2020 Referee Pool Reporter Process
(To be posted in Referees’ Locker Room no later than 30 minutes prior to kickoff)
2020 Pool Reporter Form
(for download)
The Pool Reporter shall be a member of the working media who is designated thirty (30) minutes prior to the Match. The name of the Pool Reporter and the alternates will be displayed in the locker rooms at each venue. The Pool Reporter must not be affiliated with any MLS team.
Section 1: Notification of Request
The Pool Reporter will notify the home Club’s public relations staff no later than five (5) minutes after the Match’s final whistle that the media have questions for the Officials.
Section 2: Written Questions and Signature
The Pool Reporter will write a maximum of three (3) questions and one (1) follow-up question for the Officials on paper, sign it, and give it to the home Club’s public relations staff.
Section 3: Deliver Questions to PRO Referee Liaison
No sooner than five (5) minutes after the final whistle, the home Club’s public relations staff will deliver the written questions to the Referee Liaison outside the Officials’ Locker Room and confirm that he/she will return with the Pool Reporter in fifteen (15) minutes.
Section 4: Preparation and Interview
Officials may elect to answer media questions either in writing and/or orally. PRO will, on an Official’s request, provide or assist in preparation of a response to media’s questions.
The Officials will have fifteen (15) minutes from the completion of his/her post game duties to review the questions and prepare for the interview without the home Club’s public relations staff or Pool Reporter present. After the fifteen (15) minute period has elapsed, the Referee Liaison will facilitate either a written response or a verbal, in-person interview between the Official and the Pool Reporter, with the home Club’s public relations staff present. At the Official’s discretion, the interview may occur inside or just outside the Officials’ Locker Room. Requests for clarification and follow-up questions are permitted.
If an Official is uncomfortable with any media question, he or she should contact the Director of Senior Match Officials. If the Director of Senior Match Officials is unavailable, he or she should then contact the General Manager of PRO.
NOTE: All officiating and Video Review decisions are subject to Pool Reporter questioning, with the lead referee serving as the primary spokesman in all submitted answers.
