Referee Education

F3 offers ongoing referee education and support. David Hepler, F3 Director of Officials, oversees the training of referees and referee assignments for F3's recreational program, Columbus East Soccer Association.

F3 provides paid part-time job opportunities to youth over the age of 14 years old during its Fall and Spring recreational soccer seasons. Many of F3's officials now come from many of our partner organizations and programs listed below.

David Hepler

David is a retired marketing executive with an ownership background in the travel and hospitality industries. He has been associated with the Columbus East Soccer Association for over 25 years, starting as a coach of his daughter’s and son’s recreational teams. Dave subsequently joined CESA’s board, serving as president for 10 years before moving to Final Third’s board in 2022 when the two organizations merged. He continues his role as Director of Officials, recruiting, training and developing soccer referees for CESA. David’s daughter is a Berkeley-educated investigative journalist living in Santa Cruz, CA, and his son has a Non-Profit Management masters from Northeastern and works with major accounts for United Way in central Ohio. In addition to spending time working with youth officials and visiting his children, Dave is a dedicated soccer official. He also volunteers with Special Olympics and other youth organizations, is active with animal rescue, and is an avid traveler.