Veteran Soccer Referee Ian Bongaardt Appointed as New State Referee Administrator for the Eastern Pennsylvania State Referee Committee

Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, which fosters the mental, physical and emotional growth of youth through the sport of soccer at all levels of age and competition within Eastern Pennsylvania’s 36 counties, today announced that veteran soccer referee Ian Bongaardt has been appointed as the new State Referee Administrator of the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Association Referee Committee (EPSARC).



Previously with EPSARC, a joint committee between the youth and adult soccer association, Bongaardt served as the organization’s State Director of Instruction for the referee committee from January 2015 to July 2016. During that period, he developed and oversaw the instruction program for 3,000 referees, instructors, assessors, and assignors in the Eastern Pennsylvania, providing clarification on the interpretation and application of the Laws of the Game under the guidance of US Soccer.



“We are excited to have Ian come back to our organization in his new role as State Referee Administrator,” said Jeff Sommer, President of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. “Ian brings a ton of great soccer experience, not only as a ref, but as a player and a coach. All of those aspects enable him to view the game with a unique perspective, and he will be vital in guiding our game officials going forward, especially in this ‘brave new world’ of youth sports in the time of COVID-19.”



Bongaardt is a graduate of East Stroudsburg University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, as well as a graduate of the Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders program. He is the owner of Comfort Keepers, an elder care alternatives provider, and is a leading expert of the elder care industry.



About Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer State Referee Association: Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s State Referee Association (SRA) is appointed by the youth and adult associations as part of a joint state referee committee to serve both associations. The state referee committee is responsible for recruiting and training new referees, and the registration and continuing education of current referees for US Soccer. For more information on becoming a referee, go to http://www.EPSARC.org.







Veteran Soccer Referee Ian Bongaardt was appointed as the new State Referee Administrator for the Eastern Pennsylvania State Referee Committee (August 2020).