Best story of your week - 2012

Are you one of those refs who travels with a trailer with all your ref stuff in it?

Nothing in your post says they weren't!

Sorry, the made me do it.

Showed up to do a set of 4 games for our Signature level playoffs (called 'Select' in some leagues I think) a couple fall seasons ago and the field lines hadn't been repainted and were very, very faint. Since these were elimination games scheduled throughout a county-wide league, we had no choice to play them since the winners of the first 2 games played in other games at other fields later in the afternoon, so rescheduling wasn't possible.

The AR's could barely see the touch lines but it was callable and we put extra flags to mark the top of the penalty area on each end and side. We explained to the coaches that we'd give the keepers some leeway. The AR had to assist for most goal kicks since the players couldn't see the line marking the top of the goal area. It really hampered the teams' ability to make runs down the wings since they'd end up going over the invisible touch line and the center would have to whistle to stop when the AR's flag would go up.

I was AR on the first, center on the second and AR on the third match. During the third match, a parent with striping equipment/supplies happened to be there and the lines started "appearing" as he would line the field away from play. The center was surprised when play came back down to one end and suddenly there was a clear penalty area defined. At half, the parent finished marking and we even got him to mark the penalty spot, which they usually don't do, since these games went straight to KFTM if tied. Sure enough, the next game went to kicks..

I used to carry a can of spray paint, too. Then one windy day, I spray painted my shoes! That cured me.

That reminded me of a funny post someone made on our private referee message board once:

Somehow, I envisioned the referee and a scantily clad woman lining the field..

This is a while back now. Men's open division center. Brand new field, first match on the place. Driving up, the pitch looks pristine. Beautiful grass, brand new goals and nets, etc.

I walk up to our field, the touchlines are painted. Nothing else. no center line, no 18s. A player on one of the teams was in construction and had a bunch of cans of spray paint. I write down the appropriate dimensions and tell each team to paint their end, the referee crew will do the center circle (so I have somewhere to call the game from, obv.).

After they've finished, away we go with what I counted out as one 15 yd box and one 22 yd box. "In the opinion of the referee, the lines are correct, play on".

3 State Cup Prelim games today, 6 (yes, 6, but I'm 4th on 2 of them) tomorrow.

Had my upgrade assessment match today - other than completely stumbling out of the gate, it was a good match - the 4 of us and both goalkeepers were wearing red, and Mr. Obvious (me) didn't make the connection this might be bad until about 15 minutes into the match. Assessor came over at half and said, "I didn't get the memo - the one that said we were all supposed to wear red today?!?"

That said the rest of the match went well and I did end up passing my assessment. More importantly I appreciated the feedback, wish I'd gone through this process earlier solely for the feedback and constructive criticism. The assessor was great and I appreciated the way he went through the debrief.

The exam and fitness test to go, but I'm on my way to my 7.

So.. this was back in April and I happened to coach this same team today for semifinals. Coach recognizes me at check-in and apologizes for arguing and realized I was correct after she went home. So we check in the other team (the "home" team for this semifinal) and they don't have any decent game balls so I go back to the other coach and ask her for game balls. She says, "Yes, I have some good SIZE 4 balls you can use," with a laugh.. The irony was not lost on her.. (Her team lost 7-1 playing 8 vs 11 + subs..)

Last weekend I worked two development academy games, and I passed my grade 06 AR assessment on a national assessment (CR is a 04). The assessor told me he didn't have anything to pick on me about. Last night I received my development academy showcase acceptance email. Today I had two more development academy games that went alright. I caught an earful during the U16 game while AR1 because the coaches felt the CR missed a foul that led to a goal right before halftime.

Oh.. and last weekend I graduated from college.

GU14 center today, third division from the top, between two teams fighting to avoid relegation. Game went pretty smoothly except both coaches were obnoxious. About five minutes to time I had to go to the middle of the field and tell them both to be quiet very publicly. Game finished drawn, which locked one of the teams into relegation, and that team's coach approached me after the game to give me "advice". He told me that I shouldn't have publicly told him to be quiet. I should've been "nicer" and gone over to him during a stoppage to apologize for missing the foul he was yelling about and let him tell me what to look for. He said that if I was going to "miss" a foul it was his job to let me know about it because he needs to "protect his players". Sigh.

Then I got to run line on a WPSL game, which was a very pleasant experience. Then I got to watch some friends work a friendly between RSL and a local PDL team. Fun day.

I'm sorry, but I would have laughed at him for telling me this. I wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

I would want to too, but you should just say "I understand" smile and walk to your car. If he thinks you're wrong to do what you did that's fine, but he won't respect you or ever want to see you again if you show him no respect. Smoother communication for smoother games in the future

That's probably the better response

I only know these things through trial and error.

Just got back from a U16 game, and it is probably the craziest thing I've experienced in my years as a ref. The game was between a team with only immigrants and the other with almost only whites. The immigrants played dirty, late tackles everywhere, shirt pulling, etc. At half time I had handed out 6 yellows and 1 red for a handball on the line.

Then, into the second half, one of the "white team" players fouls a immigrant team player on the way forward. I am about to show the yellow to the player, but then the player who was fouled jumped up and pushed the other player to the ground saying things that I shouldn't reproduce here. I pull the players away while the others argue, in this game I didn't have AR's, so I was all on my own. I then show the red card to the immigrant player and a yellow to the white player. Then, the immigrant refuses to leave the pitch saying that "it's only because I'm paki!" and "you racist"! The score at this point was 5-1 to the white team. The coaches got their teams off the pitch and the immigrant coach said to me that they didn't want to play on, saying I was a racist and that he would report me to the referee's board. He suggested that the score would be set to 3-0 to the other team. The coach of the white team agreed and the match report, which we all signed, said 3-0. I got my money and went to take the bus.

Out of pure curiousity, I looked up the league table on my phone on the bus home. I was shocked when I saw that the two teams were relegation rivals and with 5-1 or more, the white team would go ahead on head-to head matches. If the score was 3-0, the immigrant team would be ahead.

I have now sent this over to the local FA. Surely the score can't be set to 3-0, that would be devastating to fair play...

What was your response? What will it be next time?

I basically told him, no, I didn't miss what he was yelling about because I was standing five yards away, so I saw the contact quite clearly. And that protecting his players does not involve yelling at me. And that if he wanted to discuss calls with me, I'd be happy to speak with him briefly after the game. (To that he replied that after the game is "too late" because my foul selection needed to be "fixed" during the game ) The fact of the matter was that no one got hurt and no one really came near getting hurt. We had no thought of misconduct in the game. The fact that he was worried about his players' safety in this game was quite absurd. If I had a coach say something like this again, I'd tell him that refereeing is not a team exercise between my crew and the coaches, so he needs to leave me to do my job just as I leave him to do his.

Funny thing was that it was the other coach (with whom I have a history after sending off his goalkeeper for DOGSO-F and then dismissing him after he threw a tantrum about it in a tournament last summer in the late stages of a game they were winning 3-0) who caused the most problems. The coach who approached me after the game was only "asked" while the other coach was definitely "told" and just a step away from being dismissed.

I disagree. Saying you understand makes him believe his point of view is correct. What will happen the next time you referee his team and in his opinion you miss a foul? He will proceed to "educate" you regarding a "fact of play' that was decided "in the opinion of the referee".
Better option; "Coach, thanks for sharing your point of view. May I share a referees point of view with you? He has approached you, take the time to educate him that his role is to "behave responsibility in his technical area by focusing his attention and comments toward his own players, only.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/feb/16/you-are-the-ref-trevillion

Why would you have any discussion with coaches about setting the score? Especially with the miscreant calling you a racist?

Unless this league has some odd rules on what a referee is required to do, if a team refuses the game, the role of the R is simply to abandon and report, not to decide on result. (And I would have thought a report would include the dismissal of the coach for calling you a racist . . .) Deciding results is what the competition authority is responsible for, not the R.

While the league may set the score, you as referee do not change the score. You report what happened. "In the Xth minute of play, Team I, saying that I was a bigot, left the field. Consequently the game was abandoned. At the time, the score was 5-1."

Over here in Norway, we are taught that if one team abandons, fails to appear or fails to complete a game, the score is 3-0.

Still, that's a league or FA decision. The referee report should say what happened.

We heard a new excuse for wearing earrings: "The guy at the piercing place said these were safe for soccer."

The center asked if the piercing guy was a certified referee.

She didn't play.

The only thing that was devastating to fair play was you making up a score, and taking away 2 goals from one team (that they worked hard for and deserve), and 1 goal from another team (that they worked for and deserve). What on earth were you thinking?! We don't negotiate scores with coaches. You got played.

Report what happened, why you abandoned the match, and let the league work out the result.

We learn from mistakes, please learn from this BIG one.