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.
Showing posts with label Assistant Referee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assistant Referee. Show all posts
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.
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, 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.
Monday, October 5, 2009
New Club In Town
OK, the new club is not in my town, but my assignor does have a new club as of the Spring. Actually, he has 2 new clubs! My older son and I put in for games this weekend but we only received one, at this new club. In talking to a few friends, I have heard this club can be a tough place to do a game. The coaches have a reputation for being mouthy as do the parents.
Early Sunday morning, I got a call from my assignor telling me that our 3rd referee has not responded to his assignments. The assignor went on to tell me that this guy, if he shows up, is not to work the game and I am to tell him that. Great. First, I don't understand guys that put in for games and don't follow through with their commitment. I realize bad things happen sometimes, and I know this assignor will certainly forgive any legitimate excuse, but how do you just ignore assignments? This guy won't be working for this assignor anymore.
So my son and I get to the game a little early. We had never been to this field, so we left a little earlier than required just in case we couldn't find it. It turned out to be easy to find. (An aside: car GPS units are the greatest thing ever invented!) We checked the field and do a couple of laps to warm up. My son points out that, while the home team has been at the field since we arrived, there is no sign of an opposing team. That can't be good. It turns out, they got confused and went to another field at another club. Fortunately, that field was on the way to the correct field. They arrived about 15 minutes after the game start, well inside the leagues 30 minute grace period.
Just as we start the game I realize I never asked a parent to run the sideline for the missing AR. This isn't that big of a deal because, to be honest, I'm not convinced a club linesman is worth the effort. Even if you instruct them to not show direction or offside, they inevitably try to do it anyway. Naturally, this leads to ill will went you wave them down and show a different direction. This was a lower level U-13 boys game on a relatively small field, so I felt pretty good about being able to do it myself anyway.
Oddly enough, about 10 minutes or so into the game, the home team coaches started giving my AR a hard time about his offside calls. You might have guessed we'd have problems on the no AR side of the field. Nope. It seems the home team was trying an offside trap, but not timing it very well. I kept making eye contact with my son with that questioning look ("Are you sure they weren't off?) and he gave me the subtle shake of the head ("No way.") Good enough for me. It became clear pretty quickly that what I had heard about this team was indeed true and that I'd have to start on my "Ask, Tell, Remove" routine. At the next goal kick, I held play and walked to within about 15 yards of the bench. I politely asked the coaches to "cool it" so we wouldn't have any problems. One of the coaches started with "But you guys have already made 3 bad calls!" I cut him off with "Coach, I will not be asking next time. You coach your team and I'll referee the game." Apparently it worked and they got the message, because I didn't hear anything at all from them for the rest of the game.
One thing that is tough when you don't have a certified AR on the touch line is watching for balls that cross the goal line momentarily. Even if you have a club linesman, this is tough. You really don't want to take their input on this because it is a game changing decision. I had one in this game. The visiting keeper made the initial save on a very hard shot. He bobbled the ball in the air right on the goal line. I was maybe 15 yards out, but did not have a good angle to see if the ball had crossed the line. Fortunately, during his juggling act, I noticed an instant where the ball was clearly behind the post, not next to it. Goal! In changing my diagonal, I had given up a little angle on the play and ended up behind the ball, rather than to one side.
It turned out to be a fun game. The home team won by a good margin, but the visiting side had a few players that really could play the game well. It was interesting to watch.
Early Sunday morning, I got a call from my assignor telling me that our 3rd referee has not responded to his assignments. The assignor went on to tell me that this guy, if he shows up, is not to work the game and I am to tell him that. Great. First, I don't understand guys that put in for games and don't follow through with their commitment. I realize bad things happen sometimes, and I know this assignor will certainly forgive any legitimate excuse, but how do you just ignore assignments? This guy won't be working for this assignor anymore.
So my son and I get to the game a little early. We had never been to this field, so we left a little earlier than required just in case we couldn't find it. It turned out to be easy to find. (An aside: car GPS units are the greatest thing ever invented!) We checked the field and do a couple of laps to warm up. My son points out that, while the home team has been at the field since we arrived, there is no sign of an opposing team. That can't be good. It turns out, they got confused and went to another field at another club. Fortunately, that field was on the way to the correct field. They arrived about 15 minutes after the game start, well inside the leagues 30 minute grace period.
Just as we start the game I realize I never asked a parent to run the sideline for the missing AR. This isn't that big of a deal because, to be honest, I'm not convinced a club linesman is worth the effort. Even if you instruct them to not show direction or offside, they inevitably try to do it anyway. Naturally, this leads to ill will went you wave them down and show a different direction. This was a lower level U-13 boys game on a relatively small field, so I felt pretty good about being able to do it myself anyway.
Oddly enough, about 10 minutes or so into the game, the home team coaches started giving my AR a hard time about his offside calls. You might have guessed we'd have problems on the no AR side of the field. Nope. It seems the home team was trying an offside trap, but not timing it very well. I kept making eye contact with my son with that questioning look ("Are you sure they weren't off?) and he gave me the subtle shake of the head ("No way.") Good enough for me. It became clear pretty quickly that what I had heard about this team was indeed true and that I'd have to start on my "Ask, Tell, Remove" routine. At the next goal kick, I held play and walked to within about 15 yards of the bench. I politely asked the coaches to "cool it" so we wouldn't have any problems. One of the coaches started with "But you guys have already made 3 bad calls!" I cut him off with "Coach, I will not be asking next time. You coach your team and I'll referee the game." Apparently it worked and they got the message, because I didn't hear anything at all from them for the rest of the game.
One thing that is tough when you don't have a certified AR on the touch line is watching for balls that cross the goal line momentarily. Even if you have a club linesman, this is tough. You really don't want to take their input on this because it is a game changing decision. I had one in this game. The visiting keeper made the initial save on a very hard shot. He bobbled the ball in the air right on the goal line. I was maybe 15 yards out, but did not have a good angle to see if the ball had crossed the line. Fortunately, during his juggling act, I noticed an instant where the ball was clearly behind the post, not next to it. Goal! In changing my diagonal, I had given up a little angle on the play and ended up behind the ball, rather than to one side.
It turned out to be a fun game. The home team won by a good margin, but the visiting side had a few players that really could play the game well. It was interesting to watch.
Monday, February 23, 2009
More Great Games
Yesterday, I worked another set of US Soccer Development Academy games. It seems these games are always scheduled in pairs. The clubs have 2 teams; one U-16 and one U-18. From what I gather, they play games within a pretty large area. In my case, the drive time radius for the teams can be up to 6 hours! If you are doing that, you are playing some serious soccer.
The first time I worked these games, I was the last guy at the field, so I made a point to show up earlier this week. It turns out it still wasn't early enough. I met up with the referee for the U-16 game. I was honest about being new to these games. It turns out he's a grade 8 as well, but he's been doing games for much longer than me. So I guess it's all about experience, not necessarily about your grade. Anyway, he pointed out that I should plan on getting to any US Soccer game at least 1 hour before game time. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that my assignor didn't send me a list of things to do for these games, but that just goes to show you that you are ultimately responsible for yourself. Since this referee was empathetic to my position, I was sure to ask him some other things that I was trying to figure out regarding administration of these games. Always use a willing resource when you find one!
Our third crew member, and also the referee for the U-18 game, was really late. I thought perhaps he had some other games going on, but I didn't hear him mention an excuse. I was a little disappointed by that as this is a State Referee. I guess I hold those guys in pretty high regard, given there grade. It turns out he's a really good referee. I learned quite a bit from watching him work. Both encounters show that the badge doesn't necessarily tell you everything about the referee.
For those of you that live in warm climates, I'm jealous. Wow, the weather was brutal for these games. The temperature was fluctuating in the mid-30's and there was a howling wind coming through the stadium. Not only that, but we had periodic showers and snow showers. Yes, we were in shorts. You don't do these games in warm-ups. Actually, you shouldn't be doing any games in warm-ups. You know it's cold when your teeth are chattering incessantly while you are running the line.
It's interesting to note that I felt far more comfortable this week than last. It seems that your brain needs a game or two to adjust to a higher level. I experienced that when I first started (doing short-side U-little games) as well as when I did my first couple of games at U-15 and above. This week, I didn't feel like I was barely keeping up with the game. I think I did a pretty good job. I was a little early on an offside flag, but I was still correct. I got all my directions right without getting "direction stupid." I even started talking to the players a little bit when they were in my area. You do talk to the players, right? I've noticed the referees at this level will often admonish the players when they are doing wrong, but not wrong enough for a whistle. You'll frequently hear things like "knock it off over there" or "hands down gentlemen!" I mentioned this in my last post, and I'll mention it again because I think it's important. As an AR, you can help the middle with things like "Red #5, get off his jersey!" It warns the player and let's the referee know where he should be looking.
I'd like to, once again, make a few comments about being a good Assistant Referee. Too many referees do not take the role or AR seriously enough. I've seen that, at the upper levels, a good AR is invaluable. Being a good AR doesn't just mean getting offside or ball out-of-play right. It's the little things like taking initiative and getting the game balls squared away for the referee. Making sure the referee has everything he needs while doing check-in (put a spare pencil in your pocket). Do you make sure your uniform is neat, clean and up to par before going to the field? That makes the crew look professional and garners respect. During the game, you must be on your offside line at all times. Coaches, and players, at the higher levels will call you on it if you're not. You must watch everything at once. You must pay attention to the other AR when the ball is away from your half so you can mimic his or her signals as necessary. You must watch the players when the referee is otherwise occupied (ie, talking to a specific player, dealing with substitution) so if something happens, you can report facts. Next time you are an assistant, try to think about all the ways you can make yourself useful to the referee. It is appreciated and only helps to build your reputation as a quality official.
The first time I worked these games, I was the last guy at the field, so I made a point to show up earlier this week. It turns out it still wasn't early enough. I met up with the referee for the U-16 game. I was honest about being new to these games. It turns out he's a grade 8 as well, but he's been doing games for much longer than me. So I guess it's all about experience, not necessarily about your grade. Anyway, he pointed out that I should plan on getting to any US Soccer game at least 1 hour before game time. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that my assignor didn't send me a list of things to do for these games, but that just goes to show you that you are ultimately responsible for yourself. Since this referee was empathetic to my position, I was sure to ask him some other things that I was trying to figure out regarding administration of these games. Always use a willing resource when you find one!
Our third crew member, and also the referee for the U-18 game, was really late. I thought perhaps he had some other games going on, but I didn't hear him mention an excuse. I was a little disappointed by that as this is a State Referee. I guess I hold those guys in pretty high regard, given there grade. It turns out he's a really good referee. I learned quite a bit from watching him work. Both encounters show that the badge doesn't necessarily tell you everything about the referee.
For those of you that live in warm climates, I'm jealous. Wow, the weather was brutal for these games. The temperature was fluctuating in the mid-30's and there was a howling wind coming through the stadium. Not only that, but we had periodic showers and snow showers. Yes, we were in shorts. You don't do these games in warm-ups. Actually, you shouldn't be doing any games in warm-ups. You know it's cold when your teeth are chattering incessantly while you are running the line.
It's interesting to note that I felt far more comfortable this week than last. It seems that your brain needs a game or two to adjust to a higher level. I experienced that when I first started (doing short-side U-little games) as well as when I did my first couple of games at U-15 and above. This week, I didn't feel like I was barely keeping up with the game. I think I did a pretty good job. I was a little early on an offside flag, but I was still correct. I got all my directions right without getting "direction stupid." I even started talking to the players a little bit when they were in my area. You do talk to the players, right? I've noticed the referees at this level will often admonish the players when they are doing wrong, but not wrong enough for a whistle. You'll frequently hear things like "knock it off over there" or "hands down gentlemen!" I mentioned this in my last post, and I'll mention it again because I think it's important. As an AR, you can help the middle with things like "Red #5, get off his jersey!" It warns the player and let's the referee know where he should be looking.
I'd like to, once again, make a few comments about being a good Assistant Referee. Too many referees do not take the role or AR seriously enough. I've seen that, at the upper levels, a good AR is invaluable. Being a good AR doesn't just mean getting offside or ball out-of-play right. It's the little things like taking initiative and getting the game balls squared away for the referee. Making sure the referee has everything he needs while doing check-in (put a spare pencil in your pocket). Do you make sure your uniform is neat, clean and up to par before going to the field? That makes the crew look professional and garners respect. During the game, you must be on your offside line at all times. Coaches, and players, at the higher levels will call you on it if you're not. You must watch everything at once. You must pay attention to the other AR when the ball is away from your half so you can mimic his or her signals as necessary. You must watch the players when the referee is otherwise occupied (ie, talking to a specific player, dealing with substitution) so if something happens, you can report facts. Next time you are an assistant, try to think about all the ways you can make yourself useful to the referee. It is appreciated and only helps to build your reputation as a quality official.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Under the Lights
I only managed one game this week. With the marathon training, I can't really do a day's worth of games after having run long distance. My assignor sent out a request for Friday night availability, so I jumped on it, along with my older son.
On most of the weekends I'm doing league games, we get an odd number of assignments, meaning they cannot be split evenly among the crew. Most of the crews I work with are happy to split the money evenly and they use a game of chance to pick who is doing the middle (We usually draw pieces of paper with numbers written on them). Lately, I have not had much luck in this regard. I've been doing quite a few sidelines. In fact, it is so obvious, one guy I worked with 2 weeks ago insisted I do the middle because he noticed the luck of the draw had not gone my way in some time. It's all good though, as I take a lot of pride in being a good assistant.
The Friday night game was the first game I have done at night, under lights. I never realized that outdoor field lighting can be tough on a referee. Depending on the team's jersey colors, it can be tough picking out teams in the heat of action from 40 yards away. Be aware of that if you do a night game.
It had for a few days before this game, so the field was really wet. Going back to my earlier post regarding shoe selection, it became obvious to me why every referee should have a set of studded shoes in their car. This field was quite loose. For whatever reason, the line I was running had some significantly muddy areas. Without studded shoes, I would have been in big trouble. These teams (U-13 boys) where playing the ball up and down the field quickly so I was sprinting down the line a hand full of times. It would have been treacherous without some traction.
In regard to the game, it was a pretty good one. The teams were middle of the road skill-wise, but quite evenly matched, making the game hard fought and exciting. My colleague in the middle, who I have not worked with previously, was quite good and was a pleasure to work with.
We had two calls I thought were significant. The first was a trip in the penalty area, but it wasn't really a tough call. It was fairly obvious and the whistle and my flag went at the same time. No argument from either side here. I thought we demonstrated good team work and confidence in our decision. The other call was a little more interesting. The red team came free around half way with 2 attackers. The attacker with the ball was coming straight up the field about 5 yards to the left of the left goalpost. His team mate was coming up the center of the field. As they came into the penalty area, the attacker without the ball moved slightly ahead into an offside position. As the ball was passed to this team mate, a blue defender managed to sprint up in between them and toe the ball...into his own goal.
Arguably, I blew it. I popped my flag the second I saw the pass. The center waved me down and allowed the goal. I think I could argue this one both ways. In my opinion, the player was guilty of offside because they were interfering with an opponent. The Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game states:
On most of the weekends I'm doing league games, we get an odd number of assignments, meaning they cannot be split evenly among the crew. Most of the crews I work with are happy to split the money evenly and they use a game of chance to pick who is doing the middle (We usually draw pieces of paper with numbers written on them). Lately, I have not had much luck in this regard. I've been doing quite a few sidelines. In fact, it is so obvious, one guy I worked with 2 weeks ago insisted I do the middle because he noticed the luck of the draw had not gone my way in some time. It's all good though, as I take a lot of pride in being a good assistant.
The Friday night game was the first game I have done at night, under lights. I never realized that outdoor field lighting can be tough on a referee. Depending on the team's jersey colors, it can be tough picking out teams in the heat of action from 40 yards away. Be aware of that if you do a night game.
It had for a few days before this game, so the field was really wet. Going back to my earlier post regarding shoe selection, it became obvious to me why every referee should have a set of studded shoes in their car. This field was quite loose. For whatever reason, the line I was running had some significantly muddy areas. Without studded shoes, I would have been in big trouble. These teams (U-13 boys) where playing the ball up and down the field quickly so I was sprinting down the line a hand full of times. It would have been treacherous without some traction.
In regard to the game, it was a pretty good one. The teams were middle of the road skill-wise, but quite evenly matched, making the game hard fought and exciting. My colleague in the middle, who I have not worked with previously, was quite good and was a pleasure to work with.
We had two calls I thought were significant. The first was a trip in the penalty area, but it wasn't really a tough call. It was fairly obvious and the whistle and my flag went at the same time. No argument from either side here. I thought we demonstrated good team work and confidence in our decision. The other call was a little more interesting. The red team came free around half way with 2 attackers. The attacker with the ball was coming straight up the field about 5 yards to the left of the left goalpost. His team mate was coming up the center of the field. As they came into the penalty area, the attacker without the ball moved slightly ahead into an offside position. As the ball was passed to this team mate, a blue defender managed to sprint up in between them and toe the ball...into his own goal.
Arguably, I blew it. I popped my flag the second I saw the pass. The center waved me down and allowed the goal. I think I could argue this one both ways. In my opinion, the player was guilty of offside because they were interfering with an opponent. The Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game states:
"Interfering with an opponent" means...making a gesture or movement which...deceives or distracts an opponentRunning onto a ball in front of the goal seems to qualify as a movement that distracts an opponent. However, you might see it as the attacker not guilty of offside because they had not played the ball. It was an opinion matter and the center called it the way he saw it.
Monday, June 2, 2008
You Can't Always Choose Your Crew
I returned to a tournament I worked last year. I like the assignor and the tournament is generally well run. My recently certified friend was assigned to the same crew as me and we were given a field at the central location for the tournament. After inspecting the schedule, I realized we were given reasonably high-level games as well.
He Scares Me
The weekend started off a little strange before we even got on the field. My friend found me in the parking lot and told me the assignor had called him and apologized in advance for one of the guys he put on our crew. He said he didn't have a lot of choice as he was running short of guys and had to use him. You know it can't be good when you hear those words.
We arrived at our field to find our 3rd and 4th crew members. I met the referee in question and he seemed ok, although he struck me as having a somewhat awkward personality.
I had the first assignment in the middle and the game went pretty well. I was late in spotting 2 offside flags which kind of irritated me. I'm working on that and it happens more often than I want. I think my positioning might be part of the problem. Anyway, the guy we had been warned about was working as my assistant. He did reasonably well, although some of his calls for the ball in and out of play were sketchy. I did not have great confidence in his decision making ability so I decided I would pay much more attention to that side of the field. We all blow a call once in a while, but it was a little more than that.
Later on in the day, he had his first middle. It was one of our younger age groups of the day. My concerns were realized in that I observed poor foul recognition. I was off for this game so I had the benefit of watching from the comfort of my lawn chair. It only got worse later in the day in his second middle assignment. I watched the first half. I noticed a disproportionate reaction to player dissent. It was an older boys game. There was the normal amount of player rumbling. This guy seemed to have only a loose grip on his temper while interacting with players. Later on, things went bad. Several players were sent off. I observed some of this from a distance (getting something to drink) so I can only comment on what was told to me later. Apparently this official overreacted to a player questioning a call of some sort and seemed to lose control of the match after that. The assignor was called over and he did his best to smooth things over with the players and coaches. From my vantage point, the officials body language told me he might have some anger management issues. He was waving that red card around like he was quite angry.
Now here is my dilemma. This guy made me really nervous. It's one thing to be dicey with foul recognition and maybe not know the laws inside and out, but I sensed some sort of deeper problem when observing his reaction to players. Frankly, he scared me a little. I think I'm going to contact the assignor with my concerns. I'm not sure I'd want him working my kid's games.
Deliberate Pass to the Keeper
During my 2nd middle of the first day, we had a great moment of team observation. I was moving directly behind a group of players. The defending team was following a through ball heading back toward their keeper. A couple of opposing players were in pursuit. As the ball approached the edge of the penalty area, I observed the leading defender tap the ball into the waiting goalkeeper's hands. It was very subtle. As the whistle went up to my mouth my AR's flag went up. Nice. We both saw it, even though it was very quick. In fact, the goalkeepers coach made lots of noise about the call. Sorry coach, we got this one right. It was an example of perfect position as well as solid team work. You have to like that. Check out US Soccers position paper on this very issue.
It's really easy to get lazy when you are an assistant referee, isn't it? Some games just coast along without much for you to do. It's easy to allow your attention to drift elsewhere. Sometimes you don't run quite as fast as you normally might in a particular situation. I had 2 reminders this weekend of how important it is to run a ball all the way to the goal line. Both times, the attacking team took long shots that were on goal. In one situation, the keeper deflected the ball down to his feet, only to have it roll toward the goal line. He fell on it, but too late. I saw it cross the goal line and immediately brought the flag up. The second time, the keeper had the shot come right at her, but it was moving so quickly she caught it in her hands and turned toward the goal. In this case, I was right on the goal line. When she turned, the entire ball was over the goal line. Goal! I'm glad I wasn't sleeping on these.
Weather
On the first day of the tournament, we had some thunderstorms roll through. Did you know US Soccer has a position paper out on weather??? Neither did I. I found it accidentally. Check it out. It's worth reading since we will often be in a situation where we have to watch out for the safety of the players as well as our crew. US Youth Soccer has published lightning safety tips on their site.
All things considered, it was a pretty good tournament this year. Last year, we had a couple of send-offs and a few coach dismissals. It was blazing hot as well. This year I put up one caution to a coach (Yes, we caution coaches here. Don't ask.) that couldn't take my warnings for what they were. Other than the incident I described, the other games went very smoothly. It was a pretty good weekend. I even received my first tournament coin. Actually, I have quite a few that have been given to me, but this is the first one I received as a result of working the tournament.
He Scares Me
The weekend started off a little strange before we even got on the field. My friend found me in the parking lot and told me the assignor had called him and apologized in advance for one of the guys he put on our crew. He said he didn't have a lot of choice as he was running short of guys and had to use him. You know it can't be good when you hear those words.
We arrived at our field to find our 3rd and 4th crew members. I met the referee in question and he seemed ok, although he struck me as having a somewhat awkward personality.
I had the first assignment in the middle and the game went pretty well. I was late in spotting 2 offside flags which kind of irritated me. I'm working on that and it happens more often than I want. I think my positioning might be part of the problem. Anyway, the guy we had been warned about was working as my assistant. He did reasonably well, although some of his calls for the ball in and out of play were sketchy. I did not have great confidence in his decision making ability so I decided I would pay much more attention to that side of the field. We all blow a call once in a while, but it was a little more than that.
Later on in the day, he had his first middle. It was one of our younger age groups of the day. My concerns were realized in that I observed poor foul recognition. I was off for this game so I had the benefit of watching from the comfort of my lawn chair. It only got worse later in the day in his second middle assignment. I watched the first half. I noticed a disproportionate reaction to player dissent. It was an older boys game. There was the normal amount of player rumbling. This guy seemed to have only a loose grip on his temper while interacting with players. Later on, things went bad. Several players were sent off. I observed some of this from a distance (getting something to drink) so I can only comment on what was told to me later. Apparently this official overreacted to a player questioning a call of some sort and seemed to lose control of the match after that. The assignor was called over and he did his best to smooth things over with the players and coaches. From my vantage point, the officials body language told me he might have some anger management issues. He was waving that red card around like he was quite angry.
Now here is my dilemma. This guy made me really nervous. It's one thing to be dicey with foul recognition and maybe not know the laws inside and out, but I sensed some sort of deeper problem when observing his reaction to players. Frankly, he scared me a little. I think I'm going to contact the assignor with my concerns. I'm not sure I'd want him working my kid's games.
Deliberate Pass to the Keeper
During my 2nd middle of the first day, we had a great moment of team observation. I was moving directly behind a group of players. The defending team was following a through ball heading back toward their keeper. A couple of opposing players were in pursuit. As the ball approached the edge of the penalty area, I observed the leading defender tap the ball into the waiting goalkeeper's hands. It was very subtle. As the whistle went up to my mouth my AR's flag went up. Nice. We both saw it, even though it was very quick. In fact, the goalkeepers coach made lots of noise about the call. Sorry coach, we got this one right. It was an example of perfect position as well as solid team work. You have to like that. Check out US Soccers position paper on this very issue.
It's really easy to get lazy when you are an assistant referee, isn't it? Some games just coast along without much for you to do. It's easy to allow your attention to drift elsewhere. Sometimes you don't run quite as fast as you normally might in a particular situation. I had 2 reminders this weekend of how important it is to run a ball all the way to the goal line. Both times, the attacking team took long shots that were on goal. In one situation, the keeper deflected the ball down to his feet, only to have it roll toward the goal line. He fell on it, but too late. I saw it cross the goal line and immediately brought the flag up. The second time, the keeper had the shot come right at her, but it was moving so quickly she caught it in her hands and turned toward the goal. In this case, I was right on the goal line. When she turned, the entire ball was over the goal line. Goal! I'm glad I wasn't sleeping on these.
Weather
On the first day of the tournament, we had some thunderstorms roll through. Did you know US Soccer has a position paper out on weather??? Neither did I. I found it accidentally. Check it out. It's worth reading since we will often be in a situation where we have to watch out for the safety of the players as well as our crew. US Youth Soccer has published lightning safety tips on their site.
All things considered, it was a pretty good tournament this year. Last year, we had a couple of send-offs and a few coach dismissals. It was blazing hot as well. This year I put up one caution to a coach (Yes, we caution coaches here. Don't ask.) that couldn't take my warnings for what they were. Other than the incident I described, the other games went very smoothly. It was a pretty good weekend. I even received my first tournament coin. Actually, I have quite a few that have been given to me, but this is the first one I received as a result of working the tournament.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Learning with the 11's
I only managed one game this weekend. Sometimes, life just gets in the way of my referee schedule.
I ended up in the middle for a U-11 boys game. The teams are not particularly skilled, so you have to watch out for things that less skilled players tend to do. Pushing, holding and the like spring to mind. These teams are fairly evenly match so it was a back-and-forth kind of game. I'm not saying it was a challenge to keep up with play, but I did really have to pay attention. I refer to this type of play as "the scrum" where you get 4 or 5 players in a small group wildly kicking at the ball. There is an inevitable kick in the shins in there.
In my mind, there were three interesting situations in this game. The first involves assistant referee position and the team aspect of refereeing. The second involves knowing the law and making the best call you can within it. The third underscores the importance of your viewpoint on the field.
At one point, the red team plays the ball into green's penalty area. The green team is failing to clear the ball so it's bouncing around a bit. One shot goes off a defenders foot and shoots up in the air, coming almost straight down near the goal line. The goalie bobbled it a couple of times from hand to hand with his back to me. To me, the ball looked like it had to be over the goal line. I looked to my assistant. I was glad to see he was right on the goal line watching play carefully. Up went the flag for a goal! It doesn't sound like much, but the key take away here is he was in the proper position to make the call. Nice stuff! I could not be sure where the ball was, so I looked to my team mate and was rewarded!
Another interesting situation occurred, resulting in my awarding a penalty kick. Again, there was a "scrum" situation on the left side of green's penalty area. Red falls down and makes a few pokes at the ball with his foot. As he's getting up, green puts a forearm on his back, pushing him down to the ground. I was 20 feet away and immediately blew the whistle and pointed at the spot. The green coach was not happy and wanted the call for "dangerous play" since red played the ball on the ground. Now, we all know that playing the ball on the ground is not necessarily an infraction. In fact, the "Advice to the Referee on the Laws of the Game" says, in section 12.13,
The third item of the day involved me having the right viewpoint and position on the field to make the correct call. I think having the "best" position is a skill, with a little luck thrown in too. In this situation, red played the ball into green's penalty area, from the right side, to a forward standing about on the penalty spot. He struck the ball. It hit a defender directly in front of him in the knees and bounced back at him. As it came off the ground, one of his outstretched hands pushed it back toward the ground, not unlike one might dribble a basketball. As it came back down, he shot it into the net. I blew the whistle before he had struck the ball and pointed up field. After the game, my assistant told me he was screened from view and it was a good thing I had a good view on the play.
It was a good weekend. I learned a lot and had a great time working with two quality assistants. All that happened in only 1 game. What could be better?
I ended up in the middle for a U-11 boys game. The teams are not particularly skilled, so you have to watch out for things that less skilled players tend to do. Pushing, holding and the like spring to mind. These teams are fairly evenly match so it was a back-and-forth kind of game. I'm not saying it was a challenge to keep up with play, but I did really have to pay attention. I refer to this type of play as "the scrum" where you get 4 or 5 players in a small group wildly kicking at the ball. There is an inevitable kick in the shins in there.
In my mind, there were three interesting situations in this game. The first involves assistant referee position and the team aspect of refereeing. The second involves knowing the law and making the best call you can within it. The third underscores the importance of your viewpoint on the field.
At one point, the red team plays the ball into green's penalty area. The green team is failing to clear the ball so it's bouncing around a bit. One shot goes off a defenders foot and shoots up in the air, coming almost straight down near the goal line. The goalie bobbled it a couple of times from hand to hand with his back to me. To me, the ball looked like it had to be over the goal line. I looked to my assistant. I was glad to see he was right on the goal line watching play carefully. Up went the flag for a goal! It doesn't sound like much, but the key take away here is he was in the proper position to make the call. Nice stuff! I could not be sure where the ball was, so I looked to my team mate and was rewarded!
Another interesting situation occurred, resulting in my awarding a penalty kick. Again, there was a "scrum" situation on the left side of green's penalty area. Red falls down and makes a few pokes at the ball with his foot. As he's getting up, green puts a forearm on his back, pushing him down to the ground. I was 20 feet away and immediately blew the whistle and pointed at the spot. The green coach was not happy and wanted the call for "dangerous play" since red played the ball on the ground. Now, we all know that playing the ball on the ground is not necessarily an infraction. In fact, the "Advice to the Referee on the Laws of the Game" says, in section 12.13,
Merely committing a dangerous act is not, by itself, an offense (e.g., kicking high enough that the cleats show or attempting to play the ball while on the ground.)...The act becomes an offense only when an opponent is adversely and unfairly affected, usually by the opponent ceasing to challenge for the ball...It's important to realize that many things coaches and players say are because of the various myths about the laws that exist.
The third item of the day involved me having the right viewpoint and position on the field to make the correct call. I think having the "best" position is a skill, with a little luck thrown in too. In this situation, red played the ball into green's penalty area, from the right side, to a forward standing about on the penalty spot. He struck the ball. It hit a defender directly in front of him in the knees and bounced back at him. As it came off the ground, one of his outstretched hands pushed it back toward the ground, not unlike one might dribble a basketball. As it came back down, he shot it into the net. I blew the whistle before he had struck the ball and pointed up field. After the game, my assistant told me he was screened from view and it was a good thing I had a good view on the play.
It was a good weekend. I learned a lot and had a great time working with two quality assistants. All that happened in only 1 game. What could be better?
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