High school soccer officials are preparing to sit out Southern Section games

Tom Bromhead is an actor on strike as a member of SAG-AFTRA. He’s also a high school soccer official who intends to stop working Southern Section games because of a pay dispute that could disrupt the 2024 season.

His son plays soccer for Burbank Burroughs, and Bromhead said even the teen doesn’t know what is about to happen.

“He hasn’t asked about it and I don’t think anyone is aware of it,” Bromhead said.

Most soccer official units are unlikely to assign Southern Section games, so schools will have to recruit their own officials but not pay more than the official Southern Section pay structure. Officials will gladly work City Section games because they were given a raise last year.

City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos is a former soccer player who said she understands officials’ point of view. She said since two-person crews have to work harder than three-person crews, they should get paid more. So two-person soccer officials in the City Section each will receive $88. Three-person crews will get $83 each. In the Southern Section, three-person crews will each receive $75, with the referee getting $80. Two-person crew members will receive $75 each.

New Southern Section commissioner Mike West announced that Southern Section schools are not allowed to deviate from the mandated rate and suggested that assistant coaches may need to officiate games.

“The poorest schools are going to suffer the most,” Bromhead said.