US Officials
Overview
Referee assigning and officials-management company, founded 2008 by Paul Athanasiadis and Levon Akoghlanian. Acquired by 3STEP Sports in June 2023 — the first referee assigning business absorbed into the 3STEP ecosystem and the first referee-sector company acquired by any major youth sports PE platform. (HIGH — BusinessWire deal announcement)
HQ: New England / Northeast US. Serves 50+ soccer event operators nationally.
Portfolio
Not a club owner. A service company that bundles three functions:
- Proprietary assigning platform (usofficials.com) — software for availability management, game assignment, and crew confirmation
- Captive referee network — 6,000+ registered officials across multiple sports
- Referee development programming — mentoring, professional development, and retention services as adjacent offerings
Multi-sport expansion was signaled in the deal announcement; soccer is the core vertical.
Business Model
Revenue from two sources:
- Per-game/per-event fees paid by event operators (leagues, tournaments) for assigning services
- Platform access fees for organizations using the usofficials.com software
Rate card is not public. Model is a service business (platform + assignor labor + referee network), not a pure SaaS play — this distinguishes US Officials from Assignr, Arbiter, and RefTown. (MEDIUM — structure inferred from product positioning)
Strengths
- Only major assigning company owned by a PE-backed tournament platform — strategic alignment between supply (referees) and demand (3STEP events) is unique in the market
- New England depth — strong referee pool in the most concentrated youth soccer event market on the East Coast
- Development programming — mentoring programs address the #1 attrition driver (referee abuse/burnout), improving pool retention
- 3STEP integration — access to 43 states of 3STEP event demand provides growth runway
Weaknesses
- Small national footprint — not a dominant player outside New England; largely regional with national aspirations
- 3STEP dependency — growth is tied to 3STEP’s event calendar and ownership stability (Goldman Sachs exploring 3STEP sale, Jan 2026)
- Not pure SaaS — higher marginal cost than software-only competitors limits scalability
Key People
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Paul Athanasiadis | Co-Founder |
| Levon Akoghlanian | Co-Founder |
Both founders retained post-acquisition (per their quotes in the deal announcement). Tania King (3STEP CEO) oversees the parent.
Financials
Not disclosed. 3STEP does not break out subsidiary financials. Estimated revenue: low-to-mid single-digit millions based on 50+ event operators and 6,000 officials. (LOW — inference only)
Strategic Notes
The 3STEP acquisition is a vertical integration play: 3STEP runs hundreds of soccer tournaments annually requiring referee assignment. Owning US Officials lets 3STEP (a) capture assigning margin previously paid to third parties, (b) guarantee referee supply for marquee events in a shortage market, and (c) bundle officiating into its event-operator sales pitch.
The competitive wedge: if 3STEP controls the Northeast referee pool, competing tournament operators in that region face supply risk. This is a moat-building acquisition, not a growth-for-its-own-sake deal.
For a competing platform acquirer, the US Officials model is a template: owning or exclusively contracting a regional referee assigning company converts a cost center (referee procurement) into a competitive advantage (supply certainty) and a revenue line (assigning fees from third-party events).
Open Questions
- Is the 3STEP/US Officials assigning relationship exclusive for 3STEP events, or does US Officials still serve third-party tournament operators?
- What is the referee supply capacity in markets outside New England?
- Post-3STEP-sale, does US Officials stay with the new owner or get spun out?