Second guessing ourselves

A fellow referee posed the following situation and how he handled it. Read it and comment what you think...

U14B. Big crowd in front of net. Attacker about 6 yds off to the left of the goal area line, about 2 yards in from the goal line, shoots across thethe front of the goal.

The ball hits the hand of a defender about 4-5 yards away, who I forget is either facing the attacker or his back to the attacker, I cannot remember, but the ball hits his hand but continues with just about the same velocity and direction across the front of the goal, and then is shortly cleared out of play for a goal kick.

At the time the ball hit the defender's hand, his arm was parallel with his body, his hand was below his waist, about 1-2 inches from his hip.

I made no call, in my opinion the player did not make himself bigger, did not deny a goal scoring opportunity since the ball proceeded in it's projected path with minimal speed reduction. However, post-game, as you replay things in your mind, I was wondering if I should have
called for a PK.

Answer to situation from Week 7 in Review

Under the AYSO national rules, there are only THREE specific substitution periods in AYSO matches. That said, when the sub period comes and the sub is unavailable in the bathroom, the RED team has two choices:

(1) allow another player to play, and the sub in the bathroom will have to miss that period because there will not be another substitution period before the end of the match. This option ignores the AYSO requirement for playing half the game, and a player being in the bathroom is not sufficient reason to deprive the player of playing time, unless the player were ill.

(2) bring off the two players who are subbing out, and send on the one replacement who is present. The RED team should play with 10 players until the other sub returns. Under the Laws, the sub can enter the field when he is beckoned on by the referee. Indeed, the sub can step on with the ball in play as long as he steps on from the touchline.

Before some of you say it is unfair for the RED team to have to play with only 10, remember the rules are established for both teams, and it is NOT the opposing team's fault the RED sub is not ready at the moment of substitution. There are many situations during which a team must play short. No team as an ABSOLUTE right to 11 players.


Going back to the scenario...

1. the AR should NOT have given permission to the sub to enter the field. When he did, it created a situation of 12 players on the field.



2. the Referee was correct to stop play when he saw the extra player run on, but had there been an advantage (scoring opportunity) for the opposing team, the Referee should allow play to continue until RED gained control of the ball or the ball went out of play.



3. When these situations happen, coming out with a card quickly is not recommended. First, the AR gave the sub permission to enter the field and the sub should not be punished for that error. The Referee should confer with the AR to find out what happened, then make an informed decision.



4. Had the sub just run onto the field, a caution would be justified for "unsporting behavior" as subs can only be cautioned for unsporting behavior, dissent, or delaying the restart of play.



5. In this case, since a caution is not appropriate and was rescinded by the referee, the restart should be a dropped ball from the place where the ball was when play was stopped.



6. Had a caution been administered, the restart should be an IFK for the opposing team from the place where the ball was when play was stopped.
   

Week 7 in Review

Let's see how many of you can submit a self assessment this week. They are quite beneficial to the writer (YOU) as well as to fellow referees.

Here's a situation to think about and comment on... (would you have handled it any different?)

A U14 match, where substitution is set at halfway through each half and at half time. The first two sub periods are done. Halfway through the second half, play stops and the referee calls for substitution.

The RED team has two subs out, who will come into the game to complete the minimum playing time requirement. But one RED sub is in the bathroom at that point of the substituion.

So the coach wants to let one of the players subbing out to stay in the game until the sub returns from the bathroom. The referee agrees, and play is restarted.

Five minutes later, the sub from the bathroom approaches the AR and asks permission to go into the game. The AR gives him permission.

The ball is in play, and the RED sub runs on the field. The referee sees an extra player entering the field and stops play. The referee pulls out his yellow card and raises it over his head.

The sub is allowed to remain on the field, and the player who was supposed to be subbed out leaves the field.

Write a comment explaining anything different that you would have done in this situation. I will write a follow up post with the proper procedure and explanation.

Congrats to New Intermediate Referees

Congratulations to Andrew Weber and Robert Silva!

Both completed the final requirements for upgrade to Intermediate Referee.

Robert is only 14 years old, but one of several youth referees who have been mentored well and kept in the program.

Andrew is Region 112's referee scheduler and recently completed requirements as a referee instructor.

Results of Penalty Kick scenario

Scenario: You extended the half for taking of a penalty kick. Kicker kicks ball, which rebounds off crossbar, hits back of GK and goes into the goal. What actions do you take?

All six of the referees who responded chose the correct answer --- allow the goal.

In this situation, the PK is over when the referee decides it is. In part, that would mean the ball has been kicked and moves and it's either gone out of play, the flight of the ball is such that it cannot be scored without being touched again by the kicker, or the kicker violates Law 14 by kicking the ball backward, rather than forward.

Even though the ball had been kicked and moved, and it had hit the crossbar and was moving away from the goal, the fact that the ball can still be played by the goalkeeper would mean that its deflection from the goalkeeper into the goal should constitute a goal.

A couple ways the PK would be considered NOT completed, even after the ball had been kicked, would be:

• ball deflates on its way to the goal
• an outside agent touches the ball on the way to the goal
• And of course, if there is a violation of Law 14 by both teams, or by the defending team when the ball does not enter the goal, then the PK must be retaken.

Assessor vs. Mentor

Refereeing organizations like USSF and AYSO make a clear distinction between a Mentor and an Assessor. Mentoring is widely used in many organizations and it’s widely held that mentoring is an informal position, contrasted to an assessor which is usually appointed position that comes after training and certification.

ASSESSOR. In developing referees, the Assessor has an important role as a formal coach to referees.

Assessors generally follow a three-step process:

1. Build on strengths
2. Identify areas for improvement
3. Facilitate on-going development and success

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) both have established assessor programs. Assessors are appointed to their position after years of experience, training as an assessor, and practical experience as an assessor. This process ensures consistent assessment, training, and development within the organization. Assessors, and their similarly trained and certified counterparts, Instructors, receive notices of the latest in best practices, policy changes, and law interpretations, which they pass on to the membership. Certified Assessors and Instructors have the job of debunking the many myths of the game that seem to creep into refereeing practices by lesser experienced referees. Questions on laws, mechanics and interpretations should always be referred to a certified Assessor or Instructor.

MENTORS. While certified assessors and instructors hold formal, appointed positions within the organization, mentors are individual referees. In the AYSO, all Intermediate and higher referees are de facto mentors.
Unlike the assessor, who is charged with assessing a referee’s performance, the mentor seeks to support the referee. Indeed, mentors, especially those who are not certified assessors or instructors, should avoid assessing a referee’s performance, but concentrate on affirming the performance, e.g., “Good job” or “Well done.”

Mentors can give referees balance to challenges the newer referee may experience but not understand, i.e., “Hey, I know what it’s like to get yelled at. Here’s some ways I cope with it,” or “Yeah, I’ve had days I’ve asked myself, ‘Why do I do this,' but…”

Mentors can provide career guidance to new referees on how to find a class, what to expect at a higher-level match, how to get an assessment scheduled.

Unlike assessors, mentors are “self appointed;” that is, they either make themselves available to a protégé, or the protégé seeks out the mentor for guidance. Mentoring is not a position like an assessor, rather it’s a value. Indeed, that real value comes in the form of retention!

Soccer loses far too many new referees every year due to the referee’s inability to put his new experience in perspective. As the English FA has recently acknowledged, the lack of new referee retention is truly hurting the game.

Assessors rarely know the subject of the assessment personally, whereas, mentoring is usually a personal, individual relationship. The assessor’s three-step approach contrasts to the mentor who merely shares her experience to help the protégé to get through their life as a referee.

CONCLUSION. Mentoring and assessing are two, separate processes, and the mentor and the assessor are two, separate positions. Both roles are important but clearly distinct.

Important Link from English FA

The English FA has started a compaign to promote respect toward referees, recognizing that improper behavior toward referees has led to a lack of available referees to officiate games. No referees; no games.

Take a look at the link: http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/Respect/

After you check out the link, post a comment on what you think about it.

Week 5 - Week in Review

Please submit your self assessments by clicking on the comment link below this post. Your self assessment can be of something you thought went well, or something, that in after thought, you would differently in the future.

Here are a few observations for this week:

We are about halfway throught the season and there have been very few aggravated incidents by coaches or spectators toward referees. That's a credit to coaches and referees alike. We work as a team on the field!

The use of technical areas and spectator lines have gone along way to set expectations early. A number of person have commented that using them in managing the games has made a big difference.

A number of referees at the pizza meeting tonight commented on how doing a good pre-game talk with their referee team really helped in their game.

Lucas Del Toro, one of your youth referees, made a great call today, recognizing an offside situation when the player in the offside position game back, behind the defenders to play the ball. Well done, Lucas.

Thanks to Mike Raycraft for mentoring some new referees this weekend. All referees, Intermediate and above, are defacto mentors. Mentors' function are to provide support to new referees. When mentoring, please refer any questions on the Law or proper mechanics to this blog or to a certified referee instructor or assessor.

One questions that was posed, I have made into the poll for the week. Vote on the poll, then find the answer in Advice to Referees.

Results of Poll - GK hanging from crossbar

Blue attacking Red. Shot at the goal, the 6-foot tall Red GK jumps to the cross bar and hangs from it. Ball hits his chest and he saves it. What action(s) would you take?

Let play continue 5 of 11 polled
Allowing play to continue ignores that soccer was not designed to be played by hanging from the crossbar. Actions such as this bring the game into disrepute. Similar type behavior might be a goalkeeper lying down in the goal area during a match, or lighting a cigarette on the field.

Stop play and caution the player 3 of 11 polled
CORRECT ANSWER. Bringing the game into disrepute falls under unsporting behavior, a cautionable offense. Thus, play should be stopped to issue the caution. The restart for such an action is an IFK. As the ball was in the goal area at the point of stoppage, it must be brought out to the 6y line (line parallel to and 6yds from the goal line). The restart will be for the attacking team (Blue).

Stop play, send off GK 0 of 11 polled
To choose this, you would have to be able to say this was a denying-goal-scoring opportunity (DGSO). When you consider the GK was horsing around or showing off, and would have saved the shot whether hanging from crossbar or not, this would not meet DGSO. Had this been a defender other than the GK and the ball touched the player's arm as he hung from the crossbar, you would have had a DGSO.

Stop play, caution GK, penalty kick 3 of 11 polled
This answer would violate the Laws. The reason for stopping play is misconduct, to issue a caution or send off, and the restart to that is IFK, NOT a penalty kick. In this case, even if the ball had touched the player's hands or arms, the result would be the same as the player was the GK in his own penalty area.

Thanks for taking the poll. Make any comments to this poll by clicking the link below.

Coaches Must Display Coaching Cards

This is a requirement for AYSO Region 112. Coaches and assistant coaches MUST have their risk management ID displayed in one of three ways:

1) on a lanyard around the neck (over the outer most article of clothing);
2) pinned to the outter most article of clothing (shirt or jacket); or
3) pinned to a hat or cap.

Coaches who don't abide by this requirement, established since 2004, should be warned and directed to correct it. If not corrected, report the omission on the match report.

To be clear, all coaches and asst. coaches (max of one each per game, per team) must have their ID card with them while coaching a game. If they do not, they may NOT coach the players.

If you are a referee outside AYSO Region 112, check with your league's requirements. They may differ.

How to Subscribe to Blog

Look at the bottom of the right side of the blog and you will find two links: One inserts an RSS link in your personal web page so you see the most recent POSTS to the Blog. The other installs a link to list the most recent COMMENTS in the Blog. Try it!

Results of Poll on GK pick up ball after AR flag

Lots of interest in this poll! I hope this analysis generates some discussion. Please comment. Here’s the scenario again:

“Red attacking out of their half and send ball high and long over heads of Blue defenders and one Red attacker standing in offside position. AR raises his flag, but you wave it down. Ball is just outside of PA and GK comes out and picks up ball.”

This situation tests the letter of the law against the spirit of the law and examines our ability as referees to put the game in perspective and keep the game fair for all.

Choice 1: Let play continue. 1 of 18 polled
While I’ll say there is NO absolutely right answer, to this situation (as you will see); there is a wrong answer, and this would be it. SOMETHING has happened and play cannot continue: the other choices allude to possibilities, either a foul for deliberately handling the ball, outside interference, or offside. The question becomes, what to call it and how to handle it.

Choice 2: Direct free kick. 16 of 18 polled
This choice would be the obvious one, certainly in keeping with the letter of the law. The referee has not stopped play, waving down the AR’s offside flag. This would be the correct answer IF you felt the goalkeeper tried to gain some advantage by playing the ball with his hands outside the penalty area. But if there was no opponent around, was that what was really happening? What if the goalkeeper saw the AR’s flag go up, other players stop playing, and assumed/expected the whistle would follow as he picked up the ball to send it back down field for the presumed IFK restart?

Choice 3: Dropped ball 0 of 18 polled
This choice might fit if you decided there was some kind of outside interference. Sure, you recognized the attacker pulled up when the AR’s flag went up. It appears the goalkeeper may have been confused seeing the flag up and just assumed the whistle was blown, so he came out of the penalty area to pick up the ball to send it back for the offside restart. Hmm, could a flag from the AR be considered outside interference? Is it interference at all, especially if it is raised in error? Was the AR’s flag an error? How different is an AR's flag raised prematurely or in error, different from a Referee's whistle blown in error?

Choice 4: Indirect Free Kick 1 of 18 polled
Considering Law 11, this choice is still viable. The “moment of judgment” was when the ball was kicked by the team of the player in the offside position. That moment of judgment continued until the point the goalkeeper controlled the ball. Yes, at one point you did decide their was not “active play” and you waved down the AR’s flag. Given what’s transpired, you might wish you could undo that “wave down” because that would let you go back to the AR’s flag and call this offside. Well, given all that, it seems the offside player’s position DID indeed interfere with play, yes? Even though you waved down the flag, you were still within the same moment of judgment. If you determined the player’s offside position did indeed interfere, you can still call the offside infringement. This choice combines the application of Law 11 and oft referred to "Law 18, Common Sense."

I will go out on a limb and say that I would choose #4.

I hope this gets you to think a little. Having read this analysis, would you change your mind now? Post your comments; continue the discussion.

Week 4 in Review

Here are some things I saw this week:

ASSESSMENTS AND UPGRADES. Congratulations to Neil Fancher and John Sedor, both who successfully completed their Advance Referee assessments today. They now join the top 2 percent of AYSO referees in the nation!!!

Katrina Beltran made an excellent run to the goal line, and was in perfect position to view the ball saved ON the goal line. I saw at least a half dozen situations today where the ball in or out of the goal was very close. ARs need to use speed and heads-up thinking to recognize the need to get to that goal line with the ball. No goal until we see the ball completely over the goal line.

In what hand to hold the flag. Unless signaling, ARs should always hold the flag in the hand nearest the Referee. This means we have to keep switching the flag between hands as we change directions.

Mechanics at the Penalty Kick. When the referee calls a foul that results in a penalty kick, the referee team should be well aware of what's happened by the referee's signal (running toward PK and pointing at spot) as well as by the tone of his whistle (loud and long). The lead AR should walk smartly to the intersection of the goal line and the penalty area (see diagram above) and hold the flag to the inside of the field. At this point, the AR can assist the Referee with getting the PK underway by encouraging the goalkeeper to step on the goal line. If this is discussed in the pre-game, the AR can give a thumbs-up to the Referee, saving the R from having to approach the goalkeeper.

If the goalkeeper comes off the goal line after the R's whistle for the PK and BEFORE the ball is kicked AND the ball does not go into the goal, then the AR should signal the R by holding the flag horizontally across the AR's waist (see picture above). The R will decide whether to retake the PK or not.

Self Assessments. Okay Referees, it's time to send your short self assessments. I only got a couple last week. You can write them directly to this post, or you can send me an email, and I'll add your self assessment to the blog.

Results of Passback Poll

We had 7 referees respond to the poll on how to handle a situation of a defender miskicking a ball, then the defender's goalkeeper handles the ball in his own penalty area. Three of seven said to stop play and award an IFK to the other team; and four said to let play continue.

The correct action should be to stop play and award an IFK.

Read the reason in 12.20 in Advice to Referees. It's linked on the right of the page. Primary considerations are the player "kicked the ball" rather than the ball just glancing off him from another player's action; the GK picked up the ball in the PA.

Thanks to all who took the poll.

New feature

I've added a list of links to USSF memo and clips on the right hand sidebar of the Blog. USSF has created a channel on Youtube where it posts its instructional clips. The channel is named ussoccerdotcom. The first two links are the clip and memo related to the "passback" violation discussed earlier.

Wish I said that in the Pre-game

You are in the middle of a match when something happens, maybe out of the ordinary, and then you think, "Darn, I wish I had talked to the ARs about this."

So think back about one of those situations. What was it you should have covered, but didn't?

Reply to this post in a comment and I'll compile your answers into a comprehensive list.

Deliberate Kick to GK from teammate

CLARIFYING THE LAWS OF THE GAME FOR COACHES AND REFEREES
LAW 12 --- Laws of the Game

An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area, commits any of the following four offenses:
• touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a team-mate

I wanted to clarify the application of this part of Law 12 for everyone.........

The word here that is commonly misunderstood and mis-applied is deliberate.

Deliberate refers to the fact that the player kicking the ball ACTED (deliberately) kicked the ball, as opposed to the ball merely glancing off the player's leg caused by some other player's action.

Deliberate does NOT refer to whether the player who kicked the ball meant to or intended to kick the ball TO THE GOALKEEPER.

Consider these two scenarios:

1. RED attacking BLUE. RED kicks the ball toward BLUE's goal, but the ball glances off BLUE defender's foot, and goes to BLUE's goalkeeper. The goalkeeper picks up the ball within his own penalty area.

2. RED attacking BLUE. RED kicks the ball toward BLUE's goal. BLUE defender intercepts the ball but is confronted quickly by RED. BLUE turns with the ball, facing his own goal, and kicks the ball toward three teammates, two fullbacks and his own goalkeeper. The fullbacks let the ball pass them and it rolls to the goalkeeper, who picks it up in his own penalty area.

In scenario #1, there is NO offense by the goalkeeper as the defender did NOT deliberately kick the ball. The ball merely glanced off his foot, directed from another player's action.

In scenario #2, the referee should stop play with the whistle and award an IFK to the RED team at the point the goalkeeper picked up the ball with his hands in his own penalty area.

Explanation. There is no way the referee could read the intent of the kicker, whether he meant to kick the ball to the goalkeeper or another teammate, and the referee does not need to read such intent. The violation is on the part of the goalkeeper. Since the goalkeeper's teammate purposely, intentionally, deliberately KICKED the ball (struck it with his foot), then the prohibition is on the goalkeeper to refrain from handling the ball directly from this kick. The goalkeeper has the ability to play the ball in any manner at this point, other than using his hands.

Similarly, if the ball came from his teammate in any other way other than kicked (struck with the foot), the goalkeeper could handle the ball in his own penalty area without infringing the law, e.g. from the knee, head, thigh, chest, etc.

Here's an explanation from Advice to Referees
12.20 BALL KICKED TO THE GOALKEEPER

A goalkeeper infringes Law 12 if he or she touches the ball with the hands directly after it has been deliberately kicked to him or her by a teammate. The requirement that the ball be kicked means only that it has been played with the foot. The requirement that the ball be "kicked to" the goalkeeper means only that the play is to or toward a place where the ‘keeper can legally handle the ball. The requirement that the ball be "deliberately kicked" means that the play on the ball is deliberate and does not include situations in which the ball has been, in the opinion of the referee, accidentally deflected or misdirected.

One caveat, the player who sends the ball to the goalkeeper canNOT circumvent the Law by juggling the ball from his foot to some other part of his body and touch it to the goalkeeper. In doing so, the player passing the ball has committed misconduct for unsporting behavior, and play should be stopped to caution the player, regardless of whether the goalkeeper handles the ball. Again, the caution would go to the player passing the ball, not to the goalkeeper. The restart would be an IFK from the place where the passing player circumvented the law.

Here's the reference from Advice to Referees --- 12.28.1 12th bullet

• Engages in trickery to circumvent the goalkeeper's limitation on handling the ball played from a teammate's foot (the defender who initiates the "trickery" is cautioned, the decision does not require that the goalkeeper actually handles the ball, and the misconduct can occur during dynamic play or at a restart).

I hope this explanation clarifies things for coaches, referees, and players

Drawing the technical area

One major theme for this season is managing the technical area and the spectator line. Establishing expectations BEFORE the game starts goes a long way to limiting interference from outside the touchlines. Here's a diagram you can follow when marking the technical area. 1 yard equals one big step.

Self Assessments from Week 3

Here are some self-assessments and situations returned to me from your fellow referees. Some very good analyses and lessons learned. These summaries show how good all of you really are, especially when you work as a team. My comments follow in blue type.

Parents who coach. I was an AR on the RED sideline which had some vociferous parents. The CR asked the coach to talk to one particular parent who was consistently 'coaching' the players from the sidelines. When the coach asked the parent to quiet down, the parent in a low voice used some profanity and whined that 'it's absurd for the refs to expect the parents to not say anything from the sideline'. I was tempted to turn around and say something to this parent but resisted since I have been trained to work through the coach. Of course, this parent continued his 'coaching' from the sidelines.

Well handled by the referee team here. Let's put a couple things in perspective: First, you will never completely eliminate parents, or wannabe coaches, from coaching unaccountably from the comfort of their beach chairs. Second, referees need to pick our fights. The AR was right not to "add to" this situation after the Referee addressed it. Here's a guide to gauge "coaching by parents." Is it affecting the game? Are players frustrated by it? Is it interfering with the game? Is the parent apparently usurping the coach's position? Is the parent in the technical area or running up and down touchline in front of the spectator line? Are parent's remarks negative or demeaning? Is parent trying to coach whole team rather than just his own kid? If answer to these questions is NO, then probably better to let the "coaching" go. But if answer to any questions is YES, probably good idea to address the situation, first through the coach. Of course, the farther away those "parents coaching" are from the touchline, the less a problem they are, so all the more reason to enforce that 3 yard spectator line. Well done!

Managing substitution period. I had to ask the coach to not allow his players to come off the field during the water breaks but he did not seem able to enforce this with his players. It was a U12 game so I did not get too excited about it. Also, when I asked this coach about his subs in the last 'quarter' of the game, he sat out 3 of the girls who had already sat out in the first half of the game while he had players on the field who had not sat out at all. I reminded him that each girl is supposed to play 3/4 of the game, he said he would be better prepared for his next game.

The referee is correct here: it's nearly impossible to get the coaches to enforce this. It really should not happen at all though. In a perfect world, the players coming off should step off the field and their sub replacements should step on. Again, this is an example of picking your battles. Best thing to do is quickly count the players on the field immediately after the substitution is complete AND before play restarts. Requiring the subs to sit in the technical area can make your count quicker and more accurate when you already know the team as 3 subs and you see all three sitting down.

On the matter of the coach not playing his players all three quarters. You handled it properly, but make sure you make a note on back of the game card indicating he was informed but chose NOT to play them anyway. The coach needs to be talked to by the Coach Administrator. Those kids paid for a whole season, and they are guaranteed to play at least 3/4's' of it.

Ball in and out of play. WHITE had the ball and were dribbling up the touchline. RED player was trying to attack to take the ball away; WHITE maintained control very close to the touchline. The ball actually rolled on the touchline but never went outside the plane of the field; the RED coach and parents thought it had gone out of play and were yelling that it had, I just shook my head that it did not go out of play, the CR called out "play on" and the girls never stopped playing. Of course, the vociferous parents made their comments but I did not respond; it was the right call.

Another well handled situation by the referee team!!! You are the only neutral team out there. Expect teams and supporters to act in their own interest, just don't let them influence your decision. Common error by new referees is to anticipate the ball going out of player before it actually does. You and your ref team did a great job!!! Only use "play on" to acknowledge that you've seen a foul but you are giving advantage. In this situation, say, "keep playing girls" or "still in."

Player management. A rather large kid in a U10 Boys match seemed to be getting a bit too aggressive (kinda pushing) and to make sure no accidents would occur later in the game, I took the player aside and told him to watch the pushing. A bit later in the game, I saw the same player blatantly push another player with one of this hands, I instantly blew my whistle and awarded a direct kick for the other team. I warned the player once again and thankfully, there were no more fouls committed by that player for the rest of the match. I should have corrected the player by awarding the other team a kick when he first started pushing, then he would've most likely not fouled for the rest of the match. Main lesson of the summary: Correct a problem before it gets worst.

Wow, can you believe this summary came from one of our youth referees? Beautiful!!! Eamon, you underestimate yourself. I think you handled this exactly right. I'm so impressed with your level of refereeing. "Player management" is a part of refereeing that only comes with experience and a higher level of understanding. Your first word to the player, just a friendly, private word, let him know about your concern. Such early intervention is important. When he fouled again, you called the foul and spoke to him with a public word (taking him aside as everyone saw you speak to him). Clearly, that had an effect, too. And notice, all done withOUT a card. As referees, we can never prevent all fouls, but we do want to prevent misconduct, and we can, through early intervention like what Eamon used. A great example of how "Refereeing is Thinking."

You are all doing a great job. These summaries show that. Thanks for the self assessments. I look forward to sharing more with you. Keep them coming.

Week 3 - September 27, 2008

Saw more great refereeing this week. Many of our new referees have used the last three weeks to hone their training and put it to good use. Many of our more senior referees have mentored these new referees to help them along . . . thank you.

You all have homework this week. Keep reading to the end…

THE TECHNICAL AREA AND SIDELINE BEHAVIOR
Consistent use of the technical area and spectator lines has been a positive influence on the games so far this season. Continue to establish “boundaries,” literally and figuratively, BEFORE each game starts by asking coaches to have spectators behind the MARKED spectator lines (3 yards off the touchlines). When such lines are marked before the game, spectators tend to set up behind the lines without any prompting. Also remind coaches to remain inside their MARKED technical area. Kimberly King and I recently sent out diagrams of the technical area and spectator lines.

Substitutes should also be sitting down in the technical area so if a player is injured and needs to be subbed out, the subs are right there to get it done. Remember too, when subs are sitting among the spectators it’s hard to know if they belong to your game or if they are athletes for another team, just in the same uniform. If you know a team has a squad of 14 players, you can get a quick assessment of how many are on the field by seeing the three substitutes in the technical area, 14 – 3 = 11. If you don’t see the three, then you should quickly count to make sure you don’t have more than 11 on the field.

CAUTIONING PLAYERS – Here are a few tips on how to know if you should caution a player.
Does the player need it? Does the game need it? A referee should ask herself these two questions anytime she contemplates the need to caution a player. If a friendly or public word, even a stern-talking-to will work just as well, then that’s what we should do, especially with youth matches.

What to caution for… There are 7, and only 7, caution-able offenses, and only two of them deal with fouling: Unsporting Behavior and Persistent Infringement. Let’s talk about those.

To caution for fouling that is unsporting, the foul should be considered by the Referee as reckless, which means it was more than just careless, and done to gain a tactical advantage or to intimidate the opponent.

Persistent infringement can be cautioned when the referee notices a pattern of fouling, whether by a single player against several opponents, or by several players against one opponent. Usually PI is cautioned when the pattern is seen in a short amount of time. The pattern of fouls do not have to be reckless and some might even be trifling or not called due to advantage. Few players below the age of 14 commit such fouls and cautions for UB and PI should be infrequent in U14 and below. Remember, Does the player need it; Does the game need it? If not, keep the card in your pocket and use your player-management skills.

HOMEWORK. I have an assignment for everyone:
I’d like you to summarize a situation you experienced as a referee or assistant referee this week and post it here. Your summary should be a short self assessment. Take a situation that you either handled well or one you maybe did not handle as well as you like, but you learned something from it.

Here’s an example of one.

In the second half, RED was attacking in the opponent’s half. Play moved toward my touchline, within about 5 yards. GRN player was beaten by one step by the RED player with the ball, so GRN reached his arm out to push RED, just enough to throw off his balance. I quickly glanced up to see the referee was blocked in his view, then I quickly saw GRN extend his arm across RED’s body and push a second time. I realized that as GRN had now fouled RED twice and the Referee was apparently blocked from view, I signaled the DFK for RED. I felt my decision was necessary to avert possible retaliation by the RED player should the fouling continue unaddressed. The Referee acknowledged my signal and we restarted play with the free kick.

Here's another:

U10 match, Blue was attacking in Gray's penalty area. A high ball was heading to Gray's goal as a Gray defender reached up with his arm above his head. The ball glances off his fist but continues to the goal. Everyone starts yelling "handball, handball," but I realized the ball could still be scored so I did not blow my whistle, but instead yell, "advantage, play on!" Within less than a second, the ball landed at the base of the goal post, hit the posted and the goalkeeper fell on it. I blew my whistle and pointed to the penalty mark, indicating a penalty kick. The advantage that I originally called was not realized so I called the foul and awarded the PK.

Self assessments of our games makes us better referees by reflecting on our strengths and weaknesses and learning from them. I look forward to reading some of your self assessments. By the way, professional referees are required to write self assessments after their matches. Good enough for them, is good enough for us.

PAUL VERNON
Dir. of Referee Instruction and Assessment
Region 112

Welcome Referees

I started this blog for all the referees volunteering for AYSO Region 112 in the La Verne / San Dimas area of the east San Gabriel Valley. Each week, or more often, I will post observations, themes, clarifications, and more related to refereeing soccer. This blog will follow the similar format used by USSF on its pro site, but as a blog, we can use it as two way communication.

Since the beginning of the Fall 2008 season I have been sending similar information by email to the region's referees. I hope this blog will be more useful, user friendly and easier to update.

I only ask that you keep the posts to the topic of soccer refereeing. Also, please keep comments professional, polite, and constructive. I reserve the right to edit posts to avoid any offense to another person.

Paul Vernon
Director of Referee Instruction and Assessment
AYSO Region 112