2026 general membership meeting & clinic Saturday August 1st
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 7.21.26
MEMORANDUM – 7.21.25
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
I hope the summer has been enjoyable for everyone, and you are getting ready for the 2026 college soccer season, which starts next month.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in just under 2 weeks on August 1, 2026, at Agnes Scott College. Our format will be similar to last year, starting with fitness testing in the morning and high-quality clinical instruction afterward (including lunch) in a comfortable, productive auditorium setting. For those not familiar with Agnes Soctt College, the track is Gellerstedt Track and Field on the below-linked map. Classroom sessions will be held at The Frances Bailey Graves Auditorium, located in Campbell Hall (pin #7 on the map):
https://www.agnesscott.edu/assets/documents/general/campusmap.pdf
IMPORTANT:
Fitness testing will commence promptly at 7:00 AM. Could we start at 7:30 and still make our 9:00 classroom sessions on time? Maybe. Will we wrap up the day sooner and get more of your Saturday back to you if we start at 7:00 AM? Definitely. If you like that plan, please do these two simple things:
- Advise Larry Pachon (copied above) if you will NOT attend the fitness session AND the reason (illness/exemption/took early test) NO LATER THAN Friday, 7/24/26.
- Show up on time for your group (well in advance of the start time).
Larry will provide groupings detail once the final attendee list is determined. Locker rooms will be available as in the past. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided near the classroom.
As this date was announced months ago, I respectfully ask for and expect your attendance in the absence of unavoidable conflicts. In the event you cannot join us, basic professionalism dictates that you let me know in advance so we can plan accordingly. New this year: Those who do attend will be eligible for multiple cash drawings, as well as free dues for a year (see below)!
Our feature speaker this year is John Collins, the NCAA National Coordinator of Officials for men’s and women’s soccer since 2023! In this role, John oversees communication among officials, conference coordinators, coaches and NCAA national office staff, and provides consistency in the interpretation of NCAA soccer rules and referee mechanics. He also works with the Division I, II and III men’s and women’s soccer committees in the identification, training, selection, and evaluation of officials for each championship (making him a good person to know!). John has an extensive resume that covers all areas of officiating, assessing, and assigning in the collegiate landscape as well as US Soccer. As an active member of the NISOA family for over 30 years, he served as a collegiate official from 1993 to 2017 and received appointments to numerous NCAA and Conference Tournament matches in Division I, II & III. He’s also been the assignor for ten different conferences including the East Coast Conference, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and Middle Atlantic Conference. Many of you will remember John from his presentation during our 2024 clinic as part of the NISOA Summer Summit held in Atlanta. His entertaining style and deep experience will be particularly valuable during a season with numerous significant rule changes.
Dues
You may recall that the majority of the dues we collect are remitted directly to NISOA. The remainder covers the cost of our clinic, assessment program, and other minor expenses throughout the year. For a number of reasons, our recent expenses have been less than budgeted and as a result, we have an accumulated surplus that exceeds the amount needed to cover unforeseen costs. Therefore, your Board and I are able to return the majority of this surplus in the form of a one-time reduction in dues to $120 for this year, representing a $55 discount from the $175 we typically collect.
As in previous years, dues can be remitted to Kevin Biando at Venmo: @kevin-biando (last four: 3033) or Zelle: 678-469-3033. Those who remit dues by the clinic date AND attend the clinic will be eligible for one of THREE random drawings to have their dues refunded in full!
Elections
I’m proud to announce that we have multiple candidates for the offices of Chapter Secretary and Vice President. Therefore, elections will be held in advance of the clinic by electronic voting (no hanging chads). You will receive an email with additional information and a link to vote during the week of Monday, July 20th. Please take the time to contribute to the success of our chapter by voting during the prescribed window.
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, August 1st.
Wes Williams
President
GISOA
2026 general membership meeting & clinic Saturday August 1st
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 4.5.26
MEMORANDUM – 4.5.26
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
Happy Easter! It’s hard to believe that we are already starting the second quarter of 2026, but I hope each of you has enjoyed a good start to the year. Whether you are knee-deep in high-school games, club soccer, both, or just taking a much-needed break, you may have noticed that we are entering the assigning season for the 2026 college season, which kicks off a lot of activity for GISOA. Your Board of Directors and I have been actively working on the following priorities:
- Setting the date and location for the 2026 General Membership Meeting
- Determining the feature speaker(s) and setting an agenda
- Setting the budget for 2026, including minimum dues that must be collected
- Refining the new member nomination and selection process that feeds our membership
- Preparing for the election of a new Board of Directors for the next two-year term
2026 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
This year’s General Membership Meeting and Clinic will be held on Saturday, August 1st at Agnes Scott College. More detail to follow, but I am asking each of you to hold that date for this important meeting, with timing and format similar to last year. As you have heard me acknowledge before, we all have summer vacations, professional obligations, and other non-controllables that can interfere with soccer, but I respectfully ask that you make every effort hold this one date to join your fellow GISOA colleagues in a valuable day of training, education, and fellowship.
2026 DUES
Our current budget includes a substantial surplus, a large portion of which needs to be distributed back to members. The Board has determined that the best way to do so is through a reduction in dues collected in 2026. We are still calculating the smallest amount we can collect and will publish this in short order. However, our ability to do this is highly dependent on timely collections. We had several members pay late last year (largely due to poor communication on my part), so I am putting this on your radar now: Dues will be collected prior to the general membership meeting this year, or substantial fines will be incurred. Please stay tuned for further communication on dues amounts, but plan to remit to Kevin before August 1, 2026.
ASSIGNORS AND REFEREE COMPENSATION
It was brought to my attention recently that there was a discrepancy in the amounts paid to officials by one assignor in our territory, versus the officiating fees collected in that assignor’s contract with the conference, over at least three seasons. I confirmed this via documentation provided by more than one of our members and investigated directly with the assignor in question. The facts in this situation:
- The assignor’s contract included assigning fees to be earned separately from the officiating fees (not a percentage of officiating fees).
- The assignor disclosed a pay schedule to officials before the season started and paid them per that schedule.
- The fees in the pay schedule were less than officiating fees collected from the conference.
- The amounts retained were relatively small (typically $5 per position per game) but not consistent among all officials (i.e. sometimes deducting only from AR’s and not from referees).
- The assignor explained to me that the retained officiating fees were used to provide instructional benefits to officials in the form of video and in-person assessments.
Ultimately, I recommended to the assignor that officials receive 100% of the fees collected for officiating, and that training/instructional efforts be funded outside those fees. The assignor in question agreed and will modify their approach to contracting with conferences and paying officials to align with this recommendation more closely moving forward.
As each of you know, GISOA is not an assigning organization, and membership does not limit you from working with any assignor(s) of your choosing. As such, we have no authority over, nor do we endorse, certify, or otherwise promote or discourage working with any particular assignor. However, I encourage our members to promote transparency by inquiring with assignors as to exactly how they are being paid, including whether there are any amounts withheld from officiating fees. By doing so, we will all be better served.
ELECTIONS
GISOA holds elections every other year for the Board of Directors (with the exception of Treasurer, which is an appointed position). As the current term ends with the General Membership meeting on 8/1/26, nominations are now being accepted for the following expiring positions (and current officers):
- President (Wes Williams) – Responsible for oversight of all operations, implementing strategic goals, and appointing non-elected officers and committee chairpersons.
- Vice President (Larry Pachon) – Responsible for assisting the President in executing goals and activities.
- Secretary (Shannon Ormsbey) - Responsible for administration of GISOA activities, including recording meeting minutes & attendance, handling event contracts and payments, and overseeing GISOA website.
The nomination window will close in 6 weeks on May 17th, 2026. Depending on the number of nominations, we will hold elections either prior to or during the General Membership Meeting on 8/1. Nominations should be sent by email to Shannon Ormsbey at seocarroll@gmail.com.
The continued success and growth of this organization depends on the active involvement of our experienced members in its leadership. If you are interested in shaping the future of GISOA (or know someone who is), please use this opportunity to nominate yourself or others for the position where you think you could make the most impact.
Further updates to follow.
Regards,
Wes Williams
President
GISOA
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 10.5.25
MEMORANDUM – 10.5.25
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
I hope everyone’s season has gone well thus far. As we enter the second half of the season and prepare for playoffs, your Board and I are also working to register our members for the following season. We do this using dues that were collected this Summer and at the Fall clinic.
At this writing, many of our members have not paid dues that were to be collected by the clinic date. Perhaps this is due to inadequate communication on my part (following my instructions on how to remit on 7/21), so I am writing now with one very simple, clear request: If you have not paid GISOA dues this year, please remit $175 to Kevin Biando immediately at Venmo: @kevin-biando (last four: 3033) or Zelle: 678-469-3033.
My 7.21.25 memo stated that the deadline for dues was the clinic date of 8.2.25. We are now over 2 months past that date but allowing dues payment without penalty for 5 more days to 10.10.25. After that date, a 10% penalty will apply. After 10.31.25, an additional $25 penalty will apply.
This does not apply to new members for 2025, who have already remitted current year dues and will pay “catch-up” dues at the end of the season.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this important obligation. Please reach out to me with any questions.
Wes Williams
President
GISOA
2025 clinic features FIFA world cup referee Matthew conger
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 7.21.25
MEMORANDUM – 7.21.25
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
The 2025 General Membership meeting is just under two weeks away, and we have another great session planned, with top notch training and education. I’ve packed a lot of detail into this memo; please take a moment to read thoroughly and respond accordingly.
I’m excited to announce that our sessions this year will be led by FIFA World Cup Referee Matthew Conger!
Matthew is a two-time, FIFA World Cup football referee, Director & Lead Facilitator of Holistic Leadership and Development Consultancy and co-founder of Total Referee Ltd. He refereed extensively across various professional leagues including the A-League (Australia), Chinese Super League, Saudi Pro League, USL & MLS, NZ National League, and OFC and FIFA competitions. He is passionate about developing the holistic capability of referees from grassroots to the elite level, making him an ideal presenter for our meeting.
I’m particularly proud to share that Matthew joins Corey Rockwell and Guido Gonzales as GISOA alumni who have worked on the world stage and return to Atlanta to give back to our chapter!
Our schedule this year will return to the traditional format of morning fitness testing followed by classroom sessions (lunch included). For those not familiar with Agnes Soctt College, the track is Gellerstedt Track and Field on the below-linked map. Classroom sessions will be held at The Frances Bailey Graves Auditorium, located in Campbell Hall (pin #7 on the map):
https://www.agnesscott.edu/assets/documents/general/campusmap.pdf
IMPORTANT:
Fitness testing will commence promptly at 7:00 AM. Could we start at 7:30 and still make our 9:00 classroom sessions on time? Maybe. Will we wrap up the day sooner and get more of your Saturday back to you if we start at 7:00 AM? Definitely. If you like that plan, please do these two simple things:
- Advise Larry Pachon (copied above) if you will NOT attend the fitness session AND the reason (illness/exemption/took early test) NO LATER THAN Friday, 7/25/25.
- Show up on time for your group (well in advance of the start time).
Larry will provide groupings detail once the final attendee list is determined. Locker rooms will be available as in the past. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided near the classroom.
DUES:
I’m pleased to announce that we were able to maintain the dues structure for 2025-2026 at $175 despite growing expenses, due in no small part to Kevin Biando’s diligent financial management. As in the past, please remit payment to Kevin using Venmo: @kevin-biando (last four: 3033) or Zelle: 678-469-3033. I respectfully ask each of you to make payment by our clinic date of 8/2, if possible, but I also recognize that this notice comes later than previous years. If more time is needed, please let me know.
I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, 8/2/25.
Wes Williams
President
2025 - fitness test option April 27, clinic August 2
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 2.16.25
MEMORANDUM – 2.16.25
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
First, a reminder to anyone who officiated post-season assignments last Fall to please send me the detail for each assignment (as requested below) so I can properly recognize you when we meet in August. I am certain that there are several who deserve to be recognized but haven’t taken this brief step.
Next, a second request that you set aside Saturday, August 2nd for our Fall Clinic/General Membership Meeting. The Board and I are actively planning for another productive and beneficial session and ask that you make time for this around family vacations, work obligations, and other avoidable conflicts.
Third, you may be aware that your BOD has made it a priority in recent years to provide more flexibility in meeting fitness testing requirements (i.e. reciprocal acceptance of certain Georgia Soccer tests) while maintaining an appropriate standard of fitness for all members. In that regard, Larry Pachon has offered to facilitate an early GISOA PFT on Sunday, April 27th in conjunction with a Georgia Soccer event being held at Northgate HS:
Northgate High School
3220 Fischer Rd, Newnan, GA 30265
The test will be held promptly at 7:00 AM and is available to any GISOA member who wants to knock out the PFT in advance. This would also be an excellent opportunity for our South Georgia members to avoid the early departure required to attend the fitness test held the morning of 8/2. Anyone who is interested in participating in this fitness test MUST email Larry at lpachon2k@gmail.com. Joining the fitness test does not provide access to the Georgia Soccer clinic that follows.
Stay warm and continue training.
Wes Williams
President
2024 Fall Clinic/NISOA SUMMER SUMMIT
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 7.11.24
MEMORANDUM – 7.11.24
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
With the pre-season clinic less than three weeks away, I’m very excited to share more detail around the training and instruction we will be offering on Saturday, July 27th.
This year, we are honored to host one of NISOA’s Summer Summits in conjunction with our annual Membership Meeting. The Summit will commence at 7:00am at the Agnes Scott College track with fitness testing for GISOA members. However, rather than moving immediately to the classroom, the balance of the morning will be utilized to conduct on-field training sessions led by NISOA Sr. Director of Education (and 12-year GISOA alumnus) Corey Rockwell! Session activity will include three separate modules on Offside, Video Review and Wall Management with Spray. These sessions will provide a unique opportunity to develop your acumen around these three critical topics through direct participation and practical application, versus traditional “lecture-style” instruction.
For any who haven’t met Corey and might wonder whether he is qualified to provide such high-level instruction, here are just a few highlights from his truly amazing career:
- Longest running FIFA AR in the history of US Soccer/MLS AR since 2005
- Copa America 2015/Gold Cup 2017/World Cup 2018 (first US AR to work a WC elimination round)
- 8 NCAA Division I Final Fours (including center referee 2016 & 2017 NCAA Women’s College Cup Final)
Joining Corey will be three other highly accomplished referee instructors:
Carmen Serbio, NISOA’s Director of Financial Management & Director of Assignors, and ACC Coordinator of Officials
Dan Lukash, NISOA’s Sr. Director of Programs
Rich Grady, NCAA Secretary Rules Editor
Shower facility and lunch will be provided after the training sessions, followed by classroom instruction around the rule changes for 2024 and other important topics.
IMPORTANT: NISOA has committed significant resources to this event, so it is critical that we get an accurate headcount of attendance. Therefore, if you have not already registered using the 6/30/24 NISOA email, please do so now using this link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=mwkKE3t5QEOqhAtovdQNlS-3dW1SKVJLi3Sfg9M2l6JUMFhIOEo2VVZOWDc0NDRENTZYTzdYTDlBOC4u
Hope you are as excited as I am for this unique opportunity. Expect more detail around logistics and schedule in the coming weeks.
Wes Williams
President
GISOA
2024 Fall Clinic
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 6.5.24
MEMORANDUM – 6.5.24
Georgia Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
I hope everyone has had a good start to 2024 and has remained active, whether officiating high school, youth/amateur, or other. It’s hard to believe that we are closing the second quarter of 2024, which means summer is upon us, and the next college soccer season is just around the corner.
As such, I’m writing to share that the Fall clinic will be held on Saturday, July 27th at Agnes Scott College. Those of you who have been with the chapter long enough will recall that we have conducted many clinics at Agnes Scott, which is centrally located (for metro Atlanta residents) and has an excellent track facility and auditorium.
I apologize for the tardiness in getting this information to membership, but we thought we had Westminster lined up again, only to learn at the last minute that planned construction would prevent us from using some of the facilities. This sent us scrambling for alternatives on both dates and locations.
Our format will be different this year, but the agenda will be generally similar, with a morning fitness test followed by valuable instructional material. The goal will be to release no later than mid-afternoon. We’re working on finalizing the agenda and will share ASAP but asking each of you to make every effort to hold this date and join us at Agnes Scott on 7/27/24.
More to follow
Wes Williams
President
GISOA
PERSONAL FITNESS TESTS (see diagrams below)
Please direct all fitness testing questions to Larry Pachon (Lpachon2k@gmail.com) and Kevin Huet (Khuet18@gmail.com)
YouTube videos
Just the audio test that we are running
A clip of how the test looks when administered
personal fitness tests
New GISOA President Wes Williams
president's message 2022
First, I would like to thank Past-President Griff Sims for his 11 years of outstanding and dedicated leadership to the Chapter. He will continue to be a valuable asset on the Board in his new, Past-President, capacity. It is truly an honor to represent GISOA as your 2022-2024 President.
PAST-PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Additional Information
MEMORANDUM - 5.24.22
I will be stepping down after serving as Chapter President for the past 11 years We will be voting on new leadership and will provide more details in follow-up broadcast.
Many thanks to 2022 GISOA Membership Committee “teammates Brandon Adams, Kevin Biando, Shannon O’Carroll, Larry Pachon, Tarik Veledar, Wes Williams, & Tim Wool for their commitment to identify developing referees to become valued members of our Chapter."
We have issued new member invites and will announce acceptances in follow-up broadcast
_______________
Griff Sims
GISOA President
2023 Fall Clinic and general membership meeting
Memorandum from President Wes Williams - 7.17.23
With the Fall Clinic/General Membership Meeting just under three weeks away, please note the following details and make sure you are prepared:
Date: Saturday 8/5/23
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 am Personal Fitness Test
Meeting: 9:00 am
Location: The Westminster Schools
Fitness testing will commence promptly at 8:00am at the Westminster Track.
Please plan to arrive well in advance of that time in order to be accounted for and warm up. Water and shower facilities will be provided. Larry Pachon will lead the PFT, which will be comprised of three tests as described below.
While preparation for this test (and the Fall Season, in general) should have started long ago, please use this remaining time to adjust your regimen to include these tests and ensure you are able to participate in a way that is both safe and productive. Results from this exam will be provided to NISOA and all assignors.
I am pleased to announce that our LEAD Clinician this year will be former GISOA member and current MLS Referee Guido Gonzales! Guido was the USL Referee of the Year in 2019 and made his MLS debut in 2018. He has over 57 games under his belt as center referee and far more as 4th and VAR, but most of us know him from his years of service to the college game as a member of our own chapter. We are fortunate to have Guido share his experience with us at the clinic.
DUES
2024 dues have bee set at $190 this year, level to the prior year and in keeping with our goal of providing high-quality, beneficial education, training, and administration to membership while operating as efficiently as possible. Please remit dues now, but no later than 8/5/23 to Kevin Biando, GISOA, Treasurer. Preferred method of payment is Venmo: @kevin-biando (last four: 3033) or Zelle: 678-469-3033.
Looking forward to seeing you and enjoying a productive and exciting clinic on 8/5!
Regards,
________________________________
Wes Williams
President
GISOA
current and former GISOA presidents
L to R: Wes Williams 2022-'24, Griff Sims 2011-'22, Joe Morgalis 2004-'11, Terry Radford 199?-2004
The leadership and mentoring of the GISOA Presidents will never be forgotten! Thanks Wes, Griff, Joe and Terry for your combined decades of service!!
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