We would like to congratulate our very own Dalton Lang on his progression to North Orange County Referee Association (NOCRA)! He is the first Youth LFCIA Referee to progress to NOCRA, and we are very proud of him.
Dalton started refereeing in March 2021 through the LFCIA program. Once his training was complete, Dalton was able to ref Liverpool Junior Reds soccer matches. He has reffed every Junior Reds season since completing the LFCIA program, and was promoted to ref Junior Reds 9v9 games.
In January 2022, Dalton completed the Cal South Referee Program and U.S. Soccer Referee courses, allowing him to successfully join NOCRA. This program and courses taught him the duties of a center referee and refreshed him on the duties of an assistant referee. Dalton has since refereed as an assistant ref for CSL & SoCal games, and has also refereed as a center ref for CSL and the OJSC 4v4 winter program.
LFC IA and NOCRA both provide mentors for newer referees. They provide helpful suggestions and guidance on what to do if any issues arise during a game. In one of his first 7v7 games, Dalton witnessed an unexpected outburst and interference with the game. During half-time, Dalton and his mentor discussed strategies on how Dalton would be able to handle a situation like this on his own.
A similar situation occurred recently where Dalton experience similar outburst and disagreements from the sideline while he reffed. Thanks to his mentor’s guidance, Dalton stood by his decisions and was undeterred as the game continued. After the game, one of the coaches expressed to Dalton that he had done a good job and called a fair game.
Dalton really enjoyed working with one of his first mentor referees, Lee Eichenbaum. Lee, a referee coach with LFC IA and Cal South/U.S. Soccer, was the center referee in one of the first games Dalton reffed as an assistant referee. Proving how crucial good communication between referees is, Lee had brought head mics so that all three referees could communicate better during the game. Dalton appreciated Lee’s commitment as it made communicating a lot less stressful.
To anyone interested in refereeing, Dalton strongly recommends starting with the LFCIA SoCal Junior Reds. While reffing for Junior Reds, Dalton was able to grow confident in his decisions and his knowledge, so he could continue on to the Cal South Grassroots Referee program, which led him to join NOCRA.
LFCIA SoCal’s mission is to help its players on and off the field. Opportunities like Dalton’s build experience on the field while also offering a financial opportunity to get paid working within their passion—SOCCER. Dalton urges for anyone interested in LFCIA SoCal to put their all in and don’t give up.
Congratulations Dalton!
Dalton is a fantastic referee! Congratulations!