Courtesy: Big Apple Soccer


Mr. 7.500

Referee Vogt reaches another milestone

Randy Vogt and his officiating partner, Jack McCarthy, at Our Savior New American School on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Randy Vogt
Veteran soccer referee Randy Vogt reached another career milestone as he officiated his 7,500 career game on Saturday.

Vogt, 47, worked the Lindenhurst Tidal Force's 9-0 victory over Stony Brook United in a Boys Under-13 match at Our Savior New American School in Centereach, N.Y.

The game was part of the Long Island Futsal League season.

"I'm very thankful to God to have had a long career as well as being very thankful to all the people who helped me along the way," Vogt said after the game.


The secret to Vogt's success? Positive thinking, he said in a story on BigAppleSoccer.com in December 2008.

"Perseverance and patience," he said. "You have to be patient that you're going to make mistakes and you've got people on the touchlines who don't know what they're talking about and being nice explaining the game to them.

"It's a matter of trying to do your best and realize you're going to make mistakes and to improve in the future."

Vogt has tried to keep the same routine, only refining it when he has learned something new.

"If a referee arrives to the field early, neatly dressed, wearing a smile, keeps up with play, knows the rules and briefly explains those rules that others might not know, that ref is not going to have problems with 99 percent of the people at the game," he said in that 2008 interview. "The great majority of players and coaches are there to have fun. Professional soccer is different, however, as people's livelihoods are dependent on results."


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com