Mentorship program.

Mentoring, at its core, provides a resource for mentees to ask, review and learn from fellow officials who may have had that experience. It assures to new officials that there is someone who cares about them, lets them know them they are not alone in dealing with the day-to-day challenges of refereeing, and makes them feel like they belong to the group. Ultimately, mentoring connects a person to their own personal growth and development, as well as social and economic opportunity(s).

One of the purposes of EBOA is to educate our members. Part of this education is training in various forms, such as rookie classes, general membership training, camps, and on-line resources. To help support and facilitate this education we developed a mentorship program the pairs officials of different experience levels to discuss and review topics while improving each members knowledge base and building a spirt of camaraderie.

The target of the EBOA program is to help mentees prepare themselves to be better able to grow in their careers and assist with their skill development by:

• Setting personal goals and taking the steps to realize them.
• Using mentor contacts to help mentees network with other referees, find camps to attend, review film together, and help them become the best referee possible.
• If possible attend games the mentee works to provide real time guidance and advice.
• In general work towards helping a mentee get to any level of officiating they desire, whether it be high school, college or even the professional ranks.

The number of ways mentoring can help an aspiring official are as varied as the people involved in the program. While lists and statistics can be impressive, personal stories can be even more impressive, we can tell you all about them!

For the program to work need mentors and mentees. As a mentee, you put yourself out there to absorb, process and put into place those learnings. Being a mentee doesn’t guarantee professional success, but it can improve your chances. You’ll get more out of it than you put into it.

If you are interested in becoming a mentee or mentor in the EBOA, please contact Bill Criddle, EBOA VP & current director of the mentoring program.