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Soccer Ref Training Gets a Technology Boost
July 10, 2009
The Massachusetts State Referee Committee (MSRC) says it reduced the cost of its soccer referee training program by 50 percent, and saved 20 percent of its overall annual operating budget through its use of technology from Brainshark, Inc. The MSRC, the state referee association for the U.S. Soccer Federation, provides training, certification, and other services for more than 5,000 referees, who officiate more than 350,000 games annually.
Previously, referees participated in a 16-hour, classroom-based training course prior to the season. The MSRC moved half of this initial training program to Brainshark, thereby enabling the referees to instead watch online, multimedia presentations at their leisure that incorporated audio, survey/comprehension questions, and attachments, among other features. This alleviated staffing and materials costs for the MSRC, as well as travel time and expenses for the non-profit organization and referees alike.
In addition to the cost-savings realized through Brainshark, the MSRC says it gained greater consistency in the quality of training content, and is able to track training completion using Brainshark's reporting capabilities. The MSRC reports its referees appreciate the convenience of the online training model, and feel the multimedia presentations promote better knowledge retention.
"For a non-profit, saving 20 percent of our annual operating budget has a significant impact, and helps us free up money and time for other priorities and programs to serve our constituents," says John Utter, Brainshark administrator, the MSRC. "The positive feedback from our students—as well as from the players, coaches, and fans they then work with—has been overwhelming."
The MSRC is planning to extend its use of Brainshark beyond referee training to include re-certification and upgrades; training for assignors, instructors and assessors; and recruiting and retention efforts to help realize greater cost savings.
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