As part of the ongoing effort to promote a positive and supportive environment within the North Haven Soccer Club (NHSC), it has launched a new series called “Get to Know Your Referee.” This initiative aligns with the club’s zero tolerance stance on referee abuse and aims to highlight the fact that the referees are kids from within the community. The goal of the series is to help the community get to know the referees a bit, and celebrate their contributions and their hard work.

This week’s referee spotlight was on Quennell Nesmith, a 14-year old referee from North Haven High School. He is in 10th grade, and his favorite school subject is math. Nesmith’s favorite soccer team is Arsenal, and his favorite player is Lionel Messi. Nesmith’s favorite food is pizza, and his favorite TV shows are “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago Med.”

Nesmith’s favorite thing about being a referee is being able to watch the teams play while reffing. A fun fact about Nesmith is that he has played soccer since he was 5, and he became a referee to make money.