day/time, when a referee is already working a game on the same day.
- Referee Fees
Each system of control/position combination can be assigned a referee fee.
- Pre-Game Interval
This value determines the number of minutes prior to the game's start time that a referee is not available. If this value is not defined, the default Pre-Game Interval value (on the Options screen) will be used.
- Notes
Notes about this age group can be stored here.
- Difficulty Level of the Game
If referee ability levels are used, each age group must be ranked with a numeric score. This number indicates the relative difficulty level of games involving this age group, as compared to other age groups a referee may encounter.
Each game must be assigned to an Age Group.
Age Groups can be added or changed by
Tools : Maintenance : Age Groups, Fees & Difficulties : Add/Edit Age Groups & Fees. or
Main Menu : Maintenance : Age Groups, Fees & Difficulties
Age Groups can also be added from the Add/Edit Games screen. To add a new Age Group, type the name of the Age Group in the Age Group box on the Add/Edit Games screen. If the Age Group is not in the database, Referee Assistant will ask:
'New_Age_Group' is not a recognized Age Group. Do you want to add this Age Group to the database? Click Yes to add it, click No to re-type it.
If Yes is clicked, the Age Group will be added to the database.
Referee Assistant uses the difficulty level assigned to the Age Group to define a game's relative difficulty. To be assigned to a game, the referee must have an ability score that is equal to, or greater than, the difficulty level of the game's Age Group.
For an example of this, click here.
Referee Assistant can be adapted to a variety of referee ranking systems. If you have a ranking system that you already use for assigning, it can be adapted to the sliding scale used in Referee Assistant.
Below is an example of how Age Groups can be paired with difficulty levels. Notes indicate when a referee might be ranked at a specific level.
This is an example of how Age Groups can be paired with difficulty levels. Each age group should be assigned a number, with age groups of equivalent difficulty levels grouped together. Referee Assistant uses the difficulty level assigned to the Age Group to define a game's relative difficulty. In addition, if a team has an optional "difficulty adjustment" score of +1 or -1, the game's difficulty level can be adjusted by the amount of the adjustment score.
For a referee to be assigned to a game, the game's age group must fall between the referee's "low" and "high" ability score for that particular position. In this example, a referee with 1-2 years of experience will be ranked as a 3-4-5 at the Referee Position (assign to games between difficulty level 3 and 5, with 4 being the preferred difficulty level). A referee with 1-2 years experience would also be ranked as a 4-4-5 at the Assistant Referee position (assign to games between difficulty level 4 and 5, with 4 being the preferred difficulty level).
Referee Assistant can be adapted to a variety of referee ranking systems. If you have a ranking system that you already use for assigning, it can be adapted to the system used in Referee Assistant.
Example 7.1. Age Groups & Game Difficulty
Age Groups have the following difficulty levels:
U-12: Difficulty level 3
U-14: Difficulty level 4
U-16: Difficulty level 5
Referees have the following ability levels:
Table 7.1. Sample Referees & Ability Levels
| Referee Name | Ability: Referee | Ability: Assistant Referee |
|---|---|---|
| Joe | 2-3-3 | 2-5-6 |
| Jane | 3-5-6 | 2-7-7 |
| John | 3-6-7 | 4-5-8 |
In this example, all three referees would be qualified to work matches as a Referee at the U-12 level, since the U-12 difficulty level falls betwee each referee's low and high value. Jane and Joe could be assigned as an assistant referee at the U-12 level, however, John would not be assigned as a U-12 assistant referee. John will only be assigned as an assistant referee to age groups between 3 and 7, in this case, U-14 and U-16.
Difficulty adjustments can be used to fine-tune the difficulty levels of specific team match-ups.
Example 7.2. Game Difficulty & Difficulty Adjustments
Age Groups have the following difficulty levels:
U-12: Difficulty level 3
U-14: Difficulty level 4
U-16: Difficulty level 5
Referees have the ability levels as defined in the chart above.
Teams have the following game difficulty adjustments (from the Edit Team screen):
Sharks: +1
Patriots: 0
Eagles: +1
Lions: -1
Tigers: -1
Game Difficulty levels for the following match-ups would be as follows:
- U-12 Sharks vs. Eagles
The Game Difficulty for this match would be 5; the game is a U-12 game (difficulty 3), and each team has a +1 difficulty adjustment; 3+1+1=5
Jane and John could work this match as a referee. Joe, Jane and John could work this match as an assistant referee.
- U-12 Sharks vs. Lions
The Game Difficulty for this match would be 3; the game is a U-12 game (difficulty 3), the Sharks have a +1 adjustment, the Lions have a -1 adjustment; 3+1-1=3
Joe, Jane or John could work this match as a referee. Joe and Jane could work this match as an assistant referee.
- U-16 Patriots vs. Tigers
The Game Difficulty for this match would be 3; the game is a U-14 game (difficulty 5), the Patriots have a 0 adjustment, the Tigers have a -1 adjustment; 5+0-1=4.
Jane or John could work this match as a referee. Joe, Jane or John could work this match as an assistant refereee.