Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people who ref, are there particular leagues or age groups where inappropriate parent behavior seems to be more common?

Leagues, no...pretty even across the board.
I've found it's the worst on high skill level, mid aged (U10-U13 or so) groups, where many parents feel they're soccer experts because their kids are good...as they get older, fewer parents tend to come to games, and the kids don't want any part of their parents screaming any more than the ref does.

Saw my cousin's boy playing a U16 tournament, and he was yelling not at the refs but against the other parents.
I joked that college scouts would note that the boy is good, but the dad is a problem.

Question, on throw-ins do refs focus on where the ball is going and any interaction between two players there, or do they stay fixed on does the thrower pick up his feet? Looking for how much the thrower should focus on keeping his feet down- all the way until it is caught or just thru his release?

Feet on the ground through the release:

Law 15 - The Throw-In
Procedure:
At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must:
- stand facing the field of play
- have part of each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside the touchline
- throw the ball with both hands from behind and over the head from the point where it left the field of play

All opponents must stand at least 2 m (2 yds) from the point on the touchline where the throw-in is to be taken.
The ball is in play when it enters the field of play. If the ball touches the ground before entering, the throw-in is retaken by the same team from the same position. If the throw-in is not taken correctly it is retaken by the opposing team.

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people who ref, are there particular leagues or age groups where inappropriate parent behavior seems to be more common?

Leagues, no...pretty even across the board.
I've found it's the worst on high skill level, mid aged (U10-U13 or so) groups, where many parents feel they're soccer experts because their kids are good...as they get older, fewer parents tend to come to games, and the kids don't want any part of their parents screaming any more than the ref does.

Saw my cousin's boy playing a U16 tournament, and he was yelling not at the refs but against the other parents.
I joked that college scouts would note that the boy is good, but the dad is a problem.

Question, on throw-ins do refs focus on where the ball is going and any interaction between two players there, or do they stay fixed on does the thrower pick up his feet? Looking for how much the thrower should focus on keeping his feet down- all the way until it is caught or just thru his release?

Depends on the age, and if there are multiple refs.
Most refs tend to be sticklers on throw in form for younger kids, when they should be learning.
On older games, it has to be REALLY obvious to get called.
And if it's a one ref game, they should be in a position where they see both the thrower and where they think it'll go, but all things being equal, focusing on the other players is more important.
And through the release is fine.

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people who ref, are there particular leagues or age groups where inappropriate parent behavior seems to be more common?

Leagues, no...pretty even across the board.
I've found it's the worst on high skill level, mid aged (U10-U13 or so) groups, where many parents feel they're soccer experts because their kids are good...as they get older, fewer parents tend to come to games, and the kids don't want any part of their parents screaming any more than the ref does.

Saw my cousin's boy playing a U16 tournament, and he was yelling not at the refs but against the other parents.
I joked that college scouts would note that the boy is good, but the dad is a problem.

Question, on throw-ins do refs focus on where the ball is going and any interaction between two players there, or do they stay fixed on does the thrower pick up his feet? Looking for how much the thrower should focus on keeping his feet down- all the way until it is caught or just thru his release?

Anonymous wrote:

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people who ref, are there particular leagues or age groups where inappropriate parent behavior seems to be more common?

Leagues, no...pretty even across the board.
I've found it's the worst on high skill level, mid aged (U10-U13 or so) groups, where many parents feel they're soccer experts because their kids are good...as they get older, fewer parents tend to come to games, and the kids don't want any part of their parents screaming any more than the ref does.

So the fact that I don't see it as much might be because my kid plays on an admittedly lower-skilled team?

It is pretty consistent. At tournaments and whenever people feel the outcome actually matters they get difficult.
Also when the “technical” team plays the “physical” team. A conflict of ideas

SoccerRef wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For people who ref, are there particular leagues or age groups where inappropriate parent behavior seems to be more common?

Leagues, no...pretty even across the board.
I've found it's the worst on high skill level, mid aged (U10-U13 or so) groups, where many parents feel they're soccer experts because their kids are good...as they get older, fewer parents tend to come to games, and the kids don't want any part of their parents screaming any more than the ref does.

So the fact that I don't see it as much might be because my kid plays on an admittedly lower-skilled team?