Please join us in congratulating four of our Cal North referees for being promoted within the Professional Referee Organization (PRO): Peter Hanson, Jamie Padilla, Iryna Petrunok, and Stephen McGonagle. PRO actively works to identify, train, and develop professional match officials, and has chosen to promote these Cal North referees as a result of their success across various PRO competitions (currently: Major League Soccer, National Women’s Soccer League, USL Super League, USL Championship, USL League One, and MLS NEXT Pro) and the promise they show for future development. Expect to see more Cal North faces working in these leagues this upcoming season! All four of these officials were active participants in the Cal North Elite Development Program and will continue to be involved as schedules allow in order to help current Elite Group participants continue on their referee journeys.
Promoted to PRO 2
– Peter Hanson (Assistant Referee)
– Jamie Padilla (Referee)
– Iryna Petrunok (Referee)
Peter, Jamie, and Iryna all successfully completed National Camp in December where they underwent fitness testing, classroom sessions, and practical field sessions; and PRO Camp in early January, where they underwent medical screenings and classroom sessions to prepare for the season. They’ll be regularly working in PRO-assigned leagues alongside Cal North PRO 2 referee Elijio Arreguin.
Promoted to Senior Match Officials
– Stephen McGonagle (Assistant Referee)
Following a number of successful years in PRO 2, and trial matches in the MLS, Stephen will now be working in the top league in the country alongside fellow Cal North Referees Joe Dickerson (Referee), Victor Rivas (Referee), Chris Elliott (Assistant Referee), and Mike Kampmeinert (Assistant Video Assistant Referee).
Congrats to all four officials, and good luck this season!
