Need better training for soccer refs

[Anonymous]

I had the pleasure of watching a ton of games over the weekend driving all over the DC area. Most of the teams played clean and the level of soccer overall was very good. I did notice that the refs were average at best with lots of bad calls, not the 50/50 variety. They were basic rules that soccer 101 should have covered. Goalies can't pick up the ball if it's passed back by their own team! Unintentional headers is a drop ball. You can get physical, but cant' extend the arms. Build up line for u9/u10 was not followed all the time. It was either way too sensitive of calls or not calling things at all. These tournament organizers should not host if they can't staff with well trained refs, teams are paying >$500, let them get some fair calls on both sides.

Good news, no parent blow ups except 1 where the cops were called. Overall I enjoyed watching 4 of my grandkids play this weekend!

[Anonymous]

I think the solution is that you should volunteer to be a ref.

[Anonymous]

Who cares? It's just soccer.

[Anonymous]

Lighten up, Grandpa. The refs do the best they can. Your grandkids' future does not revolve on some call. It's a good way for kids to learn to deal with the imperfections in life.

[Anonymous]

Did the kids have fun? That's what's most important.

[Anonymous]

I don't care if the refs get it right or wrong. Just call it evenly both ways and let them play. I love the refs that get it wrong and basically looks at the coaches/parents and say, "I'm not perfect, let's play!" Those officials get it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did the kids have fun? That's what's most important.

Tell that to Bruce Arena, trying to clean up Klinsmann's mess with no room for error.

Developing the player pool is what's most important. That only happens by training the best, and running off the spoiled kids (and their bratty parents!!!) who think "fun is most important".

[Anonymous]

My biggest issue with refs in this region is that they're too reticent to blow their whistles. At all.

You have to call something. Otherwise, you'll just have kids whacking each other in the head to get the ball.

The little mistakes on backpasses, handballs, etc., are far less important.

[Anonymous]

There are so many teams, leagues, and tournaments that even something as potentially valuable as better training won't make a difference. I mean, some people will never be fit enough or adept enough to be an effective referee. It's a shame that the deteriorating quality of soccer refereeing has potentially made the sport more violent (according to the author of a large study of concussion rates). Now and then you run across a gifted referee who honors the game and you can see what the sport might be under the right conditions. But most of the time you have the center-circle ref who lets the kids openly fight and gets the goal- and corner-kick calls correct only by chance. Call a foul once in a while! SMH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares? It's just soccer.

I care if I have to see a kid carted off with a injury that could have been avoided. Refs are there for the players, not the parents and their job is to make sure the game is clean and as injury free as possible.

[Anonymous]

You should volunteer to be a ref then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should volunteer to be a ref then.

Yes, we could use more people stepping forward for this lightly paid job. ("Volunteer" isn't really accurate.) But whoever steps forward could use more mentoring, and someone needs to be trained to blow the whistle every once in a while.

In other words -- it's a little too deep of a problem to be solved by two more people volunteering, er, applying.

[Anonymous]

You should volunteer to be a ref then.


Yes, we could use more people stepping forward for this lightly paid job. ("Volunteer" isn't really accurate.) But whoever steps forward could use more mentoring, and someone needs to be trained to blow the whistle every once in a while.

In other words -- it's a little too deep of a problem to be solved by two more people volunteering, er, applying.

You are right - complaining about it on anonymous internet boards is much more likely to resolve the issue.

[SoccerRef]

Keep in mind that most refs don't receive any field training...you only need a classroom session to certify.

Even with that low bar, it's incredibly hard to recruit enough refs, and impossibly hard to keep them around after they realize how vicious the parents and coaches can be.

[SoccerRef]

Anonymous wrote: Unintentional headers is a drop ball. !

I've never heard that before.
The only official guidance I've seen is that a deliberate header restarts with an indirect kick for the other team.
No violation for an unintentional header.

It's possibly that your association has different rules, but it's not standard.