# Rule Changes for League/Tournament Play



## 1dad2boys (Jun 24, 2019)

Have the local referee associations or league commissioners announced when/if the new rules will go into effect? Summer tournaments in July?  Start of league in September?


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## timbuck (Jun 24, 2019)

I asked our ref before or game this weekend which rules we were using. He said “FIFA”
I asked “goal kicks inside the area are ok?”
He said “yes”. 
Nobody attempted it in our games. So hard to say what they were enforcing.


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## Frank (Jun 24, 2019)

The tournaments decide and will inform the refs.


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## coachrefparent (Jun 24, 2019)

Frank said:


> The tournaments decide and will inform the refs.


Good luck with that.


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## timbuck (Jun 24, 2019)

How’s the build out line work with the new goal kick rules?  Glad my kids are older now.


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## Surfref (Jun 25, 2019)

It is hit and miss with summer tournaments.  I have already worked a few games with the 2019/20 LOTG. Had a goal scored when the defender intercepted a lightly kicked goal kick inside the penalty area.  The new rule the players have bitch about the most have been the uncontested  dropped ball.  The defending team bitches about having to move away from the drop ball area.  I have had no problems moving attackers out of the wall.


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## Surfref (Jun 25, 2019)

timbuck said:


> How’s the build out line work with the new goal kick rules?  Glad my kids are older now.


Same no change on the 7v7 games.


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## Surfref (Jun 25, 2019)

I really hope the referee training on the new LOTG is better this week than the training last week.  Instructor did a horrible job, put out incorrect information, could barely hear him, read right off the slides and the projector was worse that a 1980 crappy transparency projector (could hardly see the presentation).  I was not going to attend the training this week, but know this association provides quality training.  Hopefully the refs from last week attend this weeks training, so you don’t get refs that are not up to speed on the changes.


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## TangoCity (Jun 25, 2019)

What are all the new LOTG?  I've seen the goal kick one in the WC.  What are all the others??


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## timbuck (Jun 26, 2019)

Goal kick
Dropball
Handball
Where to leave the field if you are subbed off 
Coaches can be carded 

I think these are the changes. Might be a few more.


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## 1dad2boys (Jun 26, 2019)

There are several with no impact to youth soccer (VAR, etc). Here are two more that will come up. 
If you win the coin toss, you can choose the ball. 
With a wall of 3 or more, no attackers within 1 meter.


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## jrcaesar (Jun 26, 2019)

And GK must keep 1 foot on/at the goal line on PKs


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## TangoCity (Jun 26, 2019)

What is the change with handball and dropball?


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## Grace T. (Jun 26, 2019)

TangoCity said:


> What is the change with handball and dropball?


The handball rule has switch from pretty much anything is not a handball (unless the ref believes it to be deliberate)  to pretty much anything where the arms are raised above a natural silhouette is.

I wrote an article summarizing the changes for parents.

https://www.soccerparenting.com/law-of-the-game-revisions/


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## 1dad2boys (Jun 26, 2019)

TangoCity said:


> What is the change with handball and dropball?


For dropball, the number of players that can challenge for the ball has changed. Now only 1 player vs up to 22 under the old law.


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## RedDevilDad (Jun 26, 2019)

1dad2boys said:


> Have the local referee associations or league commissioners announced when/if the new rules will go into effect? Summer tournaments in July?  Start of league in September?


I was at a tournament and the director of refs dude was there watching refs... I asked him and he said they were not in effect for summer or for tournaments but went into effect at the start of league play.  I can't remember his name... Gene? I don't know.  Someone said he was important and he was very definitive in what he told me... lol.


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## SPChamp1 (Jun 27, 2019)

So far in 3 Super Y games in June, we’ve had three different experiences. 1st game, rule changes not enforced. 2nd game, rule changes WERE enforced. 3rd game, only some of the rule changes were enforced.

Very inconsistent. It seems like with Super Y it is strictly up the the ref crew.


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## JabroniBeater805 (Jun 27, 2019)

Refs that do my sons 2008 team can’t figure out if we’re able to header or not. Rules within the same tournament are changing from ref to ref. Very frustrating. Good luck implementing these changes.


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## Frank (Jun 27, 2019)

SPChamp1 said:


> So far in 3 Super Y games in June, we’ve had three different experiences. 1st game, rule changes not enforced. 2nd game, rule changes WERE enforced. 3rd game, only some of the rule changes were enforced.
> 
> Very inconsistent. It seems like with Super Y it is strictly up the the ref crew.


Considering very little training has occurred so far this makes total sense.  i would expect that most refs at all levels by League would be up to speed.  Of course the high end refs in high end tourneys I would expect are up to speed now


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## SPChamp1 (Jun 27, 2019)

JabroniBeater805 said:


> Refs that do my sons 2008 team can’t figure out if we’re able to header or not. Rules within the same tournament are changing from ref to ref. Very frustrating. Good luck implementing these changes.


Yeah 2008’s are going through that transition right now where come the Fall Season they should be allowed to head the ball as long as it single year age groups. 

My ‘06 dealt with it a couple of years ago. My ‘08 is playing Rec so he is still playing with ‘09’s that aren’t allowed to.


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## SPChamp1 (Jun 27, 2019)

Frank said:


> Considering very little training has occurred so far this makes total sense.  i would expect that most refs at all levels by League would be up to speed.  Of course the high end refs in high end tourneys I would expect are up to speed now


I agree, it would be nice if the League would come out and make the directive either way. Our Coach and team would be fine with either one at this point.


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## Surfref (Jun 27, 2019)

JabroniBeater805 said:


> Refs that do my sons 2008 team can’t figure out if we’re able to header or not. Rules within the same tournament are changing from ref to ref. Very frustrating. Good luck implementing these changes.


We had some good training on the new rules last night. I went to both June training sessions for the changes to Laws 1-9 and there was a combined ~100 referees for the two sessions.  My concern is, how are the other 600+ referees in San Diego country going to be trained if they never attend the formal training.  I imagine some will actually study the LOTG and seek advice, but a large number of refs will just “wing it.”  IMHO referee understanding of the rule changes is going to be inconsistent in the fall.


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## carla hinkle (Jun 27, 2019)

SPChamp1 said:


> Yeah 2008’s are going through that transition right now where come the Fall Season they should be allowed to head the ball as long as it single year age groups.
> 
> My ‘06 dealt with it a couple of years ago. My ‘08 is playing Rec so he is still playing with ‘09’s that aren’t allowed to.


Presidio/SDDA has announced (on their website home page) no heading for all small sided games. So I am assuming that will mean no heading in 2008 and 2009 in Presidio/SDDA league play. I believe this is a change from last year when 2007 (playing 9v9) was allowed to head but 2008 (playing 9v9) was not.


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## watfly (Jun 27, 2019)

Surfref said:


> We had some good training on the new rules last night. I went to both June training sessions for the changes to Laws 1-9 and there was a combined ~100 referees for the two sessions.  My concern is, how are the other 600+ referees in San Diego country going to be trained if they never attend the formal training.  I imagine some will actually study the LOTG and seek advice, but a large number of refs will just “wing it.”  IMHO referee understanding of the rule changes is going to be inconsistent in the fall.


Did you get a sense that for youth games the substitution at the nearest boundary line was going to be enforced?  Looked a little awkward when Rapinoe? was substituted the other day and had walk around the field from the opposite side of the bench.  Doesn't seem to be the best idea to have players walk in front of ill-behaved parents on the touchline.


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## Grace T. (Jun 27, 2019)

watfly said:


> Did you get a sense that for youth games the substitution at the nearest boundary line was going to be enforced?  Looked a little awkward when Rapinoe? was substituted the other day and had walk around the field from the opposite side of the bench.  Doesn't seem to be the best idea to have players walk in front of ill-behaved parents on the touchline.


For AYSO, the national summary presented to the regions does include leaving the boundary at the nearest line but our region has already said they aren't going to do it next year at least for Core.  Incidentally, the way they broke down the new handball rule was completely unintelligible.


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## Surfref (Jun 27, 2019)

watfly said:


> Did you get a sense that for youth games the substitution at the nearest boundary line was going to be enforced?  Looked a little awkward when Rapinoe? was substituted the other day and had walk around the field from the opposite side of the bench.  Doesn't seem to be the best idea to have players walk in front of ill-behaved parents on the touchline.


Yes, but to use common sense and not send a player off near opposition spectators and to keep an eye on them if they are near opposition spectators or bench.  Also, to use common sense if the game is chippy or contentious.  Then send them off to their own bench or sideline.  We also have to remember to wave the substitute onto the field.  The key for the referee is to use common sense.


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## Art (Jun 28, 2019)

ATTENTION: Calsouth is not updating to the new laws of the game changes until the fall season, specifically September 1, 2019. This came from Randall Reyes, director of instruction. The referee committee also approved of this. Calsouth also does not endorse or support tournaments that change over to the new laws early. 

Why? Because referees have not been instructed on the new laws of the games yet!!! So, all these tournament directors that think they're hip by updating to the new laws think they're playing FIFA on Xbox or something. Good luck to those referees that partake in a tournament like that because the confusion will be through the roof.

Source: association, Randall Reyes (training twice a month with him), RPD


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## espola (Jun 28, 2019)

carla hinkle said:


> Presidio/SDDA has announced (on their website home page) no heading for all small sided games. So I am assuming that will mean no heading in 2008 and 2009 in Presidio/SDDA league play. I believe this is a change from last year when 2007 (playing 9v9) was allowed to head but 2008 (playing 9v9) was not.


Expect a lot of high kicking.


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## Surfref (Jun 28, 2019)

Art said:


> ATTENTION: Calsouth is not updating to the new laws of the game changes until the fall season, specifically September 1, 2019. This came from Randall Reyes, director of instruction. The referee committee also approved of this. Calsouth also does not endorse or support tournaments that change over to the new laws early.
> 
> Why? Because referees have not been instructed on the new laws of the games yet!!! So, all these tournament directors that think they're hip by updating to the new laws think they're playing FIFA on Xbox or something. Good luck to those referees that partake in a tournament like that because the confusion will be through the roof.
> 
> Source: association, Randall Reyes (training twice a month with him), RPD


IMHO this is a poor policy.  Why wouldn’t they switch over on 1 August so the referees, coaches, players and spectators can get used to the LOTG changes before the fall season starts. Some of those September games are going to be ugly as the referees try to learn how to implement the changes in game situations and players adjust. It is easy to read and understand what the changes are, but it is far more difficult to apply them in game situations. I remember the huge LOTG changes in 2016 and the shit show that happened in September because Cal South didn’t implement the changes until September.  You would think that they would learn from their mistakes. The excuse that the training is not complete is BS, because most referees do not attend the training meetings at all or miss meetings in the summer. My solution would be to implement the changes in August during tournaments.  And, at the larger venues have the referees arrive an extra 30 minutes early to receive instruction on the changes and have instructors and assessors at the field to provide guidance at halftime and between games.  Cal South has plenty of money to pay for 4-6 instructors/assessors attend tournaments at the larger venues. This would provide far greater coverage of instruction and game situation feedback.  The ECNL boys showcase this spring in San Diego had at least several assessors randomly watching games and providing feedback to the referees. This directly helped referees improve from one half to the next half or game.


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## Surfref (Jun 28, 2019)

espola said:


> Expect a lot of high kicking.


I rarely see any “high kicking” in those no-heading games.  The players have learned to use their chest or let the ball go and move after it.


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## timbuck (Jun 28, 2019)

It's actually pretty cool to see how well the younger ages are able to chest the ball these days.


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## Grace T. (Jun 28, 2019)

Surfref said:


> IMHO this is a poor policy.  Why wouldn’t they switch over on 1 August so the referees, coaches, players and spectators can get used to the LOTG changes before the fall season starts. Some of those September games are going to be ugly as the referees try to learn how to implement the changes in game situations and players adjust. It is easy to read and understand what the changes are, but it is far more difficult to apply them in game situations. I remember the huge LOTG changes in 2016 and the shit show that happened in September because Cal South didn’t implement the changes until September.  You would think that they would learn from their mistakes. The excuse that the training is not complete is BS, because most referees do not attend the training meetings at all or miss meetings in the summer. My solution would be to implement the changes in August during tournaments.  And, at the larger venues have the referees arrive an extra 30 minutes early to receive instruction on the changes and have instructors and assessors at the field to provide guidance at halftime and between games.  Cal South has plenty of money to pay for 4-6 instructors/assessors attend tournaments at the larger venues. This would provide far greater coverage of instruction and game situation feedback.  The ECNL boys showcase this spring in San Diego had at least several assessors randomly watching games and providing feedback to the referees. This directly helped referees improve from one half to the next half or game.


One thing that doesn't help is that recertification is by calendar year.  Given the large number of rules changes in recent years (and that more are inevitably going to come given what we are seeing at the WWC), it might help mitigate some of this stuff if certificate were July-July.  

p.s. the same thing happened with the buildout line rules...it took them the entire first season to get the refs on the same page (with each ref calling it different), and then they altered the rules again the 2nd year.  

p.p.s. unless we are headed for any contact with the hand outside of at your side is a handball as a shortcut (which is where the WWC seems to be), no way they download refs on the handball rule in 30 minutes.


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