Soccer Rules

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've all seen pros pick up or hold the ball walking away after a their team commits an offense to no warning or cautions. Why is that not an automatic caution?

If a team wants to restart quickly and kicks towards opponent moving out or through the 10 yds, intentionally or unintentionally, I've seen refs have no idea what to do.

First, there are different criteria for different levels of play. A pro kicking the ball near the head of an opponent might not be called as dangerous play if the referee things that the kicker honestly had control. If it a U10 player, the whistle is blowing and it is an indirect free kick. U10s are assumed to NOT be in control in that situation.

Second, remember that a restart is just to get the ball back in play. Soccer is a gentleman's game (originally no refs were used). If the ball is able to be restarted fairly, the referee should allow it. If the other team does something unfair, he needs to deal with it. If you are standing 2 feet away from the ball every restart, you are risking getting a yellow for unsporting behavior. Nothing warms the cockles of my heart more than when I see a quick restart as the defenders are w/in 10 yards of the ball. Typically this is going to happen on your defensive side of the field, but if you can gain an advantage as an attacker, you are a fool to ask for 10 yards if you have a striker alone at the six and onside. With the recent Law changes, referees are not even supposed to stop a quick restart if they are about to issue a yellow card. That comes at the next stoppage of play.

[Anonymous]

Offside scenario that parents often get wrong. When ball is played receiving player is offside but when he/she gets the ball they've run towards the ball and are now in an onside position. Ref calls the infraction. Parents go crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi I'm new to soccer. My kid (U12) loves it and I'm trying to learn more. I have the basics down...I think. But what are some of the most common soccer rules that parents (and maybe even some referees) just get wrong or know the least about?

I STRONGLY recommend that you and your child take a referee course together. 1) you'll learn the rules better (Trust me many referees still don't know them LOL) and 2) You might like it to start refereeing games. We need more folks who know what they are doing. 3) Also a good job for your child.

So I am a new ref. I just want to say that you actually learn very little at a referee certification course. Most of the course is self driven to watch videos and take a test BEFORE you go to a class. When you get to the class. The morning is field work...how to blow a whistle, field marking identification, AR flag work, So center referee positioning tips ion restarts, etc, then you scrimmage and rotate as ARs and the center. It goes fast. Then the classroom is focused on watching different offside situations, handballs rules, and dangerous play situations. Then they give you your badge. No test. So I just want to point out there there isn't much focus given to all the laws. It's good and you learn alot it's just that there is just SO MUCH to know. Alot of learning must be from playing, watching games, and even Youtube. Also, join some referee chats and you can read over "weird" situations and opinions on how they would handle those situation.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi I'm new to soccer. My kid (U12) loves it and I'm trying to learn more. I have the basics down...I think. But what are some of the most common soccer rules that parents (and maybe even some referees) just get wrong or know the least about?

I STRONGLY recommend that you and your child take a referee course together. 1) you'll learn the rules better (Trust me many referees still don't know them LOL) and 2) You might like it to start refereeing games. We need more folks who know what they are doing. 3) Also a good job for your child.

So I am a new ref. I just want to say that you actually learn very little at a referee certification course. Most of the course is self driven to watch videos and take a test BEFORE you go to a class. When you get to the class. The morning is field work...how to blow a whistle, field marking identification, AR flag work, So center referee positioning tips ion restarts, etc, then you scrimmage and rotate as ARs and the center. It goes fast. Then the classroom is focused on watching different offside situations, handballs rules, and dangerous play situations. Then they give you your badge. No test. So I just want to point out there there isn't much focus given to all the laws. It's good and you learn alot it's just that there is just SO MUCH to know. Alot of learning must be from playing, watching games, and even Youtube. Also, join some referee chats and you can read over "weird" situations and opinions on how they would handle those situation.

Good luck.

I contradicted myself by saying you learn very little and then said you learn alot. I guess you learn a little about many things but don't get into alot of things. So cumulatively, it's a lot but you certainly don't learn everything you need to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Offside scenario that parents often get wrong. When ball is played receiving player is offside but when he/she gets the ball they've run towards the ball and are now in an onside position. Ref calls the infraction. Parents go crazy.

That's the correct call but I rarely see this in youth games. More likely the AR is awfully out of position and the center ref is far afield with one or more players in an offside position and nothing gets called when the ball is played to them because no one was in the right place to see it. Athletic conditioning should be part of the ref training program from what I've seen,

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of you need to realize that a large part of soccer is operating in the gray area of the rules and doing risk/reward with violations. No, you are not allowed to run up to the ball and deliberately delay the game. However, if you happen to be 2 yards from the ball and feign ignorance of doing so, you will not get a yellow card. You get a yellow card when you stand in front of the ball in a way that makes the ref angry.

Understand that there will always be rule violations in the box on corner kicks etc because there are only so many refs. Again, an "innocent" jersey pull or shove probably isn't going to be called. It's all part of the game so please don't waste your time whining to the ref. Let your kid adapt to these conditions and have fun. The ref will call all the flagrant bs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Offside scenario that parents often get wrong. When ball is played receiving player is offside but when he/she gets the ball they've run towards the ball and are now in an onside position. Ref calls the infraction. Parents go crazy.

This rarely happens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Offside scenario that parents often get wrong. When ball is played receiving player is offside but when he/she gets the ball they've run towards the ball and are now in an onside position. Ref calls the infraction. Parents go crazy.

That's the correct call but I rarely see this in youth games. More likely the AR is awfully out of position and the center ref is far afield with one or more players in an offside position and nothing gets called when the ball is played to them because no one was in the right place to see it. Athletic conditioning should be part of the ref training program from what I've seen,

I have a better idea. Rather than bitch about the people volunteering to make your child happier. Why don't you go get trained yourself so that other kids can also be made happy.

This can also be achieved by keeping your negative comments (that are NOT constructive) to yourself.

[Anonymous]

The key is if you don't know, don't say anything. Also, if you do know, don't say anything. Just relax and enjoy the game. They are kids and so are the officials, hell some of the coaches may even look young enough to be my kid.

But if you must ask. Offsides is the #1 thing they get wrong, especially the exceptions like no offsides on goal kicks, corners, throw ins, goal kicks. The #2 is a hand ball, it's not when the ball touches your hands, it's when you use your hands to get bigger than your actual body.

[Anonymous]

As most have already said. #1 Offside. #2 Handing and for me #3 is what is and isn't a foul - it's a physical sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The key is if you don't know, don't say anything. Also, if you do know, don't say anything. Just relax and enjoy the game. They are kids and so are the officials, hell some of the coaches may even look young enough to be my kid.

But if you must ask. Offsides is the #1 thing they get wrong, especially the exceptions like no offsides on goal kicks, corners, throw ins, goal kicks. The #2 is a hand ball, it's not when the ball touches your hands, it's when you use your hands to get bigger than your actual body.

But even when your hand is bigger than your body there are exceptions when it's not a handball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Offside scenario that parents often get wrong. When ball is played receiving player is offside but when he/she gets the ball they've run towards the ball and are now in an onside position. Ref calls the infraction. Parents go crazy.

That's the correct call but I rarely see this in youth games. More likely the AR is awfully out of position and the center ref is far afield with one or more players in an offside position and nothing gets called when the ball is played to them because no one was in the right place to see it. Athletic conditioning should be part of the ref training program from what I've seen,

I have a better idea. Rather than bitch about the people volunteering to make your child happier. Why don't you go get trained yourself so that other kids can also be made happy.

This can also be achieved by keeping your negative comments (that are NOT constructive) to yourself.

Asking you to stay away from the extra donuts and to run a few times a week is very constructive, both for your health and the correct call, AR. Don’t be so defensive.

[Anonymous]

Somw others....Some people don't know that not only can the last defender (or rather 2nd to last if you count the GK) keeps you onside, but so does the ball. So if you are on a fast break, 2 attackers versus the GK, a teammate can run alongside of or behind the ball and still be onside. When this happens, 9 out of 10 times, the teammate runs ahead and the kid with the ball passes to him. Flag pops! side. But if he stays behind or along side....onside!

Another is on a corner kick, the ball can go out of bounds (the entire ball leaves the field of play) and bend back in and get kicked around or whatever, but this is a goal kick because it left the field of play. Also, I've seen this happen twice and the parents when ape shit. A corner hits the post and rebounds back to the corner kick taker. The corner kick taker plays the ball back into the box. The flag goes up for a double touch and the parents think the AR is signalling for offside. As previous posters have said, you can't be offside on a corner, so the parents lose it. They don't realize it was a double touch. Same with PKs. If the PK taker hits the post and it rebounds out, the PK taker can't be the next one to touch the ball or it's a double touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As most have already said. #1 Offside. #2 Handing and for me #3 is what is and isn't a foul - it's a physical sport.

Do you have any "tips" on what you posted...such as NOT a foul that you see lots of parents thing IS a foul. Same with handling and offside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somw others....Some people don't know that not only can the last defender (or rather 2nd to last if you count the GK) keeps you onside, but so does the ball. So if you are on a fast break, 2 attackers versus the GK, a teammate can run alongside of or behind the ball and still be onside. When this happens, 9 out of 10 times, the teammate runs ahead and the kid with the ball passes to him. Flag pops! side. But if he stays behind or along side....onside!

Another is on a corner kick, the ball can go out of bounds (the entire ball leaves the field of play) and bend back in and get kicked around or whatever, but this is a goal kick because it left the field of play. Also, I've seen this happen twice and the parents when ape shit. A corner hits the post and rebounds back to the corner kick taker. The corner kick taker plays the ball back into the box. The flag goes up for a double touch and the parents think the AR is signalling for offside. As previous posters have said, you can't be offside on a corner, so the parents lose it. They don't realize it was a double touch. Same with PKs. If the PK taker hits the post and it rebounds out, the PK taker can't be the next one to touch the ball or it's a double touch.

That brings up a good one that drives MY parents nuts. .... A Throw-in due to spin or the wind goes a ways down the line and eventually ends up off the field. You'll hear "It never went in!!" screamed loudly.

Alas, it is almost impossible for the ball to have left the hands of the thrower not touching the line. Think about it, to be in play just an infinitesimal part of the ball has to be above the sideline. Once it does, game on!

Lastly, remember that the AR is supposed to be watching for that very thing to occur.