Home Cooking (biased local refs)

[Wreave]

This from a local soccer board which I help moderate, a conversation at Saturday's game:

Parent 1: You it's home cooking when they know the linesman by name.

Parent 2: What's his name?

Parent 1: They're just calling him by his initials... A.R.

:D :D :D

[dtingley10]

lol did this conversation actually happen?

[Ref Flunkie]

This from a local soccer board which I help moderate, a conversation at Saturday's game:

Parent 1: You it's home cooking when they know the linesman by name.

Parent 2: What's his name?

Parent 1: They're just calling him by his initials... A.R.

:D :D :D

No way did this really happen...
:D

[njref]

No way did this really happen...
:D

Yeah, no way soccer parents could be that uninformed and stupid...

[Ref Flunkie]

Yeah, no way soccer parents could be that uninformed and stupid...

That is just beyond funny though :).

[Claymore]

I've never understood the line of thinking that any referee gives a flying shag in a donut hole about who wins a U-13 match.

[Wreave]

I wasn't there, but my source was Parent 2. She did correct the poor uninformed guy...

[billf]

I've never understood the line of thinking that any referee gives a flying shag in a donut hole about who wins a U-13 match.

You mean you're not willing to deep six your career by fixing a u-13 match?


:D

[njref]

I've never understood the line of thinking that any referee gives a flying shag in a donut hole about who wins a U-13 match.

Some "home" referees dig themselves a hole by chatting with the home-town coach and being on a first name basis with the coach and players. If you give the appearance of being friends with one team you can't be surprised that the spectators and coaches from the other team may suspect something is wrong. And let's face it, sometimes the home refs ARE biased.

[Claymore]

Some "home" referees dig themselves a hole by chatting with the home-town coach and being on a first name basis with the coach and players. If you give the appearance of being friends with one team you can't be surprised that the spectators and coaches from the other team may suspect something is wrong. And let's face it, sometimes the home refs ARE biased.

I religiously avoid doing that. I grew up in this area and I played with a lot of the guys now coaching in NCSL and WAGS. Hardly a weekend goes by where I don't have a game with at least one coach I know or knew in my playing days. I may have known the guy for nearly thirty years, but on game day, he's "coach".

[vabeacher]

I often hear exactly the opposite from coaches I know personally. They usually don't like to see me working one of their games, since they feel I am too strict with them. There may be some truth to that as I try to call a tight game (on both sides) if I run into a coach I know personally. Just to take away any potential appearance of favoritism. As Claymore stated on game days they are just "Coach" and I make it a point to let them know to refer to me as "Ref", I don't want to hear you calling me by name.

[Red Star]

I've coached some girls teams so I always wonder what the other team thinks when one of the girls yells "Coach" at me and gives me a hug. :)

Hugs are always good though, never turn down a sincere one.

Seriously, what soccer community is so big that the local refs aren't frequently going to know some players or coaches?

Just because I know and like someone does not mean that I would cheat for them.

[GKbenji]

I work professionally as a coach in the area. As a referee, if I had to turn down any game where I knew a player, coach or parent on either team, my refereeing career here would effectively come to an end.

But as others said, on game day, it's all professional. The coaches are "coach" and the referees are "sir". If I'm checking in a team where I know a number of players I will remind them: "I know you know me, but for the next 90 minutes please don't use my name. I am 'sir', or 'ref', or 'Yes sir, Mr. Referee, sir!' " :)

It's gotten to the point where I show up for a game and not only do I know the home team, but I know coaches and players on the visiting team from 75 miles away.

[david58]

Just because I know and like someone does not mean that I would cheat for them.

I agree. However, I find that sometimes I catch myself wondering what my buddy thinks about my last call. Not a good thing...

Did a match last summer that a good friend of mine was substitute-coaching for. I think I actually had a decent game, and had some issues with players that had to be dealt with - from my buddy's team. He and I have a pretty candid approach to conversation, and he actually thought I did ok. But the pressure I felt just because he was on the bench did not help my performance (well, I probably ran harder just to show him I could cover the field). Also, the ride he gave me to my car (parked about a mile away) was not good judgment on my part in the event someone from the opponent saw me - won't do that again.

Basically, I simply avoid doing games for any team with a player I have coached, a coach I know well enough to have over for dinner, or with a team where anyone anyhow could infer I could be biased based on a cursory look.

[Wreave]

I do a lot of reffing for a local rec association, and am on the board. My son has been playing with the group for three years. Consequently, I know a lot of the players in his age group by name, as well as many of the coaches in other divisions.

Coaches I don't know, I introduce myself and tell them to use my first name if they need me, because I don't normally respond to "Hey Ref!" from the sideline. I feel this really helps in game management. They're less likely to yell at me if they see me as a person rather than a nameless official. And when they do yell over a call, it's still "Hey ref!" but when they need my attention for an injury, or a question at halftime, they usually use my name and it softens things up. Note that I do this at rec up to, say U14 or U15.

If I pick up players' names during the game, I'm perfectly willing to use them, as well, especially the younger ones. Half of them can't remember their number anyway, so "Hey Fred, watch the elbows please" goes a lot further than "Hey number four."

Now, when we play inter-club games, which isn't often, I both make sure to extend the same courtesies to the visiting coach as I do our coach, and also am far less likely to call players by name. However, I always introduce myself by name to the coaches, and expect that my calls on the field will show my lack of bias, not the fact that I pretend I don't know someone's name.

[david58]

tell them to use my first name if they need me, because I don't normally respond to "Hey Ref!" from the sideline. I feel this really helps in game management.

Wow...I consider myself a friendly bloke, and like to use the players' names if I can remember them from the lineup, I would never consider asking a coach to use my first name. I consider that a severe breach of protocol, and probably would warn or caution the coach immediately - it makes it look and sound too friendly. I do not call them by name, either, and prefer to keep that small distance between us.

Maybe I just grew up too uptight in the manners-strict South....

[refontherun]

We have a local U-19 interleague team that is very good. It has won the state final two years in a row. There have been some player changes, but the reputation of the team remains intact and is very well known. I know several players on the team, and the coach is also a referee who I know quite well.

When teams come from out of town, they know the teams reputation, and are basically coming to try to "unseat" them. In other words, loaded for bear.

I did a game of theirs two weeks ago. The game was going well with the home team having a technical and tactical advantage. Into the 20th minute, the home team took the lead. Scoring a second goal shortly after. The away team was obviously becoming frustrated and that's when the problems started. I ended up issuing four cautions and a red card (second yellow). All to the away team. The home team earned no cards.

This past weekend I did not do their game, but heard that the away team were issued numerous cautions and three red cards (I believe all second yellows). The home team earned two cautions. That's it.

When folks see situations like that, it's hard to appear unbiased, even though you know in your heart you are not. I did what I had to do to control the game, and if someone sees differently so be it.