Founded November 2012 | Website proreferees.com | |
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Country United States and Canada | ||
Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is the organization responsible for managing the referee and assistant referee program in professional soccer leagues in the United States and Canada, working alongside the United States Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, Canadian Soccer Association, the North American Soccer League, the United Soccer League, the National Women's Soccer League and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
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The organization’s targets are to increase the quality of officiating in U.S. and Canadian professional leagues, develop more professional-quality officials at a younger age, and produce officials who will represent the United States and Canada in FIFA competitions.
History
The U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer joined forces in 2012 to create the Professional Referee Organization and the aims for PRO is to develop a higher standard of officiating at a younger age and to produce referees who can represent the United States and Canada in FIFA competitions.
U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said: “We’ve always understood that the development of referees is an important aspect to the growth of the game in the United States.
“PRO is another step toward the improvement and professionalization of our top referees. With the additional resources and funding provided by the formation of PRO, we will continue to build upon the progress we’ve already made.”
Heading up PRO is Peter Walton, a former referee who officiated just under 200 matches in the Premier League in England.
The Commissioner of the MLS, Don Garber, was delighted to get Walton on board.
He said: “MLS and U.S. Soccer proudly welcome PRO General Manager Peter Walton, who will utilize his exceptional experience as a referee and as an administrator, along with substantial resources, to help MLS achieve its vision of setting the worldwide standard in officiating.”
Walton has been involved with professional football since he joined the English Football League as an assistant referee in 1993 before advancing to the FIFA panel of Assistants in 1996, and then onto the Referees panel of the Football League in 1998. He accepted a full-time position as a referee in the Premier League in 2003 and, in 2007, completed the Advanced Course for Referee Instructors hosted by CONMEBOL and FIFA in Ecuador.
Walton commented: “I’m looking forward to the next stage of my career as the general manager of the Professional Referee Organization.
“The formation of PRO by U.S. Soccer and MLS provides a great opportunity to increase the development of referees and improve the overall quality of refereeing in the U.S. professional leagues. It’s a worthy challenge and I’m excited to get started.”
PRO model benefits
The PRO model allows for increased funding towards the referee program, the hiring of experienced technical staff, improved training opportunities for officials, additional identification and training opportunities for up-and-coming officials, amplified numbers of full-time referees employed, and raise the investment toward sports science.
MLS Referee and Assistant Referee of the Year award
For a list of recipients before PRO's creation in 2012, see: MLS Referee of the Year Award.Since PRO's inception: