Ref quickly rising through the ranks
Nick Caravaggio only Peterborough referee certified to officiate regional games
Nick Caravaggio has risen quickly through the ranks of local soccer referees.
Two weeks ago, the 34-year-old became the only Peterborough referee currently certified to officiate regional games. The most recent officials with regional certification were Jason Hanley, who gave it up in 2013, and Derek Abrams who stopped in 2012, according to local referee supervisor Mike Smith.
Caravaggio started playing soccer at age six and continues to play as a keeper in the Kawartha Senior Soccer League and a local mixed league, but he only began officiating five years ago.
Smith, a local official for more than 30 years, recognized Caravaggio’s ability and approached him about applying for regional status.
It was a two-year process of attending training camps, being assessed during games, written exams, passing a FIFA high intensity fitness test and increasing his certification from Level 5 to 9.
He is now qualified to officiate most soccer in Ontario below the professional ranks like the Ontario Soccer League, Ontario Professional Development League and college and university matches.
The testing wasn’t easy.
“They really give you some weird situational questions that aren’t in the book and you have to apply your knowledge and come up with the right answer,” said Caravaggio, a certified pedorthist who runs the Caravaggio Orthotic Clinic founded by his father Nick Sr.
“Odd questions like if a player starts to smoke on the field what do you do in that situation,” he said.
It was challenging but Caravaggio also believes the process has made him a much better official.
It’s not that there aren’t referees in Peterborough capable of advancing up the ranks, he said, but most are comfortable doing what they do.
“One of my best friends, Mark Kennedy, is one of the top referees in town but he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing. He doesn’t have the time because he has a family and his work schedule. I’m not quite that tied down yet but if that changes I might have to re-evaluate what I’m doing.
“It’s a really good hobby for me. It’s nice to do something outside work and it’s a good workout and keeps you in good shape. You do get paid for it, not a lot, but it’s a nice hobby.”
He referees an average of three nights a week. He says there is a shortage of officials in the area, but he also likes to play the game and work is busy so he’s content with his workload.
“You could referee every night If you wanted to,” he said.
It was Kennedy who suggested he try officiating.
“I always thought I’d like to coach one day and thought it would be a good idea if I was going to coach to understand all the rules,” he said. “You’d be surprised there are a lot of coaches and players out there who don’t know the rules.”
He might continue to add to his resume, the next step is the provincial level, but don’t expect to see Caravaggio working a World Cup match one day.
“I started a little late for that,” he said. “I know guys at the provincial level who are only a year or two older than me and they’ve been told they are too old to go to the FIFA level,” he said.
“I really think you have to start when you’re 18. A lot of guys in my class were in their early to mid-20s. They want guys who are younger because it takes a long time to groom them.”