My family and I relocated from Illinois to Moorpark over 20 years ago. A year after our arrival, my oldest daughter who was learning to play the violin decided she wanted to sign up for AYSO soccer.
Playing soccer as a youth was so much fun for me and I had hoped my oldest daughter would follow in my footsteps and love the game as much as I did. After the first season of playing the game, she decided to sign up to be a referee and asked me to be one as well. Without any objection, I agreed to sign up and get certified as a regional referee.
After my first year in AYSO, I was invited to participate in the regional referee training for new referees; I’ve been hooked on refereeing ever since.
Since my initial certification as a regional referee, I have developed my refereeing skill a national referee level. In addition to my referee certifications, I am a referee instructor, referee assessor and previous referee administrator. I am also AYSO trained in AYSO regional management, conflict resolution, due process, just to list a few.
I have been serving on Moorpark AYSO board either as a general board member and an executive board member for more than 10 years. My experience in leadership positions in corporate America as well as the education that I had received prepared me for my current position as the RC of Moorpark AYSO. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by and work with amazingly dedicated and talented volunteers and board members.
I believe that for any organization to be successful, it must have dedicated members that are passionate about what they do. The current Moorpark AYSO board is positioned to support the region to implement AYSO’s vision and mission. The mission and its six philosophies make AYSO unique in the community. Over the years, many children that have gone through the AYSO program grow up to be responsible young men and women. I look forward to meeting each of you and together, we will reshape the soccer culture in Moorpark and beyond, continue to have fun serving our AYSO children and promote the learning experience that each child gets from the sport.
Samuel Thomas
Regional Commissioner (volunteer)
Moorpark AYSO, Region 363
[email protected]