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[quote=SoccerRef][quote=Anonymous]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.[/quote]

Let's face it, at the younger age groups you're simply going to get a lot of bad refs. 
Tends to be two categories...young kids just starting out as a ref, and older refs that take the least challenging games they can and still earn a paycheck.

For the older, less mobile, center-circle refs as we call them, it's simply a matter of not being in a good position to make the call and missing things because of that...or they simply don't care, and want the game to end and pick up their check.

For many young refs that are dealing with a game situation for the first time, or close to it, it's really hard to learn to be assertive with the whistle. You''ll see a lot of hesitant calls, a lot of whistles where you can't tell what they're calling, and a lot of people not calling much of anything because they're overthinking what's going on and by the time they realize they should have blown the whistle, the play has already moved on. And yes, add the pressure of screaming coaches and parents, and young refs can simply become paralyzed out there.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen some really good refs doing U9 and the like...they're just in the vast minority.

And as the kids get older, you should in theory start getting better refs...except there are so many games out there, and so few refs, that more and more refs are being assigned games that are beyond their skill level.

New ref retention is tiny...one season of getting screamed at all game, and they never come back. 
The moral...be nice to young refs, and in the long run, the reffing will be better. 
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