Back from Regionals

[falcon.7]

And I thought I learned a lot at ODP. 10 games, 2 good informative assessments, and I got to watch a lot of people at work. After ODP I felt I gained a new level in terms of my refereeing and I was feeling pretty good. Now I feel I've stepped up another level, and that makes me very excited.

Games weren't great. First year, plus when the list was sent in from the state, I was still an 8, so I got U-12 to U-14 games. AR1 for a U-13 boys semi (story later), but no final. A really good experience overall and I learned so much more about things I thought I knew.

Okay, so story time. U-13 boys semi, NJ (coached by Tab Ramos) vs ENY. 50/50 game for the first 15 minutes. Then a close offside (1 on, 1 off, ball goes to onside player) puts ENY down a goal. Running in front of the ENY bench, I made the mistake of trying to explain the call. As soon as I said "one player offside, one player on", he goes "oh, so you admit he was off" and starts announcing for everyone to hear how I admit it, but didn't call it. So I shut my mouth and moved on. Midway through the 2nd half (4-0 now), I raise the flag for a player coming from an offside position RIGHT in front of their bench. Here we go again. 4th, great guy from WV, gets them back under control. With 20 seconds to go, one of the assistants says the following sequence, all quiet-like so only us two can hear:
"So, how old are you, like 12, 13....how long have you been doing this, 6 months, 3 months....you need to get some new glasses."
In a moment of weakness I turn to him to tell him to f off when the final whistle sounds. Thank you Lord, because that would probably have been my last game at Regionals forever.

I will never attempt to explain a call ever again.

On a less serious note, any tips for positioning near the center circle. I find myself there a lot and I don't like it. Or as the assessor put it, I am "unsure and hesitant". Wah wah wahhhhhh. Oh, and it seems everybody from NJ and NYW knows Steve (USSFRef). You're famous. Don't worry, didn't give out your handle.

[Chiller15J]

On a less serious note, any tips for positioning near the center circle. I find myself there a lot and I don't like it. Or as the assessor put it, I am "unsure and hesitant". Wah wah wahhhhhh. Oh, and it seems everybody from NJ and NYW knows Steve (USSFRef). You're famous. Don't worry, didn't give out your handle.

I too have that similar problem, I end up in the center circle and I'm guessing where the passes are going to go, and where the players will go. Sometimes I'm wrong and sometimes I'm right. I'd love to know of some ideas how to avoid that situation of guessing all the time, well less than I do now at least.

[Ref Flunkie]

I will never attempt to explain a call ever again.


I wouldn't rule out explaining a call. Now granted I've never been to regionals (and from the sounds of your story, I don't feel the desire to go now), but I don't think there is anything wrong with explaining a call. Now granted, I would wait for them to ask me about it, but never explaining a call is not a good idea IMO.

[GKbenji]

My advice is to very, very seldom start a conversation about game events with players or coaches. If they don't complain or ask, no need to say anything. As you found, it can just open you up for trouble. If they do ask, keep it short and sweet. "Tripping on red." "He was onside, but the player who got the ball was offside." If you can remember numbers, so much the better as it lends more credibility: "Number 5 kept him onside, coach."

As for the center circle, simple... don't go into it. Try the "Italian diamond" pattern. There used to be a great write up by Giovanni Piazza on soccer-referee.us (http://www.soccer-referee.us) but the site appears to be down. Anyway, your pattern stays on the far side away from your lead AR until after you cross midfield, then you cut across diagonally avoiding the center circle. Same thing coming back; go down the sideline until you cross midfield, then diagonally over to the far side. If you draw it out, it leaves a slanted "diamond" in the middle of the field, including the center circle, that you don't even go through.

Your "diagonal" becomes kind of an S shape that "splits apart" in the middle. I

\
\
\----
\ \
----\
\
\


The picture isn't quite right because of ASCII limitations (the top an bottom of the diamond shouldn't be flat, but angled a bit towards the corners), but that should get the idea across.

[USSF REF]

Oh, and it seems everybody from NJ and NYW knows Steve (USSFRef). You're famous. Don't worry, didn't give out your handle.

Haha... famous, I dobut it. I just hope the things they had to say weren't all bad.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad situation from the game. Just learn as much as you can from it, thats all you can do. Remember... anything you say can be used against you on a soccer pitch.

[refmike]

I have found that brief explanations can be helpful. You just have to be more careful abut what you say. From your situation you could have said "the onside player got to the ball first".

And when they try to argue I just chuckle at how little they know the laws and let it go at that.

[Ref Flunkie]

Just because I don't think this question warrents a new thread, but I have noticed a trend (perhaps this has always been the case) where teams will complain to me as an AR that I need to get control of the game (when the CR is "losing control" in their opinion). Or some other thing where they expect me to go out there and give the CR a piece of my mind. I, of course, smile at them and then they think I'm laughing at them (guess I'm not allowed to smile). Anyone get this a lot, and if so, what is your response to them?

[jacoismyhero]

On one game a few weeks back, I was in the middle and had to tell a coach to quiet down, but I smiled as I said it... he went to AR1 and said that I needed to lose the ego and that the AR needed to tell me that he has been coaching longer than I've been refereeing, so I have no business "talking down" to him.

Off-topic, but pertinent to what Chris had mentioned, haha. I guess sometimes being lighthearted and personable can be a bad thing.

[Ref Flunkie]

On one game a few weeks back, I was in the middle and had to tell a coach to quiet down, but I smiled as I said it... he went to AR1 and said that I needed to lose the ego and that the AR needed to tell me that he has been coaching longer than I've been refereeing, so I have no business "talking down" to him.

Off-topic, but pertinent to what Chris had mentioned, haha. I guess sometimes being lighthearted and personable can be a bad thing.

Part of it may be that it irks them that they are not getting under our skin :). We just smile and go on our merry way!

[campton]

Being a very small 15 year old, with a very large officiating ego :D (just kidding), i am signing my death warrant if i smile at a coach while im attempting to tell him how to behave during a match. I normally ignore the dissent and problems from the coach for the good of the match. I dont want to abandon the match due to them not having a coach. Some coaches here get pretty intense even at the u-10 level. I find the best way to resovle any dissent from the coaches is to first attempt to let it go. In my case, its one of my only options becuase they will just play the "your too young to be doing this high level of a match" card. That is an argument i cannot win, no matter how well i do a game.


Any thoughts on how i manage higher level games that are near my age?

[jacoismyhero]

You need to ooze confidence, but not arrogance. It's difficult to explain the differences between the two, but in essence, when you start doing games that are challenging:

-Be firm with every call. Strong whistles and signals are a must. Sell the call.
-Be active in play. Lots of correct positioning and quick movement adds to your credibility.
-Be verbal with players. Talking to players on their level will buy you calls that are hard to sell, as well as show spectators and coaches that you're "good for the game."
-Don't put up with anything that could escalate. Dissent is a big issue that we're being educated on now. "Stamp out dissent quickly." Public, Persistent, or Personal statements about your management of the game need to be dealt with quickly and made into big examples for the rest of the players.
-Be consistent. Was a foul at the beginning of the game the same as a foul at the end? What about cautions? Send-offs? Those are questions you need to ask yourself throughout the game to keep yourself consistent.

[campton]

Being a good youth referee (in my oppinoin :) ) and being younger, i feel that minor/medium dissent from coaches are better for the game. i tolerate very little from players, but i think actions on my part could only escalate the situation. Resulting in alot of hostility through the match.


Maybe im completely wrong.

[intechpc]

Being a good youth referee (in my oppinoin :) ) and being younger, i feel that minor/medium dissent from coaches are better for the game. i tolerate very little from players, but i think actions on my part could only escalate the situation. Resulting in alot of hostility through the match.


Maybe im completely wrong.

Well I don't know if you're completely wrong or even wrong at all, but in my opinion I disagree about coach dissent being good. Especially in youth games, coach dissent leads to agressive play and dissent from the players. As coaches argue with calls, their team begins to feel their being treated unfairly and the players react with either dissent or worse, overly aggressive and careless play.

Usually when I address a coach (and again this is particularly effective at youth matches) I'll point out to him/her that I'm starting to see their players mirror the coach's behavior. Nine times out of ten that is all it takes and the embarassment alone gets him/her to shut up.