Field unplayable?

[refmedic]

I need some input as to how to handle a situation that presented itself to me yesterday. We have 1 amateur league that is still playing. Saturday night we had a late fall typhoon come through the northeast, and when I got the field on Sunday morning, there were 3-4 inches of standing water on the field. I have never seen a field that was less playable, but I was the AR for this match (I was the CR for the next one and that would not have kicked off). I expressed my concerns to the CR, who talked it over with the players (first mistake), who wanted to play. The season is ending and they don't want to have to reschedule into December. The players stated that they wanted to play, so the CR, against my objections, decided to play the game. On my first run down the river where the line used to be, I had to change directions and my feet came out from under me. I put my arm down to brace my fall, but due to the way I landed, I tweaked my back pretty badly. Needless to say, I'm done for the year. Interestingly enough, the league President plays on one of the teams in this match. My question is this: If you are an AR on a match where there is OBVIOUSLY an unplayable field, but the referee, either for his own reasons or because of outside interference (such as a league President) decides to play the match anyways, what do you, as an AR, do about it. Hindsight being 20/20 as it tends to be, I should have told the CR to screw and gone home while calling the assignor from the car, but foresight wasn't there for me. This is the first time in my career (since 1994) that I have not completed a match that I started. Advice PLEASE!!!!

[o5iiawah]

I think you would be within your rights to invoke law 18, call your assignor, take a picture or 2 and leave.

Your job is to ensure the safety of the players, coaches and your fellow referees.

It isn't up to the players to decide if a pitch is playable.

[boylanj64]

I think you would certainly be within your rights to refuse the assignment if the CR insists on playing on a dangerous field, but actually having the foresight to bail is pretty gutsy. I'd emphatically explain to the CR that you don't believe the play is safe for play, and basically tell him that is the decision he has to make. Kind of overstepping the chain of command, but better than throwing out your back so you can watch a mudbath.

[Alberto]

There is another big issue and that is the repercussions from destroying a field. Those guys may never get that field back. I had that happen a number of years ago for a State Cup match. The match started in light rain. Within minutes it was coming down torrentially. The field was destroyed. All the nice grass was ripped apart and turned into a field of mud. The game then was abandoned at halftime because of the field conditions and the thunder and lightning. The home team was barred from ever being able to reserve the field again.

[DWickham]

Never ignore your gut when it comes to safety. It's usually right about these things.

[Sharky1967]

Better to tell the CR he is playing the game short an AR then getting hurt. Leaving might actually then convince the CR to not start the game and save other injuries as well. Sorry to hear you got hurt.:mad:

[Doug the Ref]

Yeah, it's easy to say shouldn't have done the game AFTER getting hurt. If the game would have gone on without incident,(like most do) it would have just been another story in our quiver. I have a hard time determining playable and not playable. As a player growing up I played in all kinds of weather and field conditions. I know I am supposed to be older and wiser, but I sometimes have a hard time with that too. :)

[refmedic]

I wouldn't be kicking myself so hard if this was a borderline field. If my arms were in the shape that my legs were in, I could have done the line in a kayak. NEVER AGAIN!!!

[njref]

In a borderline case you have to follow the CR. But 3-4 inches of standing water (presumably over much of the field) is not borderline.

[blech]

There will definitely be different thresholds for this kind of thing, and it is ultimately very subjective. An excellent point re preserving the field and the ability to use it, but it seems to me that decision should be made by the league/team(s). The safety one rests with the CR, and I would be prepared to insist (rather than assist) if I were an AR in such a situation even to the point of taking myself out if the CR ultimately refused. Of course, I would need to feel pretty confident before taking such a stand, which is where this scenario unfortunately raises a certain amount of hindsight second-guessing.

That said, I recall a few years back as a coach taking a team to what truly was a "friendly" tournament and showing up for the first game of the weekend to see a very wet field (although not inches of water like you described), that had been used a few days before as a parking lot for a nearby golf tournament. We had a "serious" tournament in two weeks which probably factored into my decision, but I didn't hesitate to refuse to play. The coaches of the next game showed up, were irked that the goals hadn't been set up, and got the refs to agree to kick-off. That no one got hurt in their game only solidified their view that I was too cautious and several other choice adjectives.... Point being, this is very discretionary if the league isn't stepping in to make decisions, people are going to see it differently, and hindsight really does color perceptions about it. (PS - We did well in the subsequent tourney, so I never gave it another thought).