Identifying gifted soccer players was a natural by-product of AYSO with their “Everyone Plays” on “Balanced Teams” philosophies. Ken often re-visited AYSO and developed an affinity toward the AYSO youth soccer organizational and growth procedures that were capturing the American public’s attention and involvement.

 

Ken Aston was enamored by the statistical growth of AYSO and the volunteerism of parents to be coaches and referees. Ken knew that with increasing numbers of AYSO players , coaching and refereeing skills would soon reach into the multitude of  AYSO graduates. In addition, Paul Harris, Larry Harris, and Joe Bonchonsky demonstrated the “three referees on the field” (TROF) system at the professional and youth level for Ken Aston to evaluate. Ken had the best of compliments for the fluidity of play and improved scoring when each player knew that there was a pair of referee eyes in nearby proximity and a pair of ref eyes in front of and behind them. . The TROF referee system of officiating not only had a major impact upon Ken Aston but also on  the  expansion of AYSO.  The goal of never having a new referee all alone on the field via TROF during a youth soccer game was of prime importance in attaining “Fair Play” within AYSO.

 

To avoid having an inexperienced referee by himself, the three referee on the field system would have the learning ref in the center with one experienced ref leading and one experienced ref trailing with appropriate communication signals to avoid  having  a learning ref “botch” a game for which both teams had trained hard . There is nothing more disadvantageous then to have teams play their hearts out only to find that a critical intentional foul that may impact the game’s  outcome  was not seen because the one ref missed it. Paul Harris, Larry Harris and Joe Bonchonsky have officiated approximately 2,000 soccer games each, at the AYSO youth, international youth, high school, college, and professional (coach Terry Fisher’s pre-season NASL  LA Aztecs) soccer games.  Ken Aston experienced the best of officiating performance not because the referees were qualified but because the Three Referee on the Field system allowed the players to perform to the best of their abilities. TROF studies revealed that more goals were scored when the TROF system was employed simply because the players were aware that negative tactics did not succeed. The major benefits of the TROF system are not only in training referees but because the levels of soccer where “ruffians” dominate are in dire need of fairness.

 

One of the major benefits of the Three Refs On the Field system is acknowledged when the One Ref system is compared to the TROF system. In the One Ref System, the ref is usually a younger man and therefore limited in experience. The one ref must run at least seven miles to fulfill his field coverage responsibilities in a quality game. The historical evidence of missed calls (Maradona, Henry, etc.) have seriously impacted  those teams which have trained for months if not years to be turned back by the use of “tradition” instead of “fair play” in the world’s sport of soccer. It is not the fault of the solo referee simply because he would have called those intentional fouls, if seen. The financial economics of the One Ref system keeps it alive but the cost is too high.

 

AYSO is fully occupied in not only teaching the playing skills of soccer but also in the preparation of youth in learning to play a sport were fairness is of prime importance. The fact that AYSO is not conflicted with affiliated tradition and, most importantly, developing the foundation of skills in achieving the highest quality of play, the TROF system of refereeing has been tested at all levels and the results are magnificent not only in the quality of play but the improvement in fluidity in a non-stop contest.

The criticisms of the TROF System are listed by the traditionalists who will not even test it. The statement that three different referees have varied interpretations of some fouls is valid. However, with the experience of three older refs, the decisions were most compatible and appropriate; the difference was far superior to the one ref with lesser experience. The statement that the TROF system will initiate time interruptions is also “potentially” true. The “traditionalists” are entitled to their energy to preserve the “old country ways” but in America the cry for more goals will not be made by the traditionalists who fully accept the 0-0 tie. True, the cost of three referees on the field is higher but the price for soccer’s success in America does not impact AYSO where the three refs are volunteers and “crime does not pay” is taught at the earliest of ages. The numbers of games that are “tainted” by the one ref system are usually the result of poor referee mechanics and not the abilities of a single referee.

 

The two-referee system dominates the American college scene but with the older more experienced players, the TROF system will provide the most important ingredient in college soccer, “players decide the end result of American soccer, not tradition, nor referees out of view.” 

Ken Aston provided an excellent example of studying AYSO youth soccer and its influence on traditionalists who took the time to witness the American interpretations of procedures that would succeed in America. In experiencing the TROF system being illustrated even at the professional level, Ken Aston not only praised the fluidity but also the ease of a working relationship by three experienced referees who were not influenced by tradition.  True, the three men, in the TROF demonstration to Ken Aston had worked together for many years as a team and the soccer mechanics of their location on the field of play with respect to the action of play was influential not only in the officiating of the game but also the impact on the player who wanted to perform at his best.

 

Ken Aston was honored by his induction into the AYSO National Hall of Fame not only because of his high stature in the world of soccer referees but also that he instructed his FIFA associates about the AYSO success story. Ken Aston stood firm on instructing his FIFA colleagues about the AYSO PHILOSOPHIES that he appreciated in AYSO’S growth of youth soccer that was capturing the American public. Ken Aston is a classic example of men and women who honored AYSO with their foresight and attention, and we honor Ken Aston as an AYSO PIONEER HONOREE.

 

If you want to see more pictures or learn more about Ken Aston life, we invite you to visit www.KenAston.org a website dedicated to Ken Aston.

We want to thanks them for let us use some pictures.