St. Mary’s Soccer is honored to announce The Donald and Margie Watson Referee Recognition Scholarship, sponsored by St. Mary’s Soccer. 

Donald and Margie Watson have been a presence for over 25 years in the Southern Maryland soccer community. Don passed away unexpectedly in February of 2022 and Margie truly lost the love of her life and the soccer community lost a wonderful human. The Watson’s have worked diligently behind the scenes for recreational, travel and high school soccer events; ensuring officiating coverage for every level of play. Their respect and dedication to young referees and their development and garnering respect and longevity from adult referees is unmatched. The St. Mary’s Soccer Board of Directors is proud to announce The Donald and Margie Watson Referee Recognition Scholarship in honor of their service to the Southern Maryland soccer community. 

Eligibility

• Applicants must be a resident of St. Mary’s County and have officiated soccer recreationally and/or competitively. 
• Applicants must be a graduating senior from an accredited high school or accredited home school program during the current scholarship year and seeking to continue their education at an accredited university, college, technical school, or trade school. 
• The Donald and Margie Watson Referee Recognition award is based on an applicant’s character and positive representation in the soccer community. 
• Applications must be submitted on or before June 1, 2023.

The scholarship award is $1,500 and will be announced on June 5, 2023. Two scholarships are available each year.

Requirements

Applicants must submit the following:

• A resume which should include your name, address, contact information (email/phone), soccer officiating experience/timeframe, extra-curricular activities such as volunteer work, other sports involvement, and/or employment; high school or home school program name. The resume should also include the college, technical/or trade school commitment for the Fall of 2023.
• Photo of candidate in referee attire.
• An essay in which applicants must respond to this question: How has your involvement in officiating soccer shaped your character, and impacted your life outside of soccer? (Max. 1000 words.) 
• At least one (1) letter of recommendation from a senior (adult) referee (not a parent or family member) who is able to attest to your character.

Required materials should be submitted in one pdf document in the above listed order and sent to the following email: registrar@stmaryssoccer.org