I sent the Town Admin the Goal Safety Policy Statement from the Ma Youth Soccer Asso. I'm gonna try the Mr Nice Guy approach 1st. We'll see!
Checked the goals Mon morning. All is well. Stupendous Man is on the job. Am off to surrounding Towns as we only have 1 field. (Well, since the earth is in reverse rotation, I'm not sure what day this is!)
I have to say, from a guy who has never interacted with the MYSA, they appear to be a great association. I've seen some great videos from them over the years.
Good. I was once out to give feedback to a young referee doing a rec game, maybe U-11's on a high school JV field. During the game, a bored goalkeeper jumped up and grabbed the crossbar. WHOMP!!! He pulled the whole goal over, trapping himself under the net. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt. I remonstrated gently with the young referee about his not having checked the goals before the game but I also went to the school's athletic director and told him that they needed to fix this. They were embarassed, especially since I was on the school board at the time, and the problem was fixed immediately.
Muaha...yeah. I was Chmn of the Rec Comm for 25 yrs and took the job seriously. I was impressed by the Town's immediate response. Now...if I only can get them to stop whacking my mailbox with their snow plows I will be content.
You just need a taller mailbox! In some places in the Rocky Mountains, you'll see 16' or more tall posts along the highways. You don't know why they are there until you realize that, in a snow storm, they mark the edge of the highway. "Keep the post on your right!"
Tournament final for boys U12. My team just scored to make it 1-2 with about 18 minutes to play when just before the kick the goal behind my keeper lifts off the ground and slams into the ground about 5 feet from my keeper. I looked just in time the see the goal completely airborne as it proceed to slam the turf crossbar first. I was pretty worked up as I ran onto the field. I told the near side AR to get down and check the opposite goal right away, it took him a little while but he did go down and check. Meanwhile the CR and other AR are making their way back to the upended goal. I asked if they had checked the goals before the match and they said "Yes", after I told them I didn't see them check the goals, I asked again and one said 'Well, I didn't check them before this game but there have been four other games on this field today.' I asked them to find a field marshal so we could get the goals properly anchored and the CR just kept saying it wasn't her tournament - she was only working there. The refs said they were only here to ref the game - I responded that their first priority is player safety. I was pretty animated - I wish I had been a little more calm but I wanted to blame somebody. After a few minutes things settled down and I found some field marshals and we waited for for 'reinforcements'. They eventually brought buckets filled with water to tether to the back of the goal to help anchor. I also took out the single anchors they had and put them in properly. I was really disappointed that they didn't have any extra stakes or sandbags to more effectively anchor the goal. I know I will be walking the field with my keeper before every match to make sure we are safe. I generally do a goal check before our matches but with the tournament schedule and barely getting on the field after one final ends to start our game I didn't this time. Never again! It was really scary to see that goal hurtling towards our little keeper. If there had been a corner kick on our end at that moment it would have been devastating. So, just another reminder. Check the goals.
I had my sandbags disappear at halftime at a tournament once. I make my ARs check the goals before each half. (Most of them think I'm nuts, but that goes without saying ...)
I actually used 50# bags of manure one time. The best part, both coaches volunteered their U-17 boys players to go the utility shack and carry them to the field.
In one of our more rural areas of the state, the goal was not secured, so one of the parents parked their Suburban on the back bar of the goal. Problem solved.
If they had set the car alarm, it could have been a great goal indicator/celebration! Though it might not have helped with those quick "whole-ball-across-the-whole-line" decisions.....
I'm with my son in San Antonio this week, at a youth tournament called Copa Rayados. Venue is the complex surrounding the San Antonio scorpions stadium. Was watching another team from his club tonight. Goals don't look anchored. At halftime I go over and lift the back of the goal. No anchors at all. So I check a couple more, same thing. Not a single sand bag in the whole place. Games going on on every field. I mentioned it to a ref crew coming off at halftime and he said he'd mention it to someone. Sheesh.
True story. Last Saturday afternoon I had a single game - High School - Boys JV. Arrive at the site, at the high school, there was a girls game in progress. When this game was over I checked the field - main field at the site. Goals were not anchored or secured in any manner, very easy to pull over. I informed the coach: "Coach, the goals are not anchored." "There has been a girls tournament here for two days, no one has said anything." "Well, I wasn't a referee on any of the games." "Can't you give me a break?" "Sorry, coach. The rules require that the goals be anchored." "I don't have any way to get them anchored." Long pause. "Well coach, if they are not anchored I am not going to be refereeing the game." The coach gets up and leaves. When he returns he asks if a 35 pound weight on each side would be sufficient - I reply "yes". After he had the weights placed I made a point of thanking him, which he acknowledge. Over the many years at this crazy business I have run into un-anchored goals a number of times. This is the first time I have ever had any push back from the coach. However, it was not confrontational, he (finally) complied, and we had a good game. Lesson - you can get them anchored if you are patient and calm. And - if you are at a site where for some very good reason they cannot get them anchored - don't play.
was coming here to post the article - the article prompted a thought for me that I am changing right away. I am very particular about arriving early and checking the field, especially goals and nets. When I am center I always request my AR's to "check the nets" as we leave the center circle in preparation for kickoff. I never say check the goals (hopefully they do) but checking the nets isn't the same reminder. Starting now I am saying "Check to make sure the goals are anchored as you check the nets".
...and still do it yourself, just to make sure. (And at some fields, check again before you start the second half – I once had the sandbags wander off during halftime in a tournament match.)
Also be aware of conditions. I was doing a game two years ago where the goals were securely anchored with several sand bags. It was an extremely windy day (the kind where goal kicks blow backwards) and one of the goals still managed to lift off of the turf. We put more sand bags on it but I had to abandon the game because it just wasn't safe in my opinion.
At my first game last night I was AR. The other two members of the crew hadn’t arrived yet, so I decided to start checking the field over. I went past one of the goals and saw the metal loop and the chain. Everything appeared to be in order. Then something caught my eye. Sure enough the loop and the chain were there, but they were not connected in any way. It was like someone took the bolt out that was holding everything together. I told the home coach and they quickly got everything secured. It reminded me that you need to inspect the anchors closely.