Holman receives Vicarel Award

October 16, 2018 at 12:00a.m.

Association honors members, seeks new gridiron officials

YOUNGSTOWN

Len Holman, a longtime member of the Youngstown District Football Officials Association, was honored on Monday with the group’s Fred Vicarel “Respect the Game” award.

The association held their end of year banquet, passing out service awards to members at the MVR Restaurant.

Outgoing president Tony Serluco, incoming president Jim Iuduciani and Holman expressed hope that they can help the organization grow from its 154 membership.

“Youngs-town boasts one of the largest football officiating groups in the five-county area, but there are multiple factors that cause our numbers to fluctuate,” Serluco said. “Officials get injured, some get sick and have health issues while others might relocate due to their jobs and need to move out of the area.

“When Lordstown recently cut their third shift we lost seven officials, so it is necessary to grow and increase our membership,” Serluco said.

Due to a shortage of officials in Pennsylvania, Iuduciani said that games have started to be scheduled on Thursdays, Saturday afternoons and Saturday evenings to make sure enough officials are available.

Marketing the YDFOA is necessary, he said.

“This past year we added 11 new officials,” Iuduciani said. “However, 15 officials either retired or moved from the area.

“If they went to six-man crews right now, we wouldn’t have enough officials to work all the games,” Iuducani said. “We already have a mentoring program in place but need to market ourselves better and recruit if we expect to grow.”

Youngstown’s football official’s organization dates to 1935 when meetings were first held at the YMCA’s Main Branch on Champion Street.

Vicarel is credited as the one who had the vision to help the group grow its membership in those early years.

“Fred was the arbiter before we had the arbiter,” said Holman, who is in his 46th year with the organization. “He was the one who started the officials’ classes as we know them today, reworked the organization’s by-laws and served as a mentor to not only me, but many others in this organization.

“I am humbled to now be listed among the previous winners of this award,” Holman said. “Fred taught us what he knew, now it is up to all of us to recruit new members and teach them what we know.”

The purpose of the award is to honor a member of the YDFOA who has made a profound and significant contribution to the success of the association and has served promotion with distinction.

Last year’s honoree Ray Makara, who is in his 37th year as a football official, said Vicarel was the ultimate leader.

“Fred ran this organization when I became an official and he was the Godfather of Youngstown football officials,” Makara said. “To now have my name associated with Fred’s some 37 years down the road is quite humbling.

“When everyone was amped, Fred remained calm and he impressed upon me that football officials from the Mahoning Valley were the very best in the state,” Makara said. “I took that to heart.”

Those interested in becoming an official can do so by visiting the organization’s website at www.ydfoa.org.