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.

Last week’s referee spotlight was on Selim Yavuz, a 13-year old referee from North Haven Middle School. He is in eighth grade, and his favorite school subject is mathematics. Yavuz’s favorite soccer teams are Besiktas and Barcelona, and his favorite players are Paolo Maldini, John Terry, and Lionel Messi. Yavuz’s favorite food is fried chicken, and he also enjoys fishing and biking. Yavuz’s favorite movie is “The Miracle in the Andes,” and his favorite book is “Society of the Snow.”

Yavuz’s favorite thing about being a referee is that he loves working with younger soccer players and seeing their growth over the soccer season. A fun fact about Yavuz is that he takes high school geometry in middle school, and he became a referee because it is WIN-WIN-WIN situation. He is giving back to the community by supporting North Haven’s young players, having fun, getting exercise, and earning money, and this is also great leadership and communication experience.