United Premier Soccer League Names Dave Simmons National Referee Assignor and Director of Officials

LOS ANGELES - Oct. 19, 2018 - PRLog -- The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is pleased to announce Central California-based Dave Simmons as the league's National Referee Assignor and Director of Officials, effective immediately.

United Premier Soccer League National Director Paul Lapointe said, "I'm excited to work with Dave Simmons in the referee sector as he will provide much-needed leadership for all our UPSL referees. Dave is a Cal North and WPSL Hall of Famer, so having a National Referee Assignor of his caliber is another step toward supporting the UPSL's tremendous growth coast-to-coast."

The UPSL National Referee Assignor and Director of Officials will maintain a list of eligible UPSL referees, select and assign referees to matches – including upcoming UPSL regional and national playoff matches – and see that all referees are provided the proper assignments to ensure their development, retention and opportunities for advancement.

Simmons, a U.S. Soccer Federation Referee Instructor and Assignor, is a member of the California Soccer Association North (Cal North) Hall of Fame, the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Hall of Fame, and the Mexican America Hall of Fame.

UPSL National Referee Assignor and Director of Officials Dave Simmons said, "What interests me the most is the expansion and the orderly way in which the UPSL is taking its approach to referee assignments. The league has had some difficulty but with some hard work with National Director Paul Lapointe we now have a structure. It will be a better system where we won't have local assigners giving games, but that's the difficulty because there are so many teams."

Simmons, a native of Sacramento (Calif.), was one of the original founders of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and has held a myriad of positions during more than 40 years as a referee, including as the Director of Officials for the NPSL and the WPSL.

"It's going to be a challenge and we're going to be making dramatic changes starting with the 2019 season," Simmons said. "It'll take a little time for teams to get used to my methodology because the UPSL's whole referee structure will now be under my control (therein) taking it away from individuals interests in the local areas, but the UPSL is looked upon favorably and with the right leadership this should go smoothly."

United Premier Soccer League

The UPSL was formed in 2011 and currently includes more than 300 teams in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. UPSL is the fastest growing Pro Development League in the USA, with 400-plus teams targeted for 2019 Fall Season. Each UPSL team is individually owned and operated, and is responsible for maintaining either UPSL Pro Premier Division or Championship Division minimum standards.

UPSL teams are all eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying Rounds through the leagues affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).

More information about UPSL can be found at www.upslsoccer.com or by following the league on Facebook (www.facebook.com/upslsoccer) and Twitter (@upslsoccer).

Contact UPSL:
info@upslsoccer.com
Direct: 310-415-5691

Media Relations:
Dennis Pope
dennis@upslsoccer.com
upslcommunications@gmail.com
Direct: 951-675-3963
www.upslsoccer.com
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www.twitter.com/unitedpremiersoccerleague