One of the most dedicated and respected referees in US Soccer history, Gino D’Ippolito, will be honored as the 2018 recipient of the Rockland Westchester Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday December 3, 2018 at the RWISOA Annual Dinner Ceremony held at 7:00pm at Fratelli's Restaurant, 2507 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10469.
The RWISOA Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals in recognition of, and thanks for, a life-time of dedication to preserving the spirit of the game of soccer, for outstanding contributions to the refereeing program at the intercollegiate level in the form of instruction, assessment, and mentoring, and for promoting the growth and development of Intercollegiate soccer officials at the local and national level.
Gino, the only referee featured in a MSL Trading Card, was the official at Pelé's first and last games as a New York Cosmos player. He has officiated over 2,000 pro games and refereed international games in 29 countries. The world’s soccer stars from the late 1970s to the early ‘80s have played in games refereed by Gino. The native of Colledimezzo, Italy has been a Yonkers resident since 1951 and he has always found the time to help mentor referees of all levels.
It all started in 1963 when he was playing in a game and was unhappy with the referee’s performance. After the game, he told the referee how he felt about his officiating. The referee’s response was, "If you think you could have done a better job, why don’t you become a referee yourself?" Gino did and the rest is soccer history.
Gino has refereed in virtually every soccer final the USA had to offer, including the NASL, American Soccer League (ASL), Major Soccer League (MSL) and Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). One championship game he did not officiate was the NCAA final, although he was assigned to do so twice, he could not accept due to contractual obligations with the NASL. He was chosen to referee in the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the USSR, but a boycott of the games by the USA kept him from his dream of officiating in the Olympics.
As a RWISOA official, Gino shared his passion, dedication, and commitment to the development of college officials. His perseverance, integrity, and people-loving nature are just a few of his qualities that continue to inspire us all.
In an officiating career that has spanned more than five decades, the now 87-year-old - with over 600 NASL
games from 1968 until the league’s final season in 1984, over 1,500 pro indoor games from 1978 to 2001, hundreds of intercollegiate and high school games, after traveling to 29 nations, as well as 15 World Cup qualifiers for the 1978, 1982, and 1986 World Cups - can still be found refereeing youth games in Eastern New York.
The occasion also marks the presentation of the first ever Gino D’Ippolito Award presented to a distinguished RWISOA Referee for his/her achievements on and off the field.
In addition, RWISOA will be recognizing members for their special and unique contribution to the association.
The Rockland Westchester Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (RWISOA) is a NISOA Chapter, an organization of soccer officials which trains, certifies, and provides qualified soccer referees for the college soccer community within 200 miles of Rockland, Westchester, or Putnam counties in New York. RWISOA's mission is to assist in the development of soccer as a major sport in the United States and to improve the quality of officiating at the college level. For more information visit: www.rwisoa.org
TICKETS for non-RWISOA Members are available - $55 adults -
Please contact: Jack Schiavone at 1-845-893-4374