The Raymond “Granny” Kraft Referee Service Award is presented in recognition of those individuals who have given years of dedicated service as either a referee and/or as an administrator and promoter of referees in the State of Maryland. The Award is named in honor of “Granny” Kraft, who is a member of the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame and the U. S. Soccer Hall of Fame.

Requirements:

1)  Had to officiate for at least ten years

2)  Had to be a resident of Maryland in the time he or she was officiating or performing some service for Maryland Referees

3)  Had to perform some service for referees for at least ten years (such as administration, assignor, assessor, mentor, etc.)

4)  Had to be a USSF-certified referee for at least five years

5)  Has to be in good standing with Maryland Soccer Referees.

2026 – Craig Proffen

The 2026 Ray “Granny” Kraft Award recipient is Craig Proffen. 

Like a lot of people who became involved in soccer, Craig began by coaching youths and did so successfully between 1987 and 1998.  During this time frame, Craig took coaching classes and eventually earned a National “C” Coach license. 

In 1993, Craig attended new referee classes and started officiating as a Grade 8, and then advanced to Grade 7, and finally made Grade 6, State Referee, and started to officiate local adult and youth matches. 

In 1994, Craig developed a “Junior Referee” program to provide youth referees for matches. This program did very well, gaining state and national recognition.

In 2001, Craig became a USSF Instructor and began teaching three to four classes a year, licensing 200 to 250 new referees per year to officiate games in the State of Maryland.  He served as the USSF Regional Instructional Coordinator for Howard County and coordinated all referee instruction located in Howard and surrounding counties. For his efforts, Craig was elected to the Howard County Park and Recreation Hall of Fame.

For the past thirty-five years, Craig has unselfishly volunteered his time in Howard, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel Counties, participating in various soccer-related activities and providing invaluable leadership and dedication to soccer and officiating in Maryland.