LOTG Question - U10 Games

[ylwshrt]

This is probably a debate starter, but here it is anyway:

Are slide tackles allowed in U10 games?

Should they be?

I ref in MA (BAYS) and ran up against a very aggressive U10 team. I am a pretty new ref but have coached for almost 10 years.

In this particular game, A kid was slide tackling (and not well), and I called a foul against him. As there were a few kids on this team attempting slide tackles quite frequently during the game, I approached the coach of that team at half and said that I would be calling all slide tackles (it was hot and the game was starting to get out of hand - or at least there were more fouls than I liked). He agreed that it was the right thing to do in this situation (he said he really liked the idea), but questioned if that was legal or not according to the LOTG.

I am checking with my SRA, but as I read this board frequently I thought you might have some comments.

Thoughts?

[stevieb]

No, there is no prohibition by the mods of the LOTG for younger players on slide tackling. That is not to say that there are some states and/or leagues who disallow slide tackling (and some even prohibit headers!) I'd rather judge the play by whether it is a foul or not vs. whether the act itself (slide tackling in this case) is per se illegal.

Can U10 players be taught how to slide tackle safely and effectively? Sure. But frequently the coaches coaching at that level aren't knowledgable themselves so they cannot demonstrate the proper techniques. I think what you need to do is look at whether it is dangerous (e.g. coming in stiff-legged at the opponent) or committing fouls by swinging legs through the attacker. And then deal with the foul.

[nsa]

The mantra for small-sided games is: Read the local rules.

Some leagues allow slide-tackles. Some don't.
Some leagues call PKs. Some don't.
Etc., etc., etc. :)

That said, I think that we all agree that the first rule in youth soccer is "Safety First!".

You did the right thing. In Mass., all games at U10 are "non-results based". IOW, "the score doesn't matter, we want the kids to be able to walk into school tommorow." :)

[Gary V]

Originally posted by ylwshrt
I approached the coach of that team at half and said that I would be calling all slide tackles (it was hot and the game was starting to get out of hand - or at least there were more fouls than I liked).
You might better have said that you will continue to call all illegal tackles, and that even though this is u10, if you have to resort to cautions to protect players you will. PI is a very real possibility, or USB for reckless fouls.