Anonymous wrote:There was no consistency in refereeing from game to game. The tourney should have gotten the refs on the same page before the tournament. If anything ensuring the safety of the players. Letting unsafe slide tackling, pushing when not attempting to go for the ball, pulling shirts, pushing from behind causing player to fall should all be called as fouls.

Are you new to soccer?

Anonymous wrote:There was no consistency in refereeing from game to game. The tourney should have gotten the refs on the same page before the tournament. If anything ensuring the safety of the players. Letting unsafe slide tackling, pushing when not attempting to go for the ball, pulling shirts, pushing from behind causing player to fall should all be called as fouls.

What you are asking is for the tournament to make sure that the refs know the rules. This should go without saying. Each year, referees need to recertify. They have to watch videos on the any new Law changes, safety (like medical issues/first aid), Safesport (sexual harassment, etc), and then take a test on the Laws of the Game. If you pass, you are a certified referee for that calendar year. Every certified ref should know that pushing, tripping, pulling, etc are fouls. However, some people are just bad at their jobs. Sometimes the game is too fast for their comprehension. As to the tournament involvement....So this is how it works....there are referee assignors that tournaments, clubs, and leagues hire to find referees and schedule them to cover the matches in those tournaments, leagues, whatever. So a tournament hires an assignor. To get work referees sign up to receive emails from assignors and also log into a system called Game Officials to see the available games that assignor has. You can switch between assignors in this database to see what other games are available from other assignors. Once a referee sees a game they like, they request it, the assignor assigns it, and that's that. There is such a shortage of referees that assignors do not really have an opportunity to be picky who they assign games to. Trust me, when I see an old, overweight refs doing full field games, I'm like, what were they thinking? Why did they request that game? Assignors should email all the refs and encourage the refs and encourage them to be fit enough to cover the matches they request, but they usually say NOTHING at all. Assignors should be more strict about requiring refs to show up early. Be prepared with the correct uniforms (at least look professional.). Have more clinics for ongoing development. Provide "mentors" to watch games and provide feedback at halftime and after the game to the refs. I'm a ref and I was watching the game before my son's game and the AR wasn't even trying to keep up with the 2nd to last defender or get to the goal line to see if the ball went out or he wasn't even standing in the right spot for corners. Not calling obvious fouls in his quarter. I started calling him out on it. He asked me if I wanted to do it. I said I'm a certified ref and he said, "no real ref would criticize another ref". I said...then do your job! You give us all a bad name. Next game he centered (as usually the refs rotate) and he didn't even know the Laws. He really screwed up some restarts, etc. What's worse is that there is zero accountability for referees. If you complain, it falls on def ears because there are more games than referees. It doesn't help that some coaches and most parents have no idea what they are talking about and just want to complain about every call, so that doesn't encourage maybe some better refs to take more games or even better people to get involved with reffing. Anyway...it's not the tournaments job to get on the referees. It's the assignors that need to get on some referees. But the tournaments hire the assignor so the tournaments need to get on the assignors to get on the refs. There also needs to be a better way to report awful refs. Thats my vent. : )

There was no consistency in refereeing from game to game. The tourney should have gotten the refs on the same page before the tournament. If anything ensuring the safety of the players. Letting unsafe slide tackling, pushing when not attempting to go for the ball, pulling shirts, pushing from behind causing player to fall should all be called as fouls.

Anonymous wrote:The fields at the younger ages were terrible. For the amount of $ we spent on this, I would have expected better. The grass was so long for the younger kids, the ball didn't even move.
The refs overall were pretty good. I appreciated that they helped out the young kids in understanding the game.
I liked the food trucks at OBGC Park, but next time, hire a cop to sit at the entrance and direct traffic. Someone is going to get seriously injured in an accident there.

This is soccer life. Gotta put in your time before you can have the great fields.

And yeah it’s a pain to get out of that park but it is what it is.

Anonymous wrote:There was one ref in this tournament who just didn't get control of the situation from the get go and let nonsense occur throughout the game--crazy shoving/pushing from behind/shirt pulling and slide tackles into ankles and knees vs. the ball. He may have been confused as to which sport he was reffing.

On the flip side, there was a very good female ref who was all over it from second one, and didn't let anything get by her. While at times she may called things that were likely not illegal roughhousing (i.e. a shoulder nudge to get advantage), I much prefer a ref to be on top of it and conservative when the play can lead to serious injury...

I think she reffed our final. I agree. She was really good.

Parent of 10 year old boy. Refs did not move much and missed may balls that were out, even missed goalkeeper out of box and getting the ball with their hands. The porta johns in Fields 1 and 2 on Sunday morning were the worst I have seen in my lifetime. Toxic, noxious. Traffic a mess.

The fields at the younger ages were terrible. For the amount of $ we spent on this, I would have expected better. The grass was so long for the younger kids, the ball didn't even move.
The refs overall were pretty good. I appreciated that they helped out the young kids in understanding the game.
I liked the food trucks at OBGC Park, but next time, hire a cop to sit at the entrance and direct traffic. Someone is going to get seriously injured in an accident there.

Anonymous wrote:This tournament was rough. My child's team didn't play as well as they could have, which was on us. But, our third game was cancelled, and we were not notified until 9pm the night before. People had already incurred expenses for hotels at that point. Also, one of our game locations changed, and the tournament didn't notify our manager, so the whole team had to get back in their cars and drive 15 minutes to the new location, arriving just a few minutes before the game.

Yeah that's not a good experience. We played in this tournament this year, and our experience was fine -- no cancellations, no field changes, decent referees. Some of the grass fields weren't very well kept, but I guess that's just part of the game for young kids. Overall, it was a good tournament in my experience. But I would certainly feel different if we had last minute cancellations and field location changes.

This tournament was rough. My child's team didn't play as well as they could have, which was on us. But, our third game was cancelled, and we were not notified until 9pm the night before. People had already incurred expenses for hotels at that point. Also, one of our game locations changed, and the tournament didn't notify our manager, so the whole team had to get back in their cars and drive 15 minutes to the new location, arriving just a few minutes before the game.

Anonymous wrote:My son didn't play coppermine, but I just got a link to shots that our team photographer (someone's dad) posted from the tournament. There are several where you can clearly see opponents pushing him in the stomach, pulling on his shirt, and one where it looks like a kid is grabbing his crotch.

If you can’t beat them, just beat them

There was one ref in this tournament who just didn't get control of the situation from the get go and let nonsense occur throughout the game--crazy shoving/pushing from behind/shirt pulling and slide tackles into ankles and knees vs. the ball. He may have been confused as to which sport he was reffing.

On the flip side, there was a very good female ref who was all over it from second one, and didn't let anything get by her. While at times she may called things that were likely not illegal roughhousing (i.e. a shoulder nudge to get advantage), I much prefer a ref to be on top of it and conservative when the play can lead to serious injury...

My son didn't play coppermine, but I just got a link to shots that our team photographer (someone's dad) posted from the tournament. There are several where you can clearly see opponents pushing him in the stomach, pulling on his shirt, and one where it looks like a kid is grabbing his crotch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watch out for Coppermine U14B they play dirty AF. Slide talking from behind, tripping, pulling shirts and pushing players not even playing the ball. Probably the dirtiest play I've seen in youth soccer.

+1

Am shocked no player wound up seriously injured during this tournament….Not a good look.

Slide tackles are fine as a play- but not how they were doing it…

My nephews FC Frederick team ended their weekend. He said it was a physical game. Good tournament for them losing in the final on PK's

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watch out for Coppermine U14B they play dirty AF. Slide talking from behind, tripping, pulling shirts and pushing players not even playing the ball. Probably the dirtiest play I've seen in youth soccer.

+1

Am shocked no player wound up seriously injured during this tournament….Not a good look.

Slide tackles are fine as a play- but not how they were doing it…

Worse than Team America FC ? Wow !!!!

Anonymous wrote:Watch out for Coppermine U14B they play dirty AF. Slide talking from behind, tripping, pulling shirts and pushing players not even playing the ball. Probably the dirtiest play I've seen in youth soccer.

+1

Am shocked no player wound up seriously injured during this tournament….Not a good look.

Slide tackles are fine as a play- but not how they were doing it…