NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) has announced the hiring of Steve Siomos as the conference’s first-ever Coordinator of Men’s & Women’s Soccer Officials.

Siomos, a native of Naperville, will be responsible for coordinating the assignment of officials for all men’s & women’s soccer matches hosted by CCIW members, including the conference tournament, starting with the 2012 season. He will also be responsible for training and education of the officials and for recruiting new ones.

“The hiring of Steve Siomos is a tremendous step forward for CCIW men’s & women’s soccer,” CCIW commissioner Chris Martin said. “His knowledge and experience will help elevate soccer officiating throughout the conference. We’re very excited to have someone of Steve’s caliber on board.”

Siomos currently serves as the assignor for three NCAA Division I-affiliated conferences including the Big Ten, Summit League and Horizon League. Before becoming an assignor, he spent 20 years as a collegiate official for Division I, II and III institutions. During that time, he worked seven NCAA Final Fours including the NCAA Division I men’s semifinals in 1989 and the Division I women’s semifinals in 1995 and 1996.

“I’ve been assigning at the collegiate level since 1990 and bring a ton of experience to the CCIW,” Siomos said. “I’m looking forward to working with the CCIW, its coaches and administrators.”

For 22 years, Siomos worked as a referee for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USFF) Pro League and is currently one of its assignors.

He is the founder and president of the Chicago Soccer Referee Club, which provides education and assistance in enhancing the quality of officials in the Chicago area, and has been a member of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) since 1982.