Soccer Referee-AMA

[SoccerRef]

Anonymous wrote:Offensive Player #1 kicks the ball to score.
The goalie stops the ball but does not catch it, it bounces into play.
Offensive Player #2 kicks the ball and scores.

The ball was between the goalie/goal and Offensive Player #2.

The referee calls off sides.

How can he be off sides if the ball is between the Offensive Player #2 and the goalie/goal?

Because offside is determined by where the attacking player is when the ball is played, not where he is when he plays the ball.
So if player 2 was in an offside position when player 1 kicked the ball, it is an offside violation for him to touch it, even if it's from a rebound off of the keeper.

[SoccerRef]

Anonymous wrote:do you ever miss a call because you are checking out hot moms on the sidelines?

No, but to be honest...
I was reffing an adult women's league, and a sub came on that was drop dead gorgeous. I must have stared for a little too long, because another player yelled out, "game's over here ref!"
Way beyond embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I've wondered about: why do a few referees seem so hesitant to call fouls? Are they concerned about the potential reaction of spectators? Are they reluctant to have to run to the spot where the foul occurs (many of our refs seem to prefer to stand near the middle of the field)? Is it a pain in the neck to have to stop play and oversee the logistics of the free kick? I could understand that, but it's frustrating when fouls aren't called because young players, especially, begin to learn bad habits, such as jabbing opponents in the side with their elbows rather than making a proper slide tackle with their feet. I find that the defensive fundamentals aren't learned as quickly when the rules aren't enforced game after game. Thanks for your perspective.

do you think they are calling fouls in favelas and roughest barrios?

the US has never produced defenders as good as argentina and brazil. it has nothing to do with how youth games are called or not called.

on the other side, letting the rough stuff go really forces attackers to learn how to not get discouraged and not sulk after getting that first kicking from the fullback - especially nippy wide players.

coaches DEFINITElY take note of who shirks the physical stuff and who doesn't.

amking a proper slide tackle should be the last resort for a defender - a top defender doesn't need to leave his feet as he is already read the situation and is positioned appropriately along with the rest of the side in their proper supportive positions.

That's bullshit.

Clearly. Let's not feed the troll...

ok pierluigi collina and lets see the pp must be carlo ancelotti - with all that cutting footballing insight - which part of the assessment was wrong?

it certainly wasn't the last part about slide tackling being the last resort. go spend time at youth training sessions with celta vigo, osasuna, mallorca, and a few other la liga teams - or if you aren't involved at that level, read this from xabi alonso (who announced his retirement today unfortunately)

:

One of the Premier League's most successful imports, Xabi Alonso, perhaps gave the most damning testimony as to why England can't crack it at international level. "I don't think tackling is a quality," he said. "At Liverpool I used to read the matchday programme and you'd read an interview with a lad from the youth team. They'd ask: age, heroes, strong points, etc. He'd reply: 'Shooting and tackling'. I can't get into my head that football development would educate tackling as a quality, something to learn, to teach, a characteristic of your play. How can that be a way of seeing the game? I just don't understand football in those terms. Tackling is a [last] resort and you will need it, but it isn't a quality to aspire to, a definition."

and it definitely wasn't about elite coaches assessing a players capacity to take physical punishment (from a psychological perspective) - once again if you've attended high level sessions of youth teams attached to pro level sides, you would know this.

And obvious the first statement about american defenders vs south american defenders is true.

lets use an example of what i just mentioned about attacker psychology. landon donovan vs christian pulisic. both roughly the same size but psychologically donovan was easier to bully, especially when he was younger. pulisic isn't mentally weak and even if a big full back 10 years his senior aggressively fouls him repeatedly, he will not shirk out of the game and hide from the ball.

[Anonymous]

With all the screaming coaches and parents (there are some on my daughter's team that I can't stand), I was wondering what power the refs have to control it. Why don't they card coaches more? Can you kick out parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With all the screaming coaches and parents (there are some on my daughter's team that I can't stand), I was wondering what power the refs have to control it. Why don't they card coaches more? Can you kick out parents?

You can't card coaches, only players/subs. There are a few tournaments/leagues I've worked that allow it, but it goes against the Laws of the Game.
We can throw them out of games, though. Generally we're trained to "ask, tell, dismiss"...ask the coach to stop the behavior, tell him "that's enough", and then throw them out if it persists. I've found that going over to a coach at a stoppage and saying that you heard him and understand his complaint, but now it's time to stop, usually works. Obviously, refs need thick skins, and unless coaches get abusive or personal it won't get to the point of dismissal.

Parents are more challenging. Again, most of the yelling is just blowing off steam, nerves of watching their kids play, legitimate frustration with a bad call etc.
But there are also some parents that I equate to internet trolls..yell just for the sake of yelling, eager to engage with the ref and get into an argument. I've found it best to ignore those people completely, unless they're harassing the AR. Engaging with parents like that is just pouring gas onto the fire.
Luckily, I've never had to throw a parent off of a field, but we are empowered to do that if we so choose. If they refuse to leave, we can abandon the game, and the league decides what to do from there.

I had a girl from a U11 game scream at her dad to shut up once. Never heard a quieter sideline after that.

[SoccerRef]

Anonymous wrote:With all the screaming coaches and parents (there are some on my daughter's team that I can't stand), I was wondering what power the refs have to control it. Why don't they card coaches more? Can you kick out parents?

You can't card coaches, only players/subs. There are a few tournaments/leagues I've worked that allow it, but it goes against the Laws of the Game.
We can throw them out of games, though. Generally we're trained to "ask, tell, dismiss"...ask the coach to stop the behavior, tell him "that's enough", and then throw them out if it persists. I've found that going over to a coach at a stoppage and saying that you heard him and understand his complaint, but now it's time to stop, usually works. Obviously, refs need thick skins, and unless coaches get abusive or personal it won't get to the point of dismissal.

Parents are more challenging. Again, most of the yelling is just blowing off steam, nerves of watching their kids play, legitimate frustration with a bad call etc.
But there are also some parents that I equate to internet trolls..yell just for the sake of yelling, eager to engage with the ref and get into an argument. I've found it best to ignore those people completely, unless they're harassing the AR. Engaging with parents like that is just pouring gas onto the fire.
Luckily, I've never had to throw a parent off of a field, but we are empowered to do that if we so choose. If they refuse to leave, we can abandon the game, and the league decides what to do from there.

I had a girl from a U11 game scream at her dad to shut up once. Never heard a quieter sideline after that.

[Anonymous]

^^really??? My travel coach used to get booted from the sidelines by ref on a regular basis. My son's old coach as well and the manager would have to take cover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^really??? My travel coach used to get booted from the sidelines by ref on a regular basis. My son's old coach as well and the manager would have to take cover.

"Over" not cover

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing I've wondered about: why do a few referees seem so hesitant to call fouls? Are they concerned about the potential reaction of spectators? Are they reluctant to have to run to the spot where the foul occurs (many of our refs seem to prefer to stand near the middle of the field)? Is it a pain in the neck to have to stop play and oversee the logistics of the free kick? I could understand that, but it's frustrating when fouls aren't called because young players, especially, begin to learn bad habits, such as jabbing opponents in the side with their elbows rather than making a proper slide tackle with their feet. I find that the defensive fundamentals aren't learned as quickly when the rules aren't enforced game after game. Thanks for your perspective.

do you think they are calling fouls in favelas and roughest barrios?

the US has never produced defenders as good as argentina and brazil. it has nothing to do with how youth games are called or not called.

on the other side, letting the rough stuff go really forces attackers to learn how to not get discouraged and not sulk after getting that first kicking from the fullback - especially nippy wide players.

coaches DEFINITElY take note of who shirks the physical stuff and who doesn't.

amking a proper slide tackle should be the last resort for a defender - a top defender doesn't need to leave his feet as he is already read the situation and is positioned appropriately along with the rest of the side in their proper supportive positions.

That's bullshit.

Clearly. Let's not feed the troll...

ok pierluigi collina and lets see the pp must be carlo ancelotti - with all that cutting footballing insight - which part of the assessment was wrong?

it certainly wasn't the last part about slide tackling being the last resort. go spend time at youth training sessions with celta vigo, osasuna, mallorca, and a few other la liga teams - or if you aren't involved at that level, read this from xabi alonso (who announced his retirement today unfortunately)

:

One of the Premier League's most successful imports, Xabi Alonso, perhaps gave the most damning testimony as to why England can't crack it at international level. "I don't think tackling is a quality," he said. "At Liverpool I used to read the matchday programme and you'd read an interview with a lad from the youth team. They'd ask: age, heroes, strong points, etc. He'd reply: 'Shooting and tackling'. I can't get into my head that football development would educate tackling as a quality, something to learn, to teach, a characteristic of your play. How can that be a way of seeing the game? I just don't understand football in those terms. Tackling is a [last] resort and you will need it, but it isn't a quality to aspire to, a definition."

and it definitely wasn't about elite coaches assessing a players capacity to take physical punishment (from a psychological perspective) - once again if you've attended high level sessions of youth teams attached to pro level sides, you would know this.

And obvious the first statement about american defenders vs south american defenders is true.

lets use an example of what i just mentioned about attacker psychology. landon donovan vs christian pulisic. both roughly the same size but psychologically donovan was easier to bully, especially when he was younger. pulisic isn't mentally weak and even if a big full back 10 years his senior aggressively fouls him repeatedly, he will not shirk out of the game and hide from the ball.

You are wrong on many levels, but start your own thread.

[Anonymous]

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the screaming coaches and parents (there are some on my daughter's team that I can't stand), I was wondering what power the refs have to control it. Why don't they card coaches more? Can you kick out parents?

You can't card coaches, only players/subs. There are a few tournaments/leagues I've worked that allow it, but it goes against the Laws of the Game.
We can throw them out of games, though. Generally we're trained to "ask, tell, dismiss"...ask the coach to stop the behavior, tell him "that's enough", and then throw them out if it persists. I've found that going over to a coach at a stoppage and saying that you heard him and understand his complaint, but now it's time to stop, usually works. Obviously, refs need thick skins, and unless coaches get abusive or personal it won't get to the point of dismissal.

Parents are more challenging. Again, most of the yelling is just blowing off steam, nerves of watching their kids play, legitimate frustration with a bad call etc.
But there are also some parents that I equate to internet trolls..yell just for the sake of yelling, eager to engage with the ref and get into an argument. I've found it best to ignore those people completely, unless they're harassing the AR. Engaging with parents like that is just pouring gas onto the fire.
Luckily, I've never had to throw a parent off of a field, but we are empowered to do that if we so choose. If they refuse to leave, we can abandon the game, and the league decides what to do from there.

I had a girl from a U11 game scream at her dad to shut up once. Never heard a quieter sideline after that.

When I a kid playing, about U11 as well, we had one mom who just screamed nonstop. During one particularly important game, her daughter yelled out 'Your not my real mom anyway, so shut up!' It finally worked. Fast forward to today. When my son was U9 and playing against a McLean team, the coach was just horrible...nonstop shouting..shouting at the ref, the players etc. One of the McLean players turned to the coach and (loudly) begged 'Can't we just have at least one normal game?!'

[Anonymous]

Growing up, the refs in Maryland were always horrible. Is this still true?

[SoccerRef]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up, the refs in Maryland were always horrible. Is this still true?

Yes, but not just Maryland.
Every ref in the area is horrible, and every player shows a complete and unbiased understanding of the Laws of the Game.

[Anonymous]

Not trying to be "all refs suck" here...but I have a actual question.
Two weeks ago, U10 tournament. Ref was wearing a heavy coat the whole game, barely took his hands out of his pockets, and never left the center circle.
I know all the complaining in the world doesn't help, but is there anything realistic that we as parents can do when the refs seems particularly bad?

[Anonymous]

So can we have some sort of a big fight between you and the soccer coach that does the AMA on here? That would be fun!

[SoccerRef]

Anonymous wrote:Not trying to be "all refs suck" here...but I have a actual question.
Two weeks ago, U10 tournament. Ref was wearing a heavy coat the whole game, barely took his hands out of his pockets, and never left the center circle.
I know all the complaining in the world doesn't help, but is there anything realistic that we as parents can do when the refs seems particularly bad?

First of all, never go over to a ref after the game to criticize...nothing good will come from it. Even if you're totally right.

If things are really bad though, email the referee assignor, and tell them as honestly as you can what the problems were, and send a picture if there's a situation like this.
The assignors around here are really big on professionalism, and would want to know if someone is acting like this.
I've seen an assignor at a tournament yell at a ref for not having their socks pulled up, or not having their shirt tucked, so something like you describe would be dealt with.

As for contact info, if it's at a tournament, look on the website...there's almost always a link for refs.
At a normal game, email someone in your club...they should know who the assignors are.