Rule Changes for League/Tournament Play

[Surfref]

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.

 

[carla hinkle]

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.

 

[watfly]

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.

 

[Grace T.]

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.

 

[Surfref]

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.

 

[Art]

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

 

[espola]

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.

 

[Surfref]

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.

 

[Surfref]

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.

 

[timbuck]

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

 

[Grace T.]

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.