Anonymous
08/11/2025 17:22
Subject: New Rules for this Year
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the heads up. I will be shocked if the refs are able to universally call and enforce this rule for the entirety of the season.
For example, last season the no heading rule for U11 was interpreted/ enforced 4 different ways:
-Some refs would require players were subbed of if they were hit in the head
-Some refs would stop the game, check on the player but continue play
-Some refs would restart withe drop ball
-Some would restart with an indirect free kick
-Some refs would do nothing and play on
Ref quality varied widely by league, tournament level and age of the ref.
I'm a ref and I think this will be called because I'm expecting you are going to see players and spectators starting to do the count down to "force" the ref to call it. I guess "we" could have done that before with the 6 second rule but everyone kind of knew that rule was ignored so it never happened. In addition, they highlighted it in the recertification test for this and next year.
As to the headers for U11s and under...there was a lot of inconsistency I agree. One of the problems with refereeing in general is that quite a few laws are open to individual interpretation...such as a hand ball. What's a natural position and what's not. So the rules for headers just said that accidental headers are drop balls but it really doesn't say who to drop the ball to so there are mixed interpretations on that. AND, to possibly make matters worse, they changed the drop ball rules a little bit for this year. Happy watching! : ) PS: They are also doing something knew where referees under the age 18 will wear a GREEN badge instead of a black badge. I guess this is in hopes that people will take it easier on the ref if they are wearing a green badge. I'll have to wear my son's sometimes. : )
Thanks for chiming in and providing clarity from a ref’s perspective.
I appreciated the ref’s at U11 who did not call “deliberate” headers. If the kid was trying to get his head out of the way, they did not call it because he said he does not want them to learn bad habits and be punished when the rules change in a year. The ref called it fair both ways so I appreciated it and thought highly of the way he reffed. I hope parents take more of this teaching and learning perspective than the focus on pure winning.
Anonymous
08/11/2025 15:17
Subject: New Rules for this Year
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the heads up. I will be shocked if the refs are able to universally call and enforce this rule for the entirety of the season.
For example, last season the no heading rule for U11 was interpreted/ enforced 4 different ways:
-Some refs would require players were subbed of if they were hit in the head
-Some refs would stop the game, check on the player but continue play
-Some refs would restart withe drop ball
-Some would restart with an indirect free kick
-Some refs would do nothing and play on
Ref quality varied widely by league, tournament level and age of the ref.
I'm a ref and I think this will be called because I'm expecting you are going to see players and spectators starting to do the count down to "force" the ref to call it. I guess "we" could have done that before with the 6 second rule but everyone kind of knew that rule was ignored so it never happened. In addition, they highlighted it in the recertification test for this and next year.
As to the headers for U11s and under...there was a lot of inconsistency I agree. One of the problems with refereeing in general is that quite a few laws are open to individual interpretation...such as a hand ball. What's a natural position and what's not. So the rules for headers just said that accidental headers are drop balls but it really doesn't say who to drop the ball to so there are mixed interpretations on that. AND, to possibly make matters worse, they changed the drop ball rules a little bit for this year. Happy watching! : ) PS: They are also doing something knew where referees under the age 18 will wear a GREEN badge instead of a black badge. I guess this is in hopes that people will take it easier on the ref if they are wearing a green badge. I'll have to wear my son's sometimes. : )
Go for it! Thanks for being a ref - I really do appreciate the work you do even if the parents all seem like insane people. There are at least SOME of us who understand how thankless of a job it is.
Anonymous
08/11/2025 14:35
Subject: New Rules for this Year
2011 and 2010 McLean GA scrimmages this weekend neither ref enforced the new GK rule.
Anonymous
08/11/2025 13:41
Subject: New Rules for this Year
Those of us that grew up on old rules also need to be hip to the throw in rules which aren't new for this year but new enough. The only rules are both hands on the ball(doesn't matter where), ball has to come behind the head and at the time of the throw feet have to be in contact with the ground but the toe drag is still acceptable. You are allowed to do the funky twist throw as long as the ball goes behind the head.
Anonymous
08/11/2025 13:32
Subject: New Rules for this Year
Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the heads up. I will be shocked if the refs are able to universally call and enforce this rule for the entirety of the season.
For example, last season the no heading rule for U11 was interpreted/ enforced 4 different ways:
-Some refs would require players were subbed of if they were hit in the head
-Some refs would stop the game, check on the player but continue play
-Some refs would restart withe drop ball
-Some would restart with an indirect free kick
-Some refs would do nothing and play on
Ref quality varied widely by league, tournament level and age of the ref.
I'm a ref and I think this will be called because I'm expecting you are going to see players and spectators starting to do the count down to "force" the ref to call it. I guess "we" could have done that before with the 6 second rule but everyone kind of knew that rule was ignored so it never happened. In addition, they highlighted it in the recertification test for this and next year.
As to the headers for U11s and under...there was a lot of inconsistency I agree. One of the problems with refereeing in general is that quite a few laws are open to individual interpretation...such as a hand ball. What's a natural position and what's not. So the rules for headers just said that accidental headers are drop balls but it really doesn't say who to drop the ball to so there are mixed interpretations on that. AND, to possibly make matters worse, they changed the drop ball rules a little bit for this year. Happy watching! : ) PS: They are also doing something knew where referees under the age 18 will wear a GREEN badge instead of a black badge. I guess this is in hopes that people will take it easier on the ref if they are wearing a green badge. I'll have to wear my son's sometimes. : )
Anonymous
08/11/2025 11:35
Subject: New Rules for this Year
Thanks for the heads up. I will be shocked if the refs are able to universally call and enforce this rule for the entirety of the season.
For example, last season the no heading rule for U11 was interpreted/ enforced 4 different ways:
-Some refs would require players were subbed of if they were hit in the head
-Some refs would stop the game, check on the player but continue play
-Some refs would restart withe drop ball
-Some would restart with an indirect free kick
-Some refs would do nothing and play on
Ref quality varied widely by league, tournament level and age of the ref.
For example, last season the no heading rule for U11 was interpreted/ enforced 4 different ways:
-Some refs would require players were subbed of if they were hit in the head
-Some refs would stop the game, check on the player but continue play
-Some refs would restart withe drop ball
-Some would restart with an indirect free kick
-Some refs would do nothing and play on
Ref quality varied widely by league, tournament level and age of the ref.
Anonymous
08/11/2025 11:28
Subject: New Rules for this Year
I just hope it actually gets called unlike before. We shall see
Anonymous
08/11/2025 08:05
Subject: New Rules for this Year
Just an FYI because I was confused. I was at my daughter's game this past weekend and noticed the referee giving a countdown to the goal keeper. Apparently, there is a new rule starting this year that the GK has 8 seconds to release to the ball out of her hands. If she (or he) doesn't, it's a corner kick. They did away with the GK having 6 seconds and then it's a indirect kick because noone ever enforced it. I think there are a few other rule changes for this year but this is the only one that came up.