CHICAGO (March 18, 2022) – NISA Nation announced this past week the appointment of Kenneth Henriques as the first referee coordinator for NISA Nation. The 38-year-old Hoboken, N.J., resident previously served as the assignor for the Northeast Region in the fall of 2021.

"The referee coordinator is designed to oversee all game assignments, disciplinary reviews and referee development," says NISA Nation Managing Director Jonathan Rednour. "Kenneth checked off all of those boxes for us in our fall season and has shown incredible drive and intuition to strengthen our relationship with the referee community."

Kenneth Henriques joins NISA Nation with more than 25 years of experience in the game having played, officiated and more - recently taking on an administrative role.

“I’ve been incredibly excited to be a part of NISA Nation from its inception,” says Henriques. “I look forward to assisting in referee development, and any additional competitions that can develop clubs, players and referees.”

The referee coordinator duties include working within each region, identifying a strong network of local assignors and referees who share the same vision of providing the highest level of officiated matches possible, while utilizing NISA Nation's platform to offer development in the referee ranks across the country.

“It takes a unique individual to referee," adds Henriques. "You have to understand not only the laws of the game, but also how those laws should be applied, and what that particular game expects in the application of those laws. Being able to possess that trait, coupled with the ability to manage varying personalities, takes dedication to your craft. NISA Nation games will offer these challenges and our job is to provide guidance on how to identify and apply these attributes."

NISA Nation has kicked off in the Southwest region this past weekend with the Northeast, Florida and Pacific regions set to follow shortly. Stay tuned for more schedule announcements.