NY Metro ISOA News

Working with Non-NISOA Members

By: John Puglisi, NISOA Vice President and NY Metro ISOA Chapter President

Every season, the topic of non-NISOA members working intercollegiate matches comes up for discussion. It’s a fact that some intercollegiate soccer assignors assign non-NISOA members. The assignor may knowingly use a non-NISOA member or the individual misrepresents himself or herself to the assignor as a NISOA member. Here’s what you need to know:

• NISOA  does not have a policy which precludes a NISOA member from working on a crew with a non-NISOA member. We believe each NISOA member in good standing has the right to work whatever game they are assigned. NISOA will not enact a policy that limits our members right to work.
• The general and professional liability insurance that NISOA members receive as part of their dues may not apply in cases where non-NISOA members are involved in a claim. The insurance provider recognizes NISOA members as part of a group of trained and qualified soccer officials and may not cover the actions of non-NISOA members.

A lookup form for checking whether an individual is currently registered with NISOA is provided for our members’ use.

If you’re still confused or not sure what to do, here are some typical questions (with answers) that may help you:

• Do you suggest that I not accept a game with a non-NISOA member? The decision to accept a game is solely up to you.
• What are the ramifications if I work a game with a non-NISOA member? The chance that the NISOA group liability insurance coverage may not be applicable as noted above.

As your chapter president (and NISOA National Clinician), I strive to make sure our members have access to the best available training and instructional materials so that each member is trained to their fullest capability to be assigned to the matches for which they are qualified. Our members train physically and attend clinics to be as prepared as possible for intercollegiate soccer. I hope our members take justified pride in their status as NISOA and especially NY Metro chapter members. I also realize that “it’s about the games” so when we have qualified and available chapter members being overlooked for assignments in favor of non-NISOA members, it bothers me.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015 at 2:39 pm and is filed under General with keyword(s) member. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.