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:"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

1. A mistake in application of the LOTG or Rules of the Competition
2. A disagreement with a judgment call or decision
3. Ignorance of the LOTG

The first one is easy to fix.  Know the LOTG inside, outside, backward and forward.  Regardless of what games you are doing, you have to know the Laws.  There is no excuse for not knowing.  Know your competition rules.  Don't do a game in a particular league or tournament if you are not willing to review their rules before the game.  It's easy and prevents all issues related to this problem.  If you want to be particularly knowledgeable, go to the US Soccer store and get a copy of "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game."
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.