Pulley serves local soccer with a whistle

Gene Pulley has always loved to make the children happy.

And that was exactly what was going through his mind 24 years ago when the coaches of his 8-year-old son's soccer team failed to show up to a recreational game. That's when Pulley, who knew nothing about the sport, stepped up and took control of the team.

Since then, the 60-year-old Cape Girardeau resident has served as coach, president and most recently a referee in the Cape Area Youth Soccer Association.

After coaching his two children, Jeff and Kim, throughout their grade school years, he became a referee in 1987 to stay involved in the sport. Six years later he began teaching referee instruction classes. He continues to love this duty, saying that he'll keep working until he's physically unable to.

"I'm going to ref as long as I can," Pulley said, "until these knees give out on me."

While many people are afraid to take on the job of reffing soccer, Pulley seems unfazed by the frequent criticism from fans, players and coaches.

Blocking out criticism

"You just have to act like you enjoy it and you're busy," Pulley said. "If I'm out there trying hard and people are yelling at me. I just block the sound out and try to be closer to the play. Then most of the parents will stop yelling. Every game I try to be the best I can be."

Along with discovering techniques to block out spectators, Pulley has been around the soccer fields long enough to catch on to the pattern of criticism.

"Most of the time the coach that complains is the one who loses," Pulley explained. "And I've had my share of yelling because some people have no sense."

In his early days, Pulley admits that he occasionally made the mistake of talking back to fans and coaches.

"I've made the stupid errors of yelling at the coaches and being rude," Pulley said, "but the more I reffed, the more confident I was about what I was doing. It's hard to concentrate if coaches are yelling at me."

Both his children are employed in the referee business, officiating on various levels ranging from CAYSA to college, leaving only one member of the family unaffiliated with soccer.

"I just couldn't get my wife to do it," Pulley joked. "She claims she's the only sane one left in the family."

Pulley holds the positions of both CAYSA referee coordinator and United States Soccer Federation referee assigner, appointing certified officials for local games involving select teams. His 16-hour instruction classes are held twice a year for beginning refs, and he knows the training has paid off in the area's young officials.

"The referee program for CAYSA is successful due to the fact that we have many dedicated, responsible and reliable refs," Pulley said. "I've never had a game without refs there."

Due to knee trouble, he generally does not referee any team older than third grade, but the young kids are all he needs to wear a smile on his face.

"I enjoy seeing the kids enjoy the game," Pulley said. "That's my favorite part about it all. I don't just like blowing my whistle, but also instructing the young ones and teaching them different things. I love reffing, and it's great knowing that you do a job well done."