We are our own worst enemies. I realized this during a tournament this weekend. As decent people, we desire to please others. This often conflicts with our position as referee. It is true that when we make a decision on the field, we disappoint about half the people involved in that particular game. However, we are obligated to make decisions that are supported by the LOTG, without regard to the popularity of that decision.
This weekend, I worked a local tournament. I was crewed with 3 other referees. They all have a great deal of experience and I respect their knowledge and abilities. We had 2 incidents that I observed that illustrate the point I made above.
First, in a U-12 game, we had a situation that instigated a conversation about Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity by Foul. A ball was played to a player near the top of the penalty area. The player dribbled straight at the goal, unopposed. in the middle of the penalty area, he beat the goalkeeper who immediately pulled the player down from behind. The ball was at the player's feet. He was heading directly to the goal and he had no other defenders in his way. In this particular situation, the attacker's team mate put the ball in the net before the referee stopped play.
I was off that game. I joined into a conversation between AR 1 and the referee as they were coming off the field. The AR was making his point that, had the ball not gone into the net, the goal keeper clearly had denied a goal scoring opportunity and had to be sent off. In the case of what actually happened, the goal keeper should have been cautioned. The referee was making the case of the players only being 12 and was saying he would have a tough time sending off in this situation. I agreed with the AR. The player had to go had the goal not been scored. I pointed out to the referee that had the players been, say U-17, he would clearly have no problem sending off the goal keeper. I also pointed out the LOTG is clear and makes no reference to age. My suspicion is the referee was uncomfortable with dishing out a severe punishment to a young player. However, this is an obligation of our position as referees.
The other situation involved a coach behaving badly. One of our crew had to leave early so a replacement was sent to our field. The rotation of the crew put a relatively inexperienced referee on a U-12 game. Having seen this referee work before, I felt he'd have no problem with the game itself. However, we had heard that the coach of one of the teams was a notorious problem in the technical area. AR 1 was a very experienced referee. I was AR 2.
I observed this coach starting problems in the technical area shortly before the half. The referee went over and spoke with him at least twice. At half time, AR 1 commented that the coach must be dismissed if he continues. The referee seemed to agree. Shortly into the second half, the coach was causing problems again. From my vantage point, I could only see the referee and AR 1 speaking with both coaches. I could not assess the severity of the situation. I was told later that AR 1 advised the referee to dismiss 3 times.
If a referee fails to deal with poor behavior in the technical area, it will not be long before the teams on the field start to misbehave. That is exactly what happened in this game. Not only was the coach a problem, his team starting acting out as well. The cautions started. The referee was losing control. Fortunately, we got through the game. However, because this coach was never dismissed, he will continue his behavior at other games and cause problems for other referees.
We must deal with irresponsible behavior firmly and quickly. Remember, when behavior is a problem, the coaches are not your friends and your action is not a conversation or debate. The poor behavior must cease immediately or the personnel must be dismissed. The "Ask, Tell, Dismiss" policy has always worked for me. See the "Ask, Tell, Dismiss" video here.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Monday, October 8, 2012
Missed Call...or not
This weekend, I had 5 league games. Apparently, being Columbus day weekend, our assignor was running short of referees so we ended it with a ton of games. It was a nasty weekend too, being cold and rainy.
My state has recently started offering short-sided games for U-11, similar to several other states. This weekend was the first time I had one of those games. My current opinion, based on only this game, is that short-sided at U-11 is a mixed bag. I think the success of the game depends on the teams involved. Some teams have players that are just too developed for a small field. Some teams absolutely should be playing small-sided. This game was played on a smaller than usual small-sided field, so this certainly influences how I feel about it.
We had one fairly major controversy during the game that I think deserves discussion and analysis. The white teams goalkeeper gained possession of the ball. He punted down field into blue's end. Given the field was a little small, the ball bounced a few yards outside the penalty area. The blue team's sweeper, who was pretty much alone in the penalty area was running back, right shoulder toward his on goal and left shoulder toward the opponents goal. I was a few yards past halfway, basically in the middle of the field.
The ball came down just beyond the defender and hit the ground. By my view, it looked like it bounced up and hit him on the side. He played the ball out of his penalty area. Naturally, a few of the parents on that end of the field were screaming "hand ball!", which I generally ignore since they scream that every time a hand gets anywhere near the ball. I glanced over at my AR and she was not showing any flag, although I suspected she had seen something based on her expression.
As I turned to follow the ball, I again glanced over at her and saw no signal.
After the game, I asked about that particular play. She said the ball had indeed bounced off the ground and hit the defenders palm (sort of like a basketball dribble). We didn't really have time to discuss it further as we were preparing for the next game and already running late.
I thought about this event on the way home and came to a couple of conclusions.
My state has recently started offering short-sided games for U-11, similar to several other states. This weekend was the first time I had one of those games. My current opinion, based on only this game, is that short-sided at U-11 is a mixed bag. I think the success of the game depends on the teams involved. Some teams have players that are just too developed for a small field. Some teams absolutely should be playing small-sided. This game was played on a smaller than usual small-sided field, so this certainly influences how I feel about it.
We had one fairly major controversy during the game that I think deserves discussion and analysis. The white teams goalkeeper gained possession of the ball. He punted down field into blue's end. Given the field was a little small, the ball bounced a few yards outside the penalty area. The blue team's sweeper, who was pretty much alone in the penalty area was running back, right shoulder toward his on goal and left shoulder toward the opponents goal. I was a few yards past halfway, basically in the middle of the field.
The ball came down just beyond the defender and hit the ground. By my view, it looked like it bounced up and hit him on the side. He played the ball out of his penalty area. Naturally, a few of the parents on that end of the field were screaming "hand ball!", which I generally ignore since they scream that every time a hand gets anywhere near the ball. I glanced over at my AR and she was not showing any flag, although I suspected she had seen something based on her expression.
As I turned to follow the ball, I again glanced over at her and saw no signal.
After the game, I asked about that particular play. She said the ball had indeed bounced off the ground and hit the defenders palm (sort of like a basketball dribble). We didn't really have time to discuss it further as we were preparing for the next game and already running late.
I thought about this event on the way home and came to a couple of conclusions.
- My position could have been better. If I had moved a little wider, I might have seen the suspected handling.
- I need to improve my pre-game. I usually make it clear that if an AR sees a "game changing event" that I missed, I want it signalled and they should hold that flag until I see it. I wonder if this AR was absolutely sure it was deliberate handling.
- Based on the description by the AR, I'm not convinced it was deliberate handling in the first place. We are talking about U-11 and a ball that may have bounced up and hit the hand, rather than being deliberately handled.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Intermediate Clinic and Season Starts
We started the Spring season this weekend. I worked both Saturday and Sunday, having 1 12 year old game on Saturday and 3 games on Sunday. It was great to get back on the field!
A couple of weeks ago, I attended my state's intermediate clinic. I've always wanted to go. We haven't had one for a couple of years, so I was pretty excited to get invited this time around.
This year's clinic instructors were Craig Lowry and Rob Fereday. They are both MLS Assistant Referees (1 active and 1 newly retired).
The day was divided into two parts. The first part of the day concentrated on verbal and non-verbal communication while the 2nd half of the day review foul recognition and selection. The entire day was very useful. Here are just a few of the "take-aways" that I used this weekend.
Be conscious of your body language the entire time you are at the field. Be aware of the messages you are sending by the way you carry yourself. There are the obvious things we need to think about, like showing up to the field looking professional and put together. There are also the unconscious things we do. For example, where do you put your hands and arms when you are on the field? Are you giving the impression that you are closed to communication? I know I was doing that occasionally. When you speak to players and coaches, do you look them in the eye? One interesting thing I picked up was how to manage one's hand motions when speaking with a player. The instructions suggested keeping your hands within the box created by your torso, rather waving them around outside that area. The former suggests a normal tone, while going outside that area suggests anger and yelling.
During the foul recognition and selection portion of the day, we talked about man aspects of evaluating fouls to decide if they are trifling, careless, reckless or worse. A simple tip that has helped me is to always make eye contact with the offender when you call a foul. I tried it this weekend and it does seem to have a positive effect on match control. The offending player seemed somewhat self conscious when I looked directly at him after whistling for the foul. Perhaps they were wondering if I had decided the foul was also misconduct. I'm going to continue with this technique to see how it effects match control over time.
Anyway, the season is off to a good start. More soon. Thanks.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended my state's intermediate clinic. I've always wanted to go. We haven't had one for a couple of years, so I was pretty excited to get invited this time around.
This year's clinic instructors were Craig Lowry and Rob Fereday. They are both MLS Assistant Referees (1 active and 1 newly retired).
The day was divided into two parts. The first part of the day concentrated on verbal and non-verbal communication while the 2nd half of the day review foul recognition and selection. The entire day was very useful. Here are just a few of the "take-aways" that I used this weekend.
Be conscious of your body language the entire time you are at the field. Be aware of the messages you are sending by the way you carry yourself. There are the obvious things we need to think about, like showing up to the field looking professional and put together. There are also the unconscious things we do. For example, where do you put your hands and arms when you are on the field? Are you giving the impression that you are closed to communication? I know I was doing that occasionally. When you speak to players and coaches, do you look them in the eye? One interesting thing I picked up was how to manage one's hand motions when speaking with a player. The instructions suggested keeping your hands within the box created by your torso, rather waving them around outside that area. The former suggests a normal tone, while going outside that area suggests anger and yelling.
During the foul recognition and selection portion of the day, we talked about man aspects of evaluating fouls to decide if they are trifling, careless, reckless or worse. A simple tip that has helped me is to always make eye contact with the offender when you call a foul. I tried it this weekend and it does seem to have a positive effect on match control. The offending player seemed somewhat self conscious when I looked directly at him after whistling for the foul. Perhaps they were wondering if I had decided the foul was also misconduct. I'm going to continue with this technique to see how it effects match control over time.
Anyway, the season is off to a good start. More soon. Thanks.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Real Referee Shoes
As referees, I think it is time we get realistic about our footwear selection. Selecting a pair of shoes to referee in is difficult as there just aren't many shoes available that meet both our cosmetic and performance requirements.
So what makes a good referee shoe? We have to worry about two broad categories of requirements. First, the shoe has to look appropriate for a referee. If you refer to the Referee Administrative Handbook, you'll find a section called "Standards of Dress and Appearance Official U.S. Soccer Federation Referee Uniform." In that section, appropriate referee shoes are described as follows:
Regarding performance, I want to address a myth here. I think we would all agree that we are not players. We have no reason to kick the ball. So why do we often wear shoes designed for players? Players don't normally run more than 1 game in a day. I have often done 7 in a day. Player shoes are designed for touch on the ball. We don't kick the ball, ever. Player shoes should be light weight, so they often don't have much in the way of comfort features. Wearing player shoes as a referee never made much sense to me. Yes, we require some traction on wet fields. That said, I think a referee shoe needs to be more like a trail running shoe, supporting our primary active on the field...running. It is really tough to find a pair of shoes that meet these criteria. There just aren't a lot of shoes that come in black anymore. There are plenty of trail running shoes I could use for refereeing, but few come in black. I have never found a pair of turf or soft ground shoes that had any kind of comfort features. They often have no support and no cushion.
I was discussing this problem with my sons and they pointed out NikeID.com. Nike Id is a program offered by Nike, the shoe manufacturer. The program allows the creation of semi-custom shoes by the customer. The website allows you to select from a subset of the various Nike products, customize the product features and then order your creation.
Pictured, you will see the referee shoe I created. It is a Nike Air Pegasus+ running shoe. I added a trail running outsole and a "trail mesh" upper. I then selected black for most of the colors, with the exception of the company logo and the sock liner. I even added my initials to the tongue, in place of the Nike logo. I visited a local retailer to try on a similar model to confirm my size. It seems this model sizing runs similar to other running shoes.
It took about 2-3 weeks for the shoes to be manufactured and delivered. First, I wore them around the house and out on a few errands to break them in a little. To be honest, they really didn't need it. They were comfortable from the moment I put them on.
I used them for 4 games this past weekend. I really like them. My feet didn't hurt as much as they often do after a bunch of games. The shoes are really light and have great arch support and cushioning (maybe a little too much for me?) The fabric seems like it will clean up easy. The build quality of the shoe seems excellent.
The price of this particular model was $115. At first, I thought that was kind of expensive. After all, you can get other "referee shoes" for $70 or $80. Then it occurred to me that I pay about $130 for my running shoes, and I buy 2 or 3 pairs of those in a year. When you look at it that way, it is a pretty good deal.
So what makes a good referee shoe? We have to worry about two broad categories of requirements. First, the shoe has to look appropriate for a referee. If you refer to the Referee Administrative Handbook, you'll find a section called "Standards of Dress and Appearance Official U.S. Soccer Federation Referee Uniform." In that section, appropriate referee shoes are described as follows:
"BLACK SHOES: (may have white manufacturers design) with black laces"There isn't much room for interpretation in that. Our shoes must be black, but can have some white in them.
Regarding performance, I want to address a myth here. I think we would all agree that we are not players. We have no reason to kick the ball. So why do we often wear shoes designed for players? Players don't normally run more than 1 game in a day. I have often done 7 in a day. Player shoes are designed for touch on the ball. We don't kick the ball, ever. Player shoes should be light weight, so they often don't have much in the way of comfort features. Wearing player shoes as a referee never made much sense to me. Yes, we require some traction on wet fields. That said, I think a referee shoe needs to be more like a trail running shoe, supporting our primary active on the field...running. It is really tough to find a pair of shoes that meet these criteria. There just aren't a lot of shoes that come in black anymore. There are plenty of trail running shoes I could use for refereeing, but few come in black. I have never found a pair of turf or soft ground shoes that had any kind of comfort features. They often have no support and no cushion.
 |
| My referee shoe |
Pictured, you will see the referee shoe I created. It is a Nike Air Pegasus+ running shoe. I added a trail running outsole and a "trail mesh" upper. I then selected black for most of the colors, with the exception of the company logo and the sock liner. I even added my initials to the tongue, in place of the Nike logo. I visited a local retailer to try on a similar model to confirm my size. It seems this model sizing runs similar to other running shoes.
It took about 2-3 weeks for the shoes to be manufactured and delivered. First, I wore them around the house and out on a few errands to break them in a little. To be honest, they really didn't need it. They were comfortable from the moment I put them on.
I used them for 4 games this past weekend. I really like them. My feet didn't hurt as much as they often do after a bunch of games. The shoes are really light and have great arch support and cushioning (maybe a little too much for me?) The fabric seems like it will clean up easy. The build quality of the shoe seems excellent.
The price of this particular model was $115. At first, I thought that was kind of expensive. After all, you can get other "referee shoes" for $70 or $80. Then it occurred to me that I pay about $130 for my running shoes, and I buy 2 or 3 pairs of those in a year. When you look at it that way, it is a pretty good deal.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Success for the Young Referees
This will be a short post and serve as a quick reminder of the obligation we have to help young referees.
This weekend, I worked 2 games (U-11 and U-12) with a couple of high school age referees. I've worked with them both before. One is 18 and relatively new. The other is 15, but has been around longer and seems a more savvy referee.
When we arrived at the field, I expressed my preference for them to do the games today. The 18 year old had never done a large side game, so it was a great opportunity for her. I worked with her enough to know she was ready. The 15 year could easily handle the U-12 game. I'm happy to say they both did really well. The older referee seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but she did a fine job. I offered a few words of advice on positioning at the half. She adjusted and it seemed to help with her seeing a little more contact on the field. Her biggest problem seems to be self confidence. It improved over the course of the game.
The younger referee did a great job on the U-12 game. In fact, he made a terrific non-call. From a corner kick, the defending team clearly handled a ball close to the goal line, and he saw it. However, the ball headed toward goal so the referee "swallowed the whistle" just long enough for the ball to cross the goal line! I was happy for him and he seemed proud of his decision.
I believe they both left that field as better referees. As more experienced referees, I think it is important to try to help younger referees. I often wonder why there isn't an official role for older referees to work with younger referees.
This weekend, I worked 2 games (U-11 and U-12) with a couple of high school age referees. I've worked with them both before. One is 18 and relatively new. The other is 15, but has been around longer and seems a more savvy referee.
When we arrived at the field, I expressed my preference for them to do the games today. The 18 year old had never done a large side game, so it was a great opportunity for her. I worked with her enough to know she was ready. The 15 year could easily handle the U-12 game. I'm happy to say they both did really well. The older referee seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but she did a fine job. I offered a few words of advice on positioning at the half. She adjusted and it seemed to help with her seeing a little more contact on the field. Her biggest problem seems to be self confidence. It improved over the course of the game.
The younger referee did a great job on the U-12 game. In fact, he made a terrific non-call. From a corner kick, the defending team clearly handled a ball close to the goal line, and he saw it. However, the ball headed toward goal so the referee "swallowed the whistle" just long enough for the ball to cross the goal line! I was happy for him and he seemed proud of his decision.
I believe they both left that field as better referees. As more experienced referees, I think it is important to try to help younger referees. I often wonder why there isn't an official role for older referees to work with younger referees.
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Real Disappointment Makes Me Suspicious
So far this season, I've had pretty easy games. Generally, I will be assigned 2 or 3 games on a Sunday. One of them is usually a U-little, short-sided game. The others are U-11's or 12's.
This weekend, I was sent to a club in the area that is relatively new compared to some of the other clubs. They have been around for 2 or 3 years. It seems they are going through growing pains in that the same individuals seem to be more than one team. Their facilities aren't great. They don't use much in the way of paid trainers and their knowledge of the game is somewhat below average. We had a U-9 game, a U-11 game and a U-12 game. I was assigned with two young referees. One is a high school senior and the other is a college freshman. The senior is a decent referee. She needs a little more confidence, but is solid. The college referee is very good. He is one of the best ARs I have had.
We worked the games as usual. Everything went very well. In fact, the games were completely unremarkable. The only controversy we had was finding an extra sand bag to put on the back of one of the short-sided goals. I'm not sure any of the coaches present, on either side, said more than a dozen words to us. It was a completely routine day of games. The high school senior worked the U-9 game. I did the U-11 game and the college freshman centered the U-12 game.
Later that night, I received an email from our assignor. The coach of the U-12 game send him an email stating we were "horrible" and that we "missed 3 blatant hand balls" and there was "tons of pushing and shoving. He actually said the club prefers a certain referee and "his crew." More on that later. Our assignor was looking for feedback, so I replied with comments similar to the above.
As some of you know, I work hard to try to be a quality referee as do the individuals I worked with this weekend. We don't always get it right, but we try to do the right things for the players. I am disturbed by this coach's actions. It would be one thing if there was some controversial call that occurred with which he disagreed. However, in this case, there was absolutely nothing to speak of. I was AR1 in the game. I didn't sense any disagreement from either team.
2 weeks ago, I worked games at the same club. In one of the games, the home side was completely dominating the visitors. I was AR2 in the game. During the half time break, AR1 made the comment that he had "encouraged" the home side coach to take a player off the field to make the match more fair. He seemed proud that he had familiarity with the coach. I was appalled that he had done this and expressed my concern that this was something he really shouldn't be doing. It brings into question a referee's neutrality/impartiality. This particular referee lives in the same town. Going back to the email to our assignor, the referee mentioned specifically in the complaint as being preferred is also in the same town. Perhaps I am cynical, but I am starting to wonder if perhaps this club is trying to lobby for "home" referees. Yes, I recognize this is a tenuous connection, but it seems strange to me that a coach would express a preference for a referee that happens to live in the same town.
I really hope my assignor noticed this point.
This weekend, I was sent to a club in the area that is relatively new compared to some of the other clubs. They have been around for 2 or 3 years. It seems they are going through growing pains in that the same individuals seem to be more than one team. Their facilities aren't great. They don't use much in the way of paid trainers and their knowledge of the game is somewhat below average. We had a U-9 game, a U-11 game and a U-12 game. I was assigned with two young referees. One is a high school senior and the other is a college freshman. The senior is a decent referee. She needs a little more confidence, but is solid. The college referee is very good. He is one of the best ARs I have had.
We worked the games as usual. Everything went very well. In fact, the games were completely unremarkable. The only controversy we had was finding an extra sand bag to put on the back of one of the short-sided goals. I'm not sure any of the coaches present, on either side, said more than a dozen words to us. It was a completely routine day of games. The high school senior worked the U-9 game. I did the U-11 game and the college freshman centered the U-12 game.
Later that night, I received an email from our assignor. The coach of the U-12 game send him an email stating we were "horrible" and that we "missed 3 blatant hand balls" and there was "tons of pushing and shoving. He actually said the club prefers a certain referee and "his crew." More on that later. Our assignor was looking for feedback, so I replied with comments similar to the above.
As some of you know, I work hard to try to be a quality referee as do the individuals I worked with this weekend. We don't always get it right, but we try to do the right things for the players. I am disturbed by this coach's actions. It would be one thing if there was some controversial call that occurred with which he disagreed. However, in this case, there was absolutely nothing to speak of. I was AR1 in the game. I didn't sense any disagreement from either team.
2 weeks ago, I worked games at the same club. In one of the games, the home side was completely dominating the visitors. I was AR2 in the game. During the half time break, AR1 made the comment that he had "encouraged" the home side coach to take a player off the field to make the match more fair. He seemed proud that he had familiarity with the coach. I was appalled that he had done this and expressed my concern that this was something he really shouldn't be doing. It brings into question a referee's neutrality/impartiality. This particular referee lives in the same town. Going back to the email to our assignor, the referee mentioned specifically in the complaint as being preferred is also in the same town. Perhaps I am cynical, but I am starting to wonder if perhaps this club is trying to lobby for "home" referees. Yes, I recognize this is a tenuous connection, but it seems strange to me that a coach would express a preference for a referee that happens to live in the same town.
I really hope my assignor noticed this point.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Let's Get Going
It's been a long summer off. I haven't done anything in the way of games as I was training for a charity bike ride with my son. We didn't have any time for games or running.
I've spent the last 3 or 4 weeks getting my running legs going again. I put in for a Labor Day weekend tournament and was accepted. Unfortunately, I will doing short-side games both days. On a side note, for those of you that are assignors: How do you decide where to put referees in your schedule? Do you look at grade and experience or is it based on something else? I don't mind doing short-sided games at all, but honestly, it does make me question why I put in all the time and effort to get upgraded to 7. It seems that assignors just don't care about grade. I don't understand that.
Given that I want to make grade 6 some day (before I'm too old to pass the fitness test), I have asked to be assigned to some adult games. Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to get the adult assignor to respond to me. I tried email. That doesn't seem to be the right communication channel for him. More on that at another time.
Assault and Abuse
I came across this article on the web. It describes a very disturbing incident involving the assault of a football referee in Sarasota county, Florida. Here's another article that links to other stories of referee assault. Do you think referee assaults are becoming more common? Or are they just making the news more often? I don't have an answer. I believe there has been a decline in abuse from coaches, but I've seen an increase in problems with players. Refer back to my 2011 State Cup post. Those were some abusive players. Occasionally, you will have teams that just do not want to play, but only want to instigate some sort of confrontation. It is the referee's job to try to prevent that from happening, but through that prevention (by enforcing the LOTG), you may become the target of abuse and maybe even attacks.
Fortunately, the USSF has a policy for dealing with referee assault and abuse. It is in the Referee Administrative Handbook. See Policy 531-9. It defines assault and abuse and also describes how to report it. I encourage each and every one of you to report these issues when they occur. It's the only way it is going to stop.
I've spent the last 3 or 4 weeks getting my running legs going again. I put in for a Labor Day weekend tournament and was accepted. Unfortunately, I will doing short-side games both days. On a side note, for those of you that are assignors: How do you decide where to put referees in your schedule? Do you look at grade and experience or is it based on something else? I don't mind doing short-sided games at all, but honestly, it does make me question why I put in all the time and effort to get upgraded to 7. It seems that assignors just don't care about grade. I don't understand that.
Given that I want to make grade 6 some day (before I'm too old to pass the fitness test), I have asked to be assigned to some adult games. Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to get the adult assignor to respond to me. I tried email. That doesn't seem to be the right communication channel for him. More on that at another time.
Assault and Abuse
I came across this article on the web. It describes a very disturbing incident involving the assault of a football referee in Sarasota county, Florida. Here's another article that links to other stories of referee assault. Do you think referee assaults are becoming more common? Or are they just making the news more often? I don't have an answer. I believe there has been a decline in abuse from coaches, but I've seen an increase in problems with players. Refer back to my 2011 State Cup post. Those were some abusive players. Occasionally, you will have teams that just do not want to play, but only want to instigate some sort of confrontation. It is the referee's job to try to prevent that from happening, but through that prevention (by enforcing the LOTG), you may become the target of abuse and maybe even attacks.
Fortunately, the USSF has a policy for dealing with referee assault and abuse. It is in the Referee Administrative Handbook. See Policy 531-9. It defines assault and abuse and also describes how to report it. I encourage each and every one of you to report these issues when they occur. It's the only way it is going to stop.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Referee Fired for Wearing Hijab
Wow, you can't make this stuff up. Check out this news article. Apparently, the Quebec Soccer Federation has upheld a local soccer association's decision to fire a teenage referee for wearing a religious head scarf while refereeing soccer. The local association says they are "only following FIFA rules that say hijabs are a choking hazard." Perhaps for players, but for the referee? I looked on the FIFA site. All I found was this article about an IFAB meeting. At the bottom, you'll notice that the IFAB decided the hijab is addressed by Law 4 (Players equipment). Obviously, this does not apply to referees. What are your thoughts on this issue? For me, I say she should be allowed to referee. I don't see a problem.
Monday, May 23, 2011
2011 State Cup
I had a really interesting weekend at our State Cup. I came away feeling very good about my performance. The last time I was there, I didn't do well. I feel like I made up for my previous poor showing.
I had a schedule of 3 games on Saturday:
As a youth soccer referee, we don't often get to work as 4th officials. The position can be really boring...or really challenging, depending on the teams and their behavior standards. It gives one a great opportunity to use one's man-management skills. It is not easy if you are not used to it. When team staff are starting to get out of control, the 4th official must apply whatever skills they have to distract the attention of the individual to them and away from the referee. The 4th official must be a calming influence. When necessary, the 4th official must apply the "Ask, Tell, Remove" policy. Some teams are accustomed to screaming and yelling in the technical area (see the above paragraph). It sure is a rude awakening when they discover they have a crew that won't tolerate abuse.
My U16 semi final went well. I thought I did a really good job, and the assessor seemed to agree. He had a few things to point out, but they were tips for improvement, not "you got this wrong."
One of the lessons I want to impart here is that sometimes, teams just don't come to play soccer, even at a game as important as state cup. One of my teams did not come to play (white). It was obvious from the first whistle. We had overly physical, cynical play from the start. Again, perhaps this team was used to officials that let this sort of thing go. I am not one of those officials. The first half was an exercise in management skills. The first few rough tackles were reward with a one-on-one conversation about how that sort of thing was not going to be tolerated. Those conversations were followed by a caution. By the end of the first half, I had already had one conversation with a previously cautioned player that started with "Please don't think for a second that I won't give you the 2nd caution..."
I had a conversation with the crew at the half and expressed my concern we were going to have a tough 2nd half. The overly physical team was down 2-0 and already had 2 cautions. They had little to lose so the game could go either way.
It turns out I was prescient. Early in the 2nd half, we had a tackle or two that resulted in more conversations. About midway through, one of the previously cautioned players started with very vocal dissent. He received his second caution (after having been talked to twice before) and his second off. This cooled the temperature of the gamed noticeably for some time. Oddly enough, when the team started concentrate on the game, they had more success. The game eventually got to 3-2. White was still in the game. Late in the game, one of white's forwards felt he had been fouled (he clearly wasn't) and I expressed my disagreement. White responded with an abusive statement. I stopped play and sent him off immediately. As a referee, you must be willing to make the tough decision. It is not about being "hard" or "tough." It's about enforcing the LOTG appropriately in order to make the game more enjoyable for all participants!
There was a funny incident related to the send off. While I was writing in my notebook, one of the opponents asked me what I had sent the player of for. I told him what the player had called me. He said "I don't think that about you at all Sir!" I had to chuckle at that one.
As I mentioned, the next day I had a couple of AR assignments. The U-15 game was a tough one! Not so much for me, but the referee. He had 7 cautions and 4 send offs. Yes, you read right...4. One each for Serious Foul Play, Denies a goal scoring opportunity by foul, second caution and abusive language. The abusive language was after the final whistle. The player approached the referee and screamed all sorts of profanities at him. For a moment, I thought he might be physical with him, but it didn't happen. It was a tough game, but I thought the referee handled it as well as he could. Again, sometimes, teams don't come to play.
I had a schedule of 3 games on Saturday:
- 4th Official on a U-17 boys Semi-final
- Referee on a U-16 boys Semi-final
- AR1 on a U-15 girls Semi-final
- an AR on a U-15 boys final
- an AR on a U-16 boys final
As a youth soccer referee, we don't often get to work as 4th officials. The position can be really boring...or really challenging, depending on the teams and their behavior standards. It gives one a great opportunity to use one's man-management skills. It is not easy if you are not used to it. When team staff are starting to get out of control, the 4th official must apply whatever skills they have to distract the attention of the individual to them and away from the referee. The 4th official must be a calming influence. When necessary, the 4th official must apply the "Ask, Tell, Remove" policy. Some teams are accustomed to screaming and yelling in the technical area (see the above paragraph). It sure is a rude awakening when they discover they have a crew that won't tolerate abuse.
My U16 semi final went well. I thought I did a really good job, and the assessor seemed to agree. He had a few things to point out, but they were tips for improvement, not "you got this wrong."
One of the lessons I want to impart here is that sometimes, teams just don't come to play soccer, even at a game as important as state cup. One of my teams did not come to play (white). It was obvious from the first whistle. We had overly physical, cynical play from the start. Again, perhaps this team was used to officials that let this sort of thing go. I am not one of those officials. The first half was an exercise in management skills. The first few rough tackles were reward with a one-on-one conversation about how that sort of thing was not going to be tolerated. Those conversations were followed by a caution. By the end of the first half, I had already had one conversation with a previously cautioned player that started with "Please don't think for a second that I won't give you the 2nd caution..."
I had a conversation with the crew at the half and expressed my concern we were going to have a tough 2nd half. The overly physical team was down 2-0 and already had 2 cautions. They had little to lose so the game could go either way.
It turns out I was prescient. Early in the 2nd half, we had a tackle or two that resulted in more conversations. About midway through, one of the previously cautioned players started with very vocal dissent. He received his second caution (after having been talked to twice before) and his second off. This cooled the temperature of the gamed noticeably for some time. Oddly enough, when the team started concentrate on the game, they had more success. The game eventually got to 3-2. White was still in the game. Late in the game, one of white's forwards felt he had been fouled (he clearly wasn't) and I expressed my disagreement. White responded with an abusive statement. I stopped play and sent him off immediately. As a referee, you must be willing to make the tough decision. It is not about being "hard" or "tough." It's about enforcing the LOTG appropriately in order to make the game more enjoyable for all participants!
There was a funny incident related to the send off. While I was writing in my notebook, one of the opponents asked me what I had sent the player of for. I told him what the player had called me. He said "I don't think that about you at all Sir!" I had to chuckle at that one.
As I mentioned, the next day I had a couple of AR assignments. The U-15 game was a tough one! Not so much for me, but the referee. He had 7 cautions and 4 send offs. Yes, you read right...4. One each for Serious Foul Play, Denies a goal scoring opportunity by foul, second caution and abusive language. The abusive language was after the final whistle. The player approached the referee and screamed all sorts of profanities at him. For a moment, I thought he might be physical with him, but it didn't happen. It was a tough game, but I thought the referee handled it as well as he could. Again, sometimes, teams don't come to play.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Me? Really?
It's been a bit of a whirlwind couple of days. First, I was selected to work my state's National Championship series semi-finals and finals. I am scheduled to referee a semi-final game, run lines in two semi-final games and be the fourth official in another game. The next day, I will be an AR in 2 final games. Needless to say, I'm very pleased.
So you can imagine that I was quite overwhelmed when I finally received an assignment to referee a USSF Development Academy game! I have worked as an AR on 12 or 14 of these games over the last 2 years or so. I have never been the referee in one of these game and I have been hoping I'd eventually get one. Well, it happened!
Development academy is USSF's premier youth games. The clubs that qualify to the academy must meet very rigid standards. The games themselves have an extensive set of rules that must be followed. For example, there is a specific brand and model of ball that must be used. The referee manual specifies the inflation pressure of the ball (I'm not kidding!) The game reporting standards are quite high and detailed. These are, in my opinion, the best youth games you can do.
When you are assigned, you typically get two games. The first game is U-18 and the second is U-16. Teams at each age level are from the same club. Presumably they travel together. They are typically coached by the same set of coaches. My experience has been that the U-18 game is officiated by a State Referee while the younger game is done by a grade 7.
The game I worked today was terrific! I had two excellent AR's. One is a grade 7 that I met when I was upgrading. The other is a grade 5 that I've never met, but he was very helpful, offering a great deal of advice at half time.
The thing that is amazing about these games is how fast they are played. They are even challenging as an AR. You cannot lose concentration for a moment or you will miss something. I have not experienced this level of play anywhere else. Getting accustomed to this speed of play is not easy. I really didn't feel completely comfortable until 20 minutes into the first half. I suppose if you do these games often, this isn't an issue, but that was my experience. Also, you get a lot of chatter from the players. They are very advanced players, so you will see all the things you hear about in certification. There is simulation. There is dissent. Players will give you subtle feedback on a regular basis. The players will try to get any advantage they can. You have to manage free kicks to avoid any delays on restarts. It is quite a challenge. You must have great fitness so you can keep up.
Needless to say, this game was great preparation for my state cup game next week. We also had a meeting this morning (it was a busy day) to go over some points of emphasis for state cup. What I found interesting was an observation that I heard from two different people today. At the meeting, one of the presenters, a national instructor, pointed out that controlling the technical area can be critical at state cup. His thoughts are that this is a problem because the coaches are accustomed to being able to "game" the referee at their local field. When they get to state cup, they end up dismissed as they are dealing with a higher level of official that will not tolerate irresponsible behavior in the technical area. In discussing the state cup game with the referees I worked with today, they said similar things! So, it sounds like state cup will not be quite as challenging as it relates to the level of play. It seems there will be more of a need to exercise match control, so I'll need to think about that.
So you can imagine that I was quite overwhelmed when I finally received an assignment to referee a USSF Development Academy game! I have worked as an AR on 12 or 14 of these games over the last 2 years or so. I have never been the referee in one of these game and I have been hoping I'd eventually get one. Well, it happened!
Development academy is USSF's premier youth games. The clubs that qualify to the academy must meet very rigid standards. The games themselves have an extensive set of rules that must be followed. For example, there is a specific brand and model of ball that must be used. The referee manual specifies the inflation pressure of the ball (I'm not kidding!) The game reporting standards are quite high and detailed. These are, in my opinion, the best youth games you can do.
When you are assigned, you typically get two games. The first game is U-18 and the second is U-16. Teams at each age level are from the same club. Presumably they travel together. They are typically coached by the same set of coaches. My experience has been that the U-18 game is officiated by a State Referee while the younger game is done by a grade 7.
The game I worked today was terrific! I had two excellent AR's. One is a grade 7 that I met when I was upgrading. The other is a grade 5 that I've never met, but he was very helpful, offering a great deal of advice at half time.
The thing that is amazing about these games is how fast they are played. They are even challenging as an AR. You cannot lose concentration for a moment or you will miss something. I have not experienced this level of play anywhere else. Getting accustomed to this speed of play is not easy. I really didn't feel completely comfortable until 20 minutes into the first half. I suppose if you do these games often, this isn't an issue, but that was my experience. Also, you get a lot of chatter from the players. They are very advanced players, so you will see all the things you hear about in certification. There is simulation. There is dissent. Players will give you subtle feedback on a regular basis. The players will try to get any advantage they can. You have to manage free kicks to avoid any delays on restarts. It is quite a challenge. You must have great fitness so you can keep up.
Needless to say, this game was great preparation for my state cup game next week. We also had a meeting this morning (it was a busy day) to go over some points of emphasis for state cup. What I found interesting was an observation that I heard from two different people today. At the meeting, one of the presenters, a national instructor, pointed out that controlling the technical area can be critical at state cup. His thoughts are that this is a problem because the coaches are accustomed to being able to "game" the referee at their local field. When they get to state cup, they end up dismissed as they are dealing with a higher level of official that will not tolerate irresponsible behavior in the technical area. In discussing the state cup game with the referees I worked with today, they said similar things! So, it sounds like state cup will not be quite as challenging as it relates to the level of play. It seems there will be more of a need to exercise match control, so I'll need to think about that.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
New Faces and Ugly Weather
This past weekend, I was assigned to a girl's college showcase in the area. The tournament takes place over several sites. I was assigned to different sites on each day, which is something new for me.
I have stated in other posts that one needs to be careful, especially when you are new, about following the advice and example of other referees. Be sure the advice or example is sound before you adopt it as your own. Case in point from this weekend: I was on a four man crew and we had mostly U-17 girls all day. It seemed we probably had the higher quality brackets as well as I recognized a few top 5 ranked teams in the mix. I worked with 3 guys that apparently work together all the time. One of the guys was a relatively new referee, having been certified only a couple of years. The other two guys had been around for some time. One was even a State Referee Emeritus. For those of you that are not familiar with this grade, it is only attainable by referees that have been a State Referee for 3 years or more. It basically means you are no longer a State Referee, but you were for quite some time.
The last guy I have seen around before. He's very experienced. I noticed that the newer guy clearly looked to the other two for guidance. Apparently, they worked together often in league games and he respected their ability.
In observing the other three, I noticed something interesting. The young guy had new uniforms. He had a very positive attitude. He called an excellent game. The more experienced guy (the one with the grade 8/7 badge) was put together well. He called a solid game, although he looked like maybe he had lost a step or two (I found out later he was recovering from a major medical problem). My expectation would be that the State Referee Emeritus would be the one setting the example. Not in this case. This individual barely spoke a word to me. I watched him running his line in the first game. He wasn't staying even close to his offside position. He seemed like he was easily distracted by the other games and the parents on his side of the field. I had the second game and he was my AR. I immediately noticed that his mechanics were so poor I was not completely sure what he was trying to signal at times. I felt like I had no help on that end of the field. Watching him do the center wasn't any better.
My point is this: Just because someone has experience and rank doesn't mean you should use them as a role model. When you are new, you might see that emeritus badge and assume this is a good example for a referee. That is not necessarily the truth. At one time, he must have been very good. You don't get to that grade by being a terrible referee. However, it seemed to me like he had given up and was ready to (should?) retire.
That evening, I noticed the weather report for the next day looked, well, awful. It seemed unlikely we were going to get the day in. Sure enough, I awoke to the sound of rain. You can't assume things, so I proceeded to the days assignment. We waited around a bit as the tournament was on a delay. I finally received a field assignment and quickly got the field. The rest of the crew arrived and we got started. From the start, it was obvious we were not going to get the full slate of games in. It was about 50 deg and raining almost constantly. We got through two games and they tournament was ended. I was not disappointed. By that time, I was absolutely soaked and getting cold, even though I had all my cold weather gear on.
I have stated in other posts that one needs to be careful, especially when you are new, about following the advice and example of other referees. Be sure the advice or example is sound before you adopt it as your own. Case in point from this weekend: I was on a four man crew and we had mostly U-17 girls all day. It seemed we probably had the higher quality brackets as well as I recognized a few top 5 ranked teams in the mix. I worked with 3 guys that apparently work together all the time. One of the guys was a relatively new referee, having been certified only a couple of years. The other two guys had been around for some time. One was even a State Referee Emeritus. For those of you that are not familiar with this grade, it is only attainable by referees that have been a State Referee for 3 years or more. It basically means you are no longer a State Referee, but you were for quite some time.
The last guy I have seen around before. He's very experienced. I noticed that the newer guy clearly looked to the other two for guidance. Apparently, they worked together often in league games and he respected their ability.
In observing the other three, I noticed something interesting. The young guy had new uniforms. He had a very positive attitude. He called an excellent game. The more experienced guy (the one with the grade 8/7 badge) was put together well. He called a solid game, although he looked like maybe he had lost a step or two (I found out later he was recovering from a major medical problem). My expectation would be that the State Referee Emeritus would be the one setting the example. Not in this case. This individual barely spoke a word to me. I watched him running his line in the first game. He wasn't staying even close to his offside position. He seemed like he was easily distracted by the other games and the parents on his side of the field. I had the second game and he was my AR. I immediately noticed that his mechanics were so poor I was not completely sure what he was trying to signal at times. I felt like I had no help on that end of the field. Watching him do the center wasn't any better.
My point is this: Just because someone has experience and rank doesn't mean you should use them as a role model. When you are new, you might see that emeritus badge and assume this is a good example for a referee. That is not necessarily the truth. At one time, he must have been very good. You don't get to that grade by being a terrible referee. However, it seemed to me like he had given up and was ready to (should?) retire.
That evening, I noticed the weather report for the next day looked, well, awful. It seemed unlikely we were going to get the day in. Sure enough, I awoke to the sound of rain. You can't assume things, so I proceeded to the days assignment. We waited around a bit as the tournament was on a delay. I finally received a field assignment and quickly got the field. The rest of the crew arrived and we got started. From the start, it was obvious we were not going to get the full slate of games in. It was about 50 deg and raining almost constantly. We got through two games and they tournament was ended. I was not disappointed. By that time, I was absolutely soaked and getting cold, even though I had all my cold weather gear on.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Starting Again
The horrible Winter we experienced in the Northeast appears to be over. Time for soccer!
I have had a bit of a slow start to the season. I was not invited to a tournament that I have done several times this year. It seems the number of teams attending the tournament is down significantly (20%+). I wonder, is it the economy? Are teams forgoing tournaments they deem to be optional?
The good news is I managed to get a single day at the boys version of the same tournament this past weekend. We had U-16 boys all day. It was windy and cold, but I got games! That's always a plus. I ended up doing 2 in the middle and 4 on the sides. That first tournament of the year is always tough! My feet are still sore.
We had a very interesting situation arise that brought up a question about the Laws of the Game. I was in Assistant Referee in the match. The ball went out of play for a corner kick with seconds left. The player taking the kick retrieved the ball and was running back with it when the Referee whistled for half time. There is no added time allowed in this tournament. I turned toward the player and held out my hand waiting for the ball. He put it on the ground, kicked it away and said "Go get your ownball!" Obviously, there is no question of misconduct. He was sent off for foul and abusive language.
When we started the 2nd half, the referee asked me if the team now plays short. I told him absolutely, they do. We played the rest of the game that way. When talking about the send-off with the tournament assignor, he criticized us for making the team play short. I politely insisted that was the correct action. The question is this: Does this team play short in the 2nd half?
Let's see what the various documents from the federation say. First, we know this player is to be sent off for foul and abusive language. ATR tells us, in section 12.29:
Again, referring to the ATR, we find this is section 3.4:
It took some time, but I also found this item: http://www.askasoccerreferee.com/?p=2034
AskASoccerReferee.com is an official USSF site, so this is definitive advice. The team plays short.
I have had a bit of a slow start to the season. I was not invited to a tournament that I have done several times this year. It seems the number of teams attending the tournament is down significantly (20%+). I wonder, is it the economy? Are teams forgoing tournaments they deem to be optional?
The good news is I managed to get a single day at the boys version of the same tournament this past weekend. We had U-16 boys all day. It was windy and cold, but I got games! That's always a plus. I ended up doing 2 in the middle and 4 on the sides. That first tournament of the year is always tough! My feet are still sore.
We had a very interesting situation arise that brought up a question about the Laws of the Game. I was in Assistant Referee in the match. The ball went out of play for a corner kick with seconds left. The player taking the kick retrieved the ball and was running back with it when the Referee whistled for half time. There is no added time allowed in this tournament. I turned toward the player and held out my hand waiting for the ball. He put it on the ground, kicked it away and said "Go get your own
When we started the 2nd half, the referee asked me if the team now plays short. I told him absolutely, they do. We played the rest of the game that way. When talking about the send-off with the tournament assignor, he criticized us for making the team play short. I politely insisted that was the correct action. The question is this: Does this team play short in the 2nd half?
Let's see what the various documents from the federation say. First, we know this player is to be sent off for foul and abusive language. ATR tells us, in section 12.29:
A player who commits any of the following actions will also be sent from theThe added emphasis is mine. It seems the real question is when does this person cease to be a player? Was he a player after the whistle blew for half time?
field:
...
• Uses offensive, insulting, or abusive language (including nonverbal language or actions)
Again, referring to the ATR, we find this is section 3.4:
Regardless of other deviations from the correct substitution procedure which the referee may allow, a substitute becomes a player for purposes of determining the consequences of misconduct when the substitute enters the field after being beckoned by the referee. When the substitute has become a player as a consequence of meeting this requirement, the player being replaced ceases to be a player.That seems pretty clear to me. A player ceases to be a player after they have been substituted. In other words, one is still a player at the end of the half.
It took some time, but I also found this item: http://www.askasoccerreferee.com/?p=2034
AskASoccerReferee.com is an official USSF site, so this is definitive advice. The team plays short.
Monday, November 15, 2010
What's Really Going on Here?
I took a weekend off to watch my son play at a tournament. I've made some observations that got me thinking about how and what we evaluate on the field to make decisions to manage the game.
I observed a game in the morning in which I noticed something odd about the officials match control. In this particular game, the white team was clearly more physical, but less skilled than the other team. The green team had far more skill with the ball, but seemed to be slightly less physical. The temperature of the game was clearly going up slowly but surely over the time that I watched. White was getting increasingly physical, even grabbing at the back of no less than 3 players on breakaways. What surprised me is there was neither an "Advantage!" from the referee nor a whistle. White obviously noticed they could get away with more, so they increased the aggressiveness of their challenges. At one point, I observed a scissors tackle on against a green midfielder that was shielding a ball into touch. No foul. Suddenly, the green midfielder turned on the white player and went nose to nose with him! I heard him say something like "that better not happen again." The center barely made a move toward the players to get things under control. At that point, the AR motioned the player over. I was close enough to hear him admonish the green player for his behavior.
Let's examine what was happening here. By my observation, I see white playing increasingly aggressive, testing the limits with the referee. The referee seemingly does nothing to show white exactly where the line is, so they keep testing. At some point, we reach the green team's limit on what they will tolerate, so they lash out. The referees punish the green team.
I am of the opinion that what one sees on the field is merely one way to evaluate what is happening. The apparent frustration of one team should be noticed. Perhaps the frustration is because we, as officials, are missing something that is happening. It could be green is just getting outplayed, or it could be that white is indeed playing unfairly. In the latter case, it is just a matter of time before green takes justice into their own hands as they see that the referee is either unwilling or incapable of dealing with the problem. This is one of the reasons we see major incidents in some games. In the game described above, the only caution issued in the game was for an "f-bomb" uttered by white after blowing a decent opportunity on goal. We have to have our priorities right. This is a U-15 game. Where I referee, you are going to hear language on the field that is not directed at anyone. Worry about the big things, like the temperature of the game.
The federation has a directive that is aimed at this sort of thing. It is titled Game Management Model - Foul Selection and Recognition. It discusses the idea of promoting game flow, versus the need to call fouls and control the game. Check it out.
I observed a game in the morning in which I noticed something odd about the officials match control. In this particular game, the white team was clearly more physical, but less skilled than the other team. The green team had far more skill with the ball, but seemed to be slightly less physical. The temperature of the game was clearly going up slowly but surely over the time that I watched. White was getting increasingly physical, even grabbing at the back of no less than 3 players on breakaways. What surprised me is there was neither an "Advantage!" from the referee nor a whistle. White obviously noticed they could get away with more, so they increased the aggressiveness of their challenges. At one point, I observed a scissors tackle on against a green midfielder that was shielding a ball into touch. No foul. Suddenly, the green midfielder turned on the white player and went nose to nose with him! I heard him say something like "that better not happen again." The center barely made a move toward the players to get things under control. At that point, the AR motioned the player over. I was close enough to hear him admonish the green player for his behavior.
Let's examine what was happening here. By my observation, I see white playing increasingly aggressive, testing the limits with the referee. The referee seemingly does nothing to show white exactly where the line is, so they keep testing. At some point, we reach the green team's limit on what they will tolerate, so they lash out. The referees punish the green team.
I am of the opinion that what one sees on the field is merely one way to evaluate what is happening. The apparent frustration of one team should be noticed. Perhaps the frustration is because we, as officials, are missing something that is happening. It could be green is just getting outplayed, or it could be that white is indeed playing unfairly. In the latter case, it is just a matter of time before green takes justice into their own hands as they see that the referee is either unwilling or incapable of dealing with the problem. This is one of the reasons we see major incidents in some games. In the game described above, the only caution issued in the game was for an "f-bomb" uttered by white after blowing a decent opportunity on goal. We have to have our priorities right. This is a U-15 game. Where I referee, you are going to hear language on the field that is not directed at anyone. Worry about the big things, like the temperature of the game.
The federation has a directive that is aimed at this sort of thing. It is titled Game Management Model - Foul Selection and Recognition. It discusses the idea of promoting game flow, versus the need to call fouls and control the game. Check it out.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Why do they call them "Free Kicks" anyway?
I managed to have a 3-game day last weekend. I was on a crew with 2 young referees. Both did a fine job.
Generally, I try to offer new referees some help with things I notice during a game. It is usually along the lines of "You're doing a great job. You might want to keep an eye on..." Some new referees are not willing to hear this and completely ignore it. If you are one of those guys, realize it is a team effort. Any feedback for improvement is useful. You can accept or reject input from other referees. That's your choice, but do so at your own peril. Most referees have something to offer you for improvement.
It's frustrating when other referees are not following the rules of the competition, or the Laws of the Game, for that matter. It makes life more difficult for everyone. I understand we often do games from several different leagues and many different tournaments. How often do you actually read the rules of the competition? As a referee, you often work your league games for the same league and assignor for many years. Do you try to read the rules for your league at least once a season? You must! Leagues are always changing rules in very subtle ways. Every week, I will hear things from coaches related to these rule changes. In some cases, the rules did not change. However, last week's referee is getting the league rules confused with some other league or tournament they have worked. For example, the league I work has slightly different rules for throw ins in the short-sided games. Players get one retake for a foul throw before the ball turns over to the opponent. I cannot tell you how many times I have had coaches tell me that "last weeks referee" didn't do it that way. I re-read the rules of the competition. This is how our league wants to game played. Go, right now, and download your league's rules. They are usually found on the leagues web site. Give them a quick read and follow them to the letter!
I had some interesting issues with free kicks in a U-14 boys game. In the first 10 minutes, I called a foul at mid-field. As a side note, I am one to encourage quick free kicks. I will often point to the spot of the foul and start moving away, keeping my eyes on the attackers in case they want the ceremonial free kick. In this case, as I'm moving away, 2 defenders set themselves up maybe 6-7 yards from the ball. The attackers take the kick, but as they do, one of the defenders lunges forward, blocking the kick. I immediately stopped play, signaled for a retake and cautioned the players. Some thought that was harsh, but there is this from "Advice to Referees:"
Later in the game, I had a very similar situation. In this case, it was a delaying the restart as the attackers never tried to put the ball in play. The player (from the same team incidentally) was maybe 5 yards from the ball. As the attacker started to run up for the kick, the defender stuck his foot out. The attacker pulled up. I whistled and tested the player for his ability to identify the color yellow. Turns out he saw it just fine. I was a little surprised the lesson had not been learned, but they are 14 year-olds.
Speaking of free kicks, I had a situation that you coaches out there might want to consider. A red attacker came free around halfway. He dribbles straight in on goal. The goalkeeper comes out to meet him just outside the penalty area. The attacker attempts to flick the ball over the keeper as the keeper slides in front of him. The keeper does make contact so I call the foul (yes, I considered DOGSF. Too far out in my opinion), point to the spot and start moving away as the attacker looked like he would go quickly. He's caught the defense napping. He puts the ball down, takes a few steps back...and his coach tells him to wait! Wow! This was an easy goal. The keeper had not moved back into the goal quickly. The attacker would have just kicked the ball into the net. From a referee view point, this is why we encourage the free kick. When you award a free kick, get out of the way and see if the players want to go quickly.
Generally, I try to offer new referees some help with things I notice during a game. It is usually along the lines of "You're doing a great job. You might want to keep an eye on..." Some new referees are not willing to hear this and completely ignore it. If you are one of those guys, realize it is a team effort. Any feedback for improvement is useful. You can accept or reject input from other referees. That's your choice, but do so at your own peril. Most referees have something to offer you for improvement.
It's frustrating when other referees are not following the rules of the competition, or the Laws of the Game, for that matter. It makes life more difficult for everyone. I understand we often do games from several different leagues and many different tournaments. How often do you actually read the rules of the competition? As a referee, you often work your league games for the same league and assignor for many years. Do you try to read the rules for your league at least once a season? You must! Leagues are always changing rules in very subtle ways. Every week, I will hear things from coaches related to these rule changes. In some cases, the rules did not change. However, last week's referee is getting the league rules confused with some other league or tournament they have worked. For example, the league I work has slightly different rules for throw ins in the short-sided games. Players get one retake for a foul throw before the ball turns over to the opponent. I cannot tell you how many times I have had coaches tell me that "last weeks referee" didn't do it that way. I re-read the rules of the competition. This is how our league wants to game played. Go, right now, and download your league's rules. They are usually found on the leagues web site. Give them a quick read and follow them to the letter!
I had some interesting issues with free kicks in a U-14 boys game. In the first 10 minutes, I called a foul at mid-field. As a side note, I am one to encourage quick free kicks. I will often point to the spot of the foul and start moving away, keeping my eyes on the attackers in case they want the ceremonial free kick. In this case, as I'm moving away, 2 defenders set themselves up maybe 6-7 yards from the ball. The attackers take the kick, but as they do, one of the defenders lunges forward, blocking the kick. I immediately stopped play, signaled for a retake and cautioned the players. Some thought that was harsh, but there is this from "Advice to Referees:"
On the other hand, when the attacking team has exercised the option to restart play quickly and the opponent closer than the required distance moves toward the ball and performs an act that makes a difference in the play, such as blocking the kick, that player has committed an offense that must be dealt with firmly in accordance with the Law. After the referee has cautioned the failure to respect the required distance, the original free kick must be retaken as required by Law 13.Clearly, we are to caution this behavior based on this writing.
Later in the game, I had a very similar situation. In this case, it was a delaying the restart as the attackers never tried to put the ball in play. The player (from the same team incidentally) was maybe 5 yards from the ball. As the attacker started to run up for the kick, the defender stuck his foot out. The attacker pulled up. I whistled and tested the player for his ability to identify the color yellow. Turns out he saw it just fine. I was a little surprised the lesson had not been learned, but they are 14 year-olds.
Speaking of free kicks, I had a situation that you coaches out there might want to consider. A red attacker came free around halfway. He dribbles straight in on goal. The goalkeeper comes out to meet him just outside the penalty area. The attacker attempts to flick the ball over the keeper as the keeper slides in front of him. The keeper does make contact so I call the foul (yes, I considered DOGSF. Too far out in my opinion), point to the spot and start moving away as the attacker looked like he would go quickly. He's caught the defense napping. He puts the ball down, takes a few steps back...and his coach tells him to wait! Wow! This was an easy goal. The keeper had not moved back into the goal quickly. The attacker would have just kicked the ball into the net. From a referee view point, this is why we encourage the free kick. When you award a free kick, get out of the way and see if the players want to go quickly.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Rules Do Not Apply To Him
Wow, I had an interesting weekend. Just when I thought I didn't have much left to write about...
I received a 3 game assignment this weekend, which I haven't had for some time. I've been getting quite a few 1 game assignments. We had U-11, U-12 and U-14. I was assigned with my younger son as well as another referee that I've worked with on a few occasions. What a great day for soccer! We had perfect weather and a really nice field. You have to love that.
The first 2 games went really well. My son did the U-11 game. He's developing into a fine official. I had the U-14 game and that went well too. The field we had for the day was not unusually long, but it was very WIDE. Note to self: Do a little more running during the week. I felt like my conditioning isn't what it should be. I did fine with the 14's, but I will suffer when the college showcases come in November.
The interesting situation arose with the U-12 game. The home club was set up to help under privileged kids from a nearby small city have an opportunity to play competitive soccer. I've worked with teams from this club before. The players are skilled and always play hard. When checking the player passes for the team,
I asked the trainer for his pass. He told me the coach, who had not yet arrived had them. "No problem," I said, I'll come back in a few minutes and collect them. I noticed the coach arrive so I went over and asked for the coach passes. The coach tells me he doesn't have them. Our local rule is "No Pass, No Play."
I explain to the coach that we may not be able to play as the league does not allow anyone without a coaching
pass to be in the technical area. I went and talked to the center referee who had the same position as me. While we are talking, the coach approaches us and gets quite beligerent and rude, calling us "a joke." (Coaches: if you are reading this, that approach is not the best way to get someone to try to help you out when you make a mistake). Not only that, but he brought up the fact that the club is for under privileged kids, the implication being that somehow we are being mean to the kids. Keep in mind, he's the one that didn't bring his pass. I mention to the referee that I'm willing to give our assignor a quick call to double check that there is no way around this. We agreed and I made the call. It turns out the league is fine with it as long as one of the carded coaches from the other team is willing to monitor the opponent's bench. It's an odd arrangement, but workable. So we ended up doing the game. The referee even allowed the offending (offensive?) coach to be in the technical area which he is clearly not entitled to do without a pass. The coach later apologized for his behavior.
The interesting thing about the ordeal is during the conversation, the coach mentioned a few times that
he has a national license etc. I pointed out that it doesn't matter since he has no coaching pass. However,
I did have the feeling I had seen this guy before. On the way home, my son realized who he was. He coaches a division 1 college team! Unbelievable.
The lesson here is this: Make sure you know your local Rules of the Competition inside and out. Follow the rules and you can't go wrong. Do not be swayed by those that bend the rules for their convenience. They will not be there when you have to defend your position and decisions.
I received a 3 game assignment this weekend, which I haven't had for some time. I've been getting quite a few 1 game assignments. We had U-11, U-12 and U-14. I was assigned with my younger son as well as another referee that I've worked with on a few occasions. What a great day for soccer! We had perfect weather and a really nice field. You have to love that.
The first 2 games went really well. My son did the U-11 game. He's developing into a fine official. I had the U-14 game and that went well too. The field we had for the day was not unusually long, but it was very WIDE. Note to self: Do a little more running during the week. I felt like my conditioning isn't what it should be. I did fine with the 14's, but I will suffer when the college showcases come in November.
The interesting situation arose with the U-12 game. The home club was set up to help under privileged kids from a nearby small city have an opportunity to play competitive soccer. I've worked with teams from this club before. The players are skilled and always play hard. When checking the player passes for the team,
I asked the trainer for his pass. He told me the coach, who had not yet arrived had them. "No problem," I said, I'll come back in a few minutes and collect them. I noticed the coach arrive so I went over and asked for the coach passes. The coach tells me he doesn't have them. Our local rule is "No Pass, No Play."
I explain to the coach that we may not be able to play as the league does not allow anyone without a coaching
pass to be in the technical area. I went and talked to the center referee who had the same position as me. While we are talking, the coach approaches us and gets quite beligerent and rude, calling us "a joke." (Coaches: if you are reading this, that approach is not the best way to get someone to try to help you out when you make a mistake). Not only that, but he brought up the fact that the club is for under privileged kids, the implication being that somehow we are being mean to the kids. Keep in mind, he's the one that didn't bring his pass. I mention to the referee that I'm willing to give our assignor a quick call to double check that there is no way around this. We agreed and I made the call. It turns out the league is fine with it as long as one of the carded coaches from the other team is willing to monitor the opponent's bench. It's an odd arrangement, but workable. So we ended up doing the game. The referee even allowed the offending (offensive?) coach to be in the technical area which he is clearly not entitled to do without a pass. The coach later apologized for his behavior.
The interesting thing about the ordeal is during the conversation, the coach mentioned a few times that
he has a national license etc. I pointed out that it doesn't matter since he has no coaching pass. However,
I did have the feeling I had seen this guy before. On the way home, my son realized who he was. He coaches a division 1 college team! Unbelievable.
The lesson here is this: Make sure you know your local Rules of the Competition inside and out. Follow the rules and you can't go wrong. Do not be swayed by those that bend the rules for their convenience. They will not be there when you have to defend your position and decisions.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Yes, I'm still around
I have just a short updated that is really intended to reaffirm that I'm still around and I'm still a referee.
I haven't been posting much because...well...I haven't been getting many games. Is it me or are there less games available this season? I got turned down early in the season for 2 tournaments that I have always worked. Part of the problem was my fault. I had not put in availability right away, so I ended up at the back of the line. However, the assignor made it clear that the participating team count had declined significantly this year. I have had a few league games this season, but I'm only getting 1 or 2 games a weekend (usually the number is 2 or 3) and they have all been small sided. Is the economy hurting tournaments? Have the number of U-14 and under teams declined?
Send me your comments! Tell me if you have noticed a significant decline in teams going to tournaments. What's going on with your league? Are there fewer teams? Make sure you include your state so we know where your are located. Thanks.
I haven't been posting much because...well...I haven't been getting many games. Is it me or are there less games available this season? I got turned down early in the season for 2 tournaments that I have always worked. Part of the problem was my fault. I had not put in availability right away, so I ended up at the back of the line. However, the assignor made it clear that the participating team count had declined significantly this year. I have had a few league games this season, but I'm only getting 1 or 2 games a weekend (usually the number is 2 or 3) and they have all been small sided. Is the economy hurting tournaments? Have the number of U-14 and under teams declined?
Send me your comments! Tell me if you have noticed a significant decline in teams going to tournaments. What's going on with your league? Are there fewer teams? Make sure you include your state so we know where your are located. Thanks.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Player Card Games
This weekend, I had a single U-11 game at a local club. The game was part of a league I only work occasionally. It just turned out that I was available and the game was being played pretty close to my house.
When I arrived, I noticed the home club had their entire team at the field (in other words, plenty of players) while the visitors were clearly short handed. The visitors had enough to start, but we gave them 5 minutes extra to get another player or two to the field. They started the game with 8 (In my state, we play full sided, 11 players for U-11). The game ended up very one-sided. At the half, the home team was up 5-0.
The rules of the competition say players arriving after the start of the 2nd half may not enter the game. At half time, my AR pointed out that another player had arrived at the bench, but he had yet to see a player pass for the player. I indicated that we should keep an eye on the situation and we started the 2nd half. About 18 minutes into the 2nd half, the coach calls for a sub. My AR waves me over. He points out that the coach has given him a player pass, but the picture is clearly not the player standing at halfway. I take the player pass over to the coach. I pointed out that all players must have a pass and that the pass in my hand clearly did not belong to the player in front of me. He mumbled something about giving me the wrong pass etc. He was caught and he knew it. Extra points go to my attentive AR, a young kid.
So what's the lesson I'm trying to convey here? I guess there are two things: First, coaches will try to get away with anything you can imagine. That's not to say that all coaches will try to cheat. That is not the case. However, there are coaches that will try to get away with cheating if they can. Second, it is easy to try to play Mr. Nice Guy and accept this player on the field since the team is playing short. Incidentally, this player looked way under age too. I'm guessing he was 9 and was probably the little brother of another player. Unfortunately, you would be in big trouble if something happened to said player. In the court room at the civil suit, you'd be asked about checking player passes etc. Not good.
You must pay attention to these details and take all of the rules, including the administrative ones, very seriously. I put a note in my match report regarding the incident. I also sent an email to the assignor with details of the incident.
When I arrived, I noticed the home club had their entire team at the field (in other words, plenty of players) while the visitors were clearly short handed. The visitors had enough to start, but we gave them 5 minutes extra to get another player or two to the field. They started the game with 8 (In my state, we play full sided, 11 players for U-11). The game ended up very one-sided. At the half, the home team was up 5-0.
The rules of the competition say players arriving after the start of the 2nd half may not enter the game. At half time, my AR pointed out that another player had arrived at the bench, but he had yet to see a player pass for the player. I indicated that we should keep an eye on the situation and we started the 2nd half. About 18 minutes into the 2nd half, the coach calls for a sub. My AR waves me over. He points out that the coach has given him a player pass, but the picture is clearly not the player standing at halfway. I take the player pass over to the coach. I pointed out that all players must have a pass and that the pass in my hand clearly did not belong to the player in front of me. He mumbled something about giving me the wrong pass etc. He was caught and he knew it. Extra points go to my attentive AR, a young kid.
So what's the lesson I'm trying to convey here? I guess there are two things: First, coaches will try to get away with anything you can imagine. That's not to say that all coaches will try to cheat. That is not the case. However, there are coaches that will try to get away with cheating if they can. Second, it is easy to try to play Mr. Nice Guy and accept this player on the field since the team is playing short. Incidentally, this player looked way under age too. I'm guessing he was 9 and was probably the little brother of another player. Unfortunately, you would be in big trouble if something happened to said player. In the court room at the civil suit, you'd be asked about checking player passes etc. Not good.
You must pay attention to these details and take all of the rules, including the administrative ones, very seriously. I put a note in my match report regarding the incident. I also sent an email to the assignor with details of the incident.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
U-Littles
Those of you that follow my blog know I took a while to get to grade 7. There was the politics of even getting considered. There was a couple of state cup tournaments and an ODP tournament. Several assessments and almost 2 years later, I got upgraded. I put in for a tournament for this past weekend, my first as a 7. You'll never guess what my assignments were...2 days of short-sided and the U-littles! Ironic, isn't it? It turned out to be fun and its always a good way to start the Fall season. My son worked with me as well.
The interesting thing about the short sided game is you will often see situations that never occur at the older levels. For example, you will see goalkeepers handle balls kicked by their teammates on a regular basis. You will often see balls mishandled on the goal line (so run that ball out when you are an assistant!). There are any number of awkward and ugly tackles just because the kids are clumsy. In short, you still have to know the Laws of the Game inside and out. In fact, maybe more so for the little ones. Also, you will often have teaching moments that you can take advantage of. For example, I had a goalkeeper make a save. The opposing team backed off, expecting him to distribute the ball. He knelt down, put the ball down (almost having it roll over the goal line for a corner) and tied his shoe. He then picked it back up and distributed the ball. I let it go. At the half, his coach and I took 30 seconds to remind him that he can't put the ball down and then pick it back up. The coach was very appreciative and I think I managed to teach this kid something about the laws. That's always a good thing.
We did have a really funny comment from a coach that left one of my assistants barely able to hide his grin.
I awarded a free kick for a goalkeeper handling the ball just outside the penalty area. I'm standing to the left of goal at the top of the penalty area, with my back to the coaches. One of the coaches yells "Is it direct or indirect?" I reply direct. He says "Your hand is not up so I wasn't sure." I look across the field at my assistant. We exchanged completely puzzled looks...and then nearly lost it on the field. Inside my head I'm saying "My hands is not up for a reason..." Too funny.
The interesting thing about the short sided game is you will often see situations that never occur at the older levels. For example, you will see goalkeepers handle balls kicked by their teammates on a regular basis. You will often see balls mishandled on the goal line (so run that ball out when you are an assistant!). There are any number of awkward and ugly tackles just because the kids are clumsy. In short, you still have to know the Laws of the Game inside and out. In fact, maybe more so for the little ones. Also, you will often have teaching moments that you can take advantage of. For example, I had a goalkeeper make a save. The opposing team backed off, expecting him to distribute the ball. He knelt down, put the ball down (almost having it roll over the goal line for a corner) and tied his shoe. He then picked it back up and distributed the ball. I let it go. At the half, his coach and I took 30 seconds to remind him that he can't put the ball down and then pick it back up. The coach was very appreciative and I think I managed to teach this kid something about the laws. That's always a good thing.
We did have a really funny comment from a coach that left one of my assistants barely able to hide his grin.
I awarded a free kick for a goalkeeper handling the ball just outside the penalty area. I'm standing to the left of goal at the top of the penalty area, with my back to the coaches. One of the coaches yells "Is it direct or indirect?" I reply direct. He says "Your hand is not up so I wasn't sure." I look across the field at my assistant. We exchanged completely puzzled looks...and then nearly lost it on the field. Inside my head I'm saying "My hands is not up for a reason..." Too funny.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
New Season Coming
It is that time again. Time to prepare for the upcoming season. I take the summer off from being a referee and do the things I don't get to do during soccer season.
As the Spring season comes to an end, I usually switch my fitness activities from a running emphasis to a cycling one. I do this week long, 500 mile charity bike ride in the middle of the summer, so I have to prepare for it. Now that the bike ride is over, I'm switching back to running, slowly but surely, in preparation for the new Fall season.
I'm the kind of person that needs a goal to get motivated, so I put in for a couple of early season tournaments. If I don't commit myself, I can put off training harder, so I have to commit.
My first run in a month or so was...well...ugly. I have the cardio fitness. My legs, however, want to pedal a bicycle, not run. My regimen consists of 2 or 3 walk/run workouts. I'll run about a mile or so, and then I'll walk until my legs don't hurt. I'll resume running until my legs tighten up again. I continue this through my usual 5k route. Eventually, I get back to being able to run the entire route again. Once I've done that, I might do some longer runs and some speed work. I like to be able to run 5 miles below a 9:00/mile pace. I find that gives me the fitness required to do games as high as U-20.
I will be working with my older son and, at some point, my younger son as well. He's been a grade 9 for a couple of years and will be taking his grade 8 class in late August. I have my own tournament crew!
I'm looking forward to the Fall season.
As the Spring season comes to an end, I usually switch my fitness activities from a running emphasis to a cycling one. I do this week long, 500 mile charity bike ride in the middle of the summer, so I have to prepare for it. Now that the bike ride is over, I'm switching back to running, slowly but surely, in preparation for the new Fall season.
I'm the kind of person that needs a goal to get motivated, so I put in for a couple of early season tournaments. If I don't commit myself, I can put off training harder, so I have to commit.
My first run in a month or so was...well...ugly. I have the cardio fitness. My legs, however, want to pedal a bicycle, not run. My regimen consists of 2 or 3 walk/run workouts. I'll run about a mile or so, and then I'll walk until my legs don't hurt. I'll resume running until my legs tighten up again. I continue this through my usual 5k route. Eventually, I get back to being able to run the entire route again. Once I've done that, I might do some longer runs and some speed work. I like to be able to run 5 miles below a 9:00/mile pace. I find that gives me the fitness required to do games as high as U-20.
I will be working with my older son and, at some point, my younger son as well. He's been a grade 9 for a couple of years and will be taking his grade 8 class in late August. I have my own tournament crew!
I'm looking forward to the Fall season.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Referee Criticism
I came across a video of Alexi Lalas discussing the quality of referees, specifically MLS referees compared to other leagues. It got me thinking about the position of a referee and how we are completely open to criticism by observers that, for the most part, are completely biased and are generally lacking in any understanding of the LOTG.
Most of my readers referee youth soccer matches. I'll guess the average reader of this blog has been a referee for a fairly short amount of time (less than 2 years) and works mostly U-16 and below games. I know there are a few of you that work much harder games as some of you have contacting me with advice as well as constructive criticism (thanks, by the way). Undoubtedly, we've all experienced criticism from fans, coaches and players. I think this criticism can result from three major categories:
The second item is interesting. Realize early in your career that very few participants in a soccer match are unbiased. I'd venture to say the number is usually 3. Coaches, players, parents and other observers always have an opinion about every call you make. When you make a call, you will usually upset about 50% of the people observing the game. That's just the way it is. Since that is immutable, make sure you are making the best calls you can by knowing the LOTG (see above), being fit enough to be in a good position to make the call, and by doing the best you can with foul recognition and the like.
Also related to number 2 is the idea of view point. You are the only one on the field with your view. That goes for your assistants as well. Realistically, in a perfect situation, you are only going to have 3 legitimate views on a given play. Most of the time, you'll have 1 or 2. You have to make the call on those views since the others (coaches, parents, players) don't count. Keep in mind, that doesn't mean they didn't see something you didn't. That different view on a play is the basis for a lot of referee criticism. Do the best you can with what you see and don't worry about the rest. You can only call what you see.
From personal experience I can tell you that most coaches and nearly all parents and players have never read the Laws of the Game. Even if they have, they certainly haven't read any of the documents available to interpret the laws. Many coaches and almost everyone else at a game rely on their understanding of the laws, developed over years of being around the game. This understanding includes the many myths of the game (no spin on the ball during a throw in, no foul if players gets the ball first, etc.). I've never understood why coaches don't read the laws. I just don't get that. Did you know there is a watered down version of the laws available? It's called "Laws of the Game Made Easy" and is sold by the US Soccer Federation. Would things be a little different if all parents and players had to read this book? It's hard to guess.
So, the next time you are working a game, remember the only thing that is important is you do the best job you can. You are not there to please the spectators and coaches. You are there to provide a safe, fair game for the players. That is your only role. The other stuff is not important.
Most of my readers referee youth soccer matches. I'll guess the average reader of this blog has been a referee for a fairly short amount of time (less than 2 years) and works mostly U-16 and below games. I know there are a few of you that work much harder games as some of you have contacting me with advice as well as constructive criticism (thanks, by the way). Undoubtedly, we've all experienced criticism from fans, coaches and players. I think this criticism can result from three major categories:
- A mistake in application of the LOTG or Rules of the Competition
- A disagreement with a judgment call or decision
- Ignorance of the LOTG
The second item is interesting. Realize early in your career that very few participants in a soccer match are unbiased. I'd venture to say the number is usually 3. Coaches, players, parents and other observers always have an opinion about every call you make. When you make a call, you will usually upset about 50% of the people observing the game. That's just the way it is. Since that is immutable, make sure you are making the best calls you can by knowing the LOTG (see above), being fit enough to be in a good position to make the call, and by doing the best you can with foul recognition and the like.
Also related to number 2 is the idea of view point. You are the only one on the field with your view. That goes for your assistants as well. Realistically, in a perfect situation, you are only going to have 3 legitimate views on a given play. Most of the time, you'll have 1 or 2. You have to make the call on those views since the others (coaches, parents, players) don't count. Keep in mind, that doesn't mean they didn't see something you didn't. That different view on a play is the basis for a lot of referee criticism. Do the best you can with what you see and don't worry about the rest. You can only call what you see.
From personal experience I can tell you that most coaches and nearly all parents and players have never read the Laws of the Game. Even if they have, they certainly haven't read any of the documents available to interpret the laws. Many coaches and almost everyone else at a game rely on their understanding of the laws, developed over years of being around the game. This understanding includes the many myths of the game (no spin on the ball during a throw in, no foul if players gets the ball first, etc.). I've never understood why coaches don't read the laws. I just don't get that. Did you know there is a watered down version of the laws available? It's called "Laws of the Game Made Easy" and is sold by the US Soccer Federation. Would things be a little different if all parents and players had to read this book? It's hard to guess.
So, the next time you are working a game, remember the only thing that is important is you do the best job you can. You are not there to please the spectators and coaches. You are there to provide a safe, fair game for the players. That is your only role. The other stuff is not important.
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