I got my USSF certification over the summer so I can now ref competitive youth club leagues as well as high school. This has led to a veritable flood of emails from assignors (and even texts) looking for refs, with increasing levels of desperation. The last two club games for my 11-year-old the ref didn't even show up. I would have reffed, but I've been out of town for both. The second one my wife quick grabbed my 14-year-old from home (he also got his USSF certification, mostly to be a linesman for his club team's younger games - clubs in that league must provide the ARs) and he reffed the game.
I had an email conversation with an assignor who mostly works the western burbs (which I can't do because too much travel). He said pre-pandemic there were ~roughly 6000 soccer refs in IL. Mid-pandemic that dropped to about 2000, and it's only recovered to about 3000. Which explains a lot.
The big drop was a lot of the older guys deciding it was time to retire. Now the issue is that no one wants to do it and of those who start, like 70% drop out after one season. The stated primary rationale is almost 100% abuse.
Did a U14 girls game last weekend where at one point there was an obvious handball in the penalty area. Before I even got the whistle to my lips I was inundated by angry calls for a penalty. I whipped around and had some pointed words with the spectators which happily stopped that for the rest of the game.
The thing that kills me is that the girl in question (who certainly committed a handball offense, even if raising her hands was instinctive they were still away from the body) basically almost took a hard shot at point blank distance to her face. But the spectators' first reaction was to scream for a penalty. In a recreational league.
