C'mon Ref

outside!

outside!

DA
Funny ref story. Last weekend at CRL in Norco we were waiting for the game before ours to finish. It was a boys game and they were at least U16-17, maybe older. (I went to the CRL website to try and figure out the teams, but the field numbers have inexplicably changed for our past games). Anyway, some of the parents were giving the ref crew a hard time. I saw the AR tell the parents to keep quite and then I wasn't paying attention for a bit. I then notice the game has stopped and the CR is over talking to some of the parents on the sideline. One of the women starts yelling at the CR, "But I didn't say anything!" and the CR says something I couldn't hear but he motions towards the AR and asks the group of parents to leave the sideline. This women then stands up, turns to the AR and shouts "You're such a faggot!". The AR doesn't miss a beat and yells back "Gay lives matter too!" Those of us waiting laughed and the women with her group of friends retire to the parking lot to continue bitching about the refs.

The women and her friends were acting like idiots, but I admire the AR's quick response.
 
It seems like all parents see games with colored glasses on and that they seem to think every call goes against them. I probably disagree with 5-6 calls a game, but notice that its usually 3 that went in favor of our team and 3 that didn't, thus a pretty good balance. I've noticed that goal keepers don't seem to get much protection, which I've been noticing as my daughter has been playing a number of games there. That and not always having full knowledge of the offside call.
 
I video almost every game. I have found that more often than not the ref's are correct about close calls of offside, who kicked the ball out, who fouled whom, etc. From watching the video the call the ref's most consistently miss are fouls that are not called, but that is almost always a result of the camera sometimes having a better viewing angle than the ref. If the ref doesn't see it, they can't call it.
 
Most referees manage the game well - letting kids play through trifling fouls and calling what needs calling. (Some are overmatched by the game or let too much go, but it's not the norm from what I've seen.) And of course most parents want all contact to be whistled fouls like in football or basketball.

What gets my goat are ARs who don't correctly follow the ball to the goal line (missing a goal/no goal call) or drift along the touchline without staying with the second-to-last defender. It doesn't usually make or break games, but for their $20+/hour they could at least do the minimum required. But...we probably lost a game last weekend because the far AR did not get to the goal line to confirm a goal (looked good from our sideline view). Center looked to the AR for help, and the AR wasn't at the end line.
 
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jrcaesar said:
Most referees manage the game well - letting kids play through trifling fouls and calling what needs calling. (Some are overmatched by the game or let too much go, but it's not the norm from what I've seen.)
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Agreed. The fouls I am discussing are when an offensive player is receiving the ball with their back to the goal and the defender runs into them from behind hard enough to cause their first touch to be 5 to 10 yards instead of a trap. Many times the defender also kicks the back of the offensive players foot that is playing the ball and causes the bad touch. It is a hard foul to see without a camera and frame by frame, but it is not a trifling foul. Fouls like this are one of the reasons that offensive players learn to take a dive since if they stay on their feet and no foul is called, the potential for repeated fouls and kicks to the achilles tendon and injury increases. I know I have told my DD that if she is fouled in the box, hit the dirt rather than struggle to stay on her feet.

Back to the subject at hand, kudos to the AR with the quick wit.
 
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outside! said:
Fouls like this are one of the reasons that offensive players learn to take a dive since if they stay on their feet and no foul is called, the potential for repeated fouls and kicks to the achilles tendon and injury increases.
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THAT is something I'd not considered. Very good point. (Adding: I'm aware that a bad play on the ball is often caused by fouls from behind, so I do watch for that.)
 
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Any of you complainers ref before?
I think being an AR is harder than having the whistle.
Some of the most critical moments of a game are up to the AR to call.
Offside or not.
Did the ball cross the goal line?
Corner or goal kick?
Looking for fouls behind the play.
And couple that with the fact that the game might be played completely in the other end of the field for a long while and then a quick counter attack comes your way to wake you back up.
And then you are right in front of the crazy parents who think it's ok to sit 7 inches away from the touchline. While you try not to trip on their younger kids running around or get impailed by a sun umbrella.
 
I ref.

Biggest beefs I have.
1. Game management/temperature. Not calling fouls early (and talking to players) to keep the game from getting chippy or out of hand. Many refs I see do not have the confidence to do this. Some do - and those are the best refs.

2. Refs/ARs should not talk to parents. If you have trouble on the sideline you talk to the coach.

3. Refs/ARs who cannot keep up with the speed of the game and are often caught out of position. I understand that many refs are sometimes doing 3 to 4 games in a row, rotating between CR and AR - but you need to have a semblance of conditioning.

4. Poor mechanics from ARs (ie - carrying flag in wrong hand, signaling incorrectly). Looks unprofessional and lowers confidence in AR ability.

5. ARs who won't call fouls. The CR can only see so much. The reason why they run the diagnol is because the AR can often make calls in the other two quadrants. I notice that many ARs just won't make any calls. Not sure if it is confidence or if they have been erroneously instructed by CR before game not to do so.

6. This one is more of a nitpick. Refs who are out of uniform. Wearing white tennis shoes or not tucking in your shirt.
 
timbuck said:
I think being an AR is harder than having the whistle.
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No, it's easier.* Just have to pay attention and take control. And as @TangoCity writes, do #5: Make calls.

[* - Mostly. U10s can be harder on ARs than referees, parents too close and unknowledgable, field too small and balls ping pong while you're getting into correct position. U16s+ have more sprinting. ]
 
TangoCity said:
I ref.

Biggest beefs I have.

2. Refs/ARs should not talk to parents. If you have trouble on the sideline you talk to the coach.

4. Poor mechanics from ARs (ie - carrying flag in wrong hand, signaling incorrectly). Looks unprofessional and lowers confidence in AR ability.

6. This one is more of a nitpick. Refs who are out of uniform. Wearing white tennis shoes or not tucking in your shirt.
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#2: I will often talk to the parents before the game starts in a light joking manner, but once the game starts it is all business. I have too many other things to do and do not have time to talk with the parents. Anyway, talking to the parents during the game results in something bad being said by the parents most of the time. As an AR, I will never change the opinion of a parent that is wearing glasses that only see their kids team doing nothing wrong.

#4: Do you know that it is recommended not to hold the flag in the hand closest to the referee when down near the goal line? This was put out at RPD a few years ago and also by the SDA around that same time. When the AR is down in the area between the top of the penalty arc and the goal line, most of the flag signals (offside, goal kick, corner kick, goal) will be made with the right hand (hand away from the referee). So, to make mechanics easier and quicker it is just more convenient to hold the flag in the right hand.

#6: It annoys the crap out of me when a ref shows up with the wrong shoes, basketball shorts or shorts with no pockets, shorts with white or colored stripes. I also think it looks very unprofessional when a ref pulls a jersey out of their bag that has been in a ball and is all wrinkled.

You forgot one of the things that pisses most experienced refs off the most is when a referee arrives 1-10 minutes before game time. Even 15 minutes before game time is late in my book. Refs are constantly told to be at the field 30-90 minutes (depending on the game and level of play) before the game.
 
outside! said:
Fouls like this are one of the reasons that offensive players learn to take a dive since if they stay on their feet and no foul is called, the potential for repeated fouls and kicks to the achilles tendon and injury increases. I know I have told my DD that if she is fouled in the box, hit the dirt rather than struggle to stay on her feet.
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If it's a foul, even if uncalled, then the offensive player is not taking a dive. "Fouls" and "dives" are mutually exclusive. You're right, though, that pushing, kicking fouls from behind are usually not called in youth soccer. Chance of injury increases, not only from kicks, but also from falling forward with momentum.
 
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