I just thought it might be interesting to share the unusual experiences we have had as referees that might present a learning opportunity for others. For sure, if you referee long enough, you will see it all! I am frequently remided of an older, very experienced, German referee who has acted as an unbelievable source of knowledge over the years. He had two favorite themes: Remember Law 18 (Common Sense) and, "when referees are born, we are born with the god given gift of perfect vision. We can see things that mere mortals (players, coaches, and fans) cannot." Keeping these in mind, following are a couple of my favorite situations, and the resultant calls. Doing an U10 game in a tournament, I noticed during the pregame walk around that there were branches hanging about 15 feet above a goal. But in a tournament, you frequently end up with less that perfect fields, given the number of teams/games to be played. Sure enough, half-way into the first half, a young player gets under the ball, as he his trying to shoot from outside the penalty area, and the ball hits the branches. Now I am stuck in the situration of the ball slowly descending, the goalie walking in a circle in the goalie box as the ball is starting to descend, and a horde of attackers closing in. I had about 1.5 seconds to decide... The answer was to blow the whistle, and award a goal kick. Using my gift of perfect vision, I was able to discern that, for a microsecond, when the ball hit the branches, it actually bent the branches back and the ball and branches crossed the plane of the goal line before springing back and falling toward the field of play. Case #2. A player shoots from just outside the penalty area. As the ball is travelling toward the goal, it appears to my eyes that it is growing more black spots. A couple of yards from the goal line, "POW", the ball explodes and drops dead inside the goalie box. Everybody looks at me. Decisions, decisions...... The answer I chose was to blow the whistle. Here I had to use law 18 and my perfect vision. Soccer is a game meant to be played with a ball. The "thing" lying within the goalie box at this point is not a ball. Who knows what it is. Useing my gift of perfect vision, I have determined that the object stopped becoming a ball somewhere at the 18 yard line. So the decision was to blow the whistle and drop the ball at that point. These are only two of the more unusal things I have experienced, but it shows that anything can and will happen when you are in the middle. It would be intresting to hear from others on theire experiences to make us all better prepared.
Both cases should have been drop balls and I personally would never play a game on a field with branches overhanging the goal, but thats just me. Fortunately, I have had pretty normal games throughout my career. Sounds like your life is much more "eventful" then mine .
True the exploded ball--a true "dead ball," I suppose--should result in a dropped ball. The "vision" to host this situation outside the penalty area is the only case for debate. Regarding the overhanging branches, I have heard it said that if an obstruction is a natural part of the field, such as tree branches, then play does not stop when the ball hits it. If, on the other hand, a dog ran onto the field and the ball struck it, then play would stop, the dog would be rendered mercilessly, and play restarted with a drop ball. But still, I like the goal kick decision, since it allowed a ten year old to eventually turn eleven. The permanent verses temporary interpretation is problematic, for when a ball bounces off the upper rigging of a combined American/True Football goalpost, the ball is whistled dead. Hmm... Are siamese twins counted as one player or two?
Well I ran into this situation while being assessed and the assesor told me it should have been a drop ball (no one really noticed at the time, and a throw-in was given). I agree that it makes more sense that if the ball is obviously going to go out of play along the line, just give whatever restart you would have if the tree was not there. However, if you use the LOTG to the letter of the law, then I believe drop ball would be the correct call for outside interference.
Outside agents are defined as something moving, i.e. human or animal. The keeper's overly involved mother, the stray dog or baby, a low-flying duck. Other things that can cause interference are pre-existing conditions. This includes overhanging tree limbs or power lines that cross the field. If this exists at your field, you have two choices. (1) Don't play the game until it's corrected (I'd only advise this if it's an international or top-level pro match) under the theory that "it shouldn't be there". (2) Play with the pre-existing condition being defined as a part of the field. This makes the tree branch that prevents the ball from going out no different than a bump in the grass that does the same thing. Edit: If the ball doesn't go out, play doesn't stop. Pointy-ball uprights attached to the soccer goal frame are a unique matter. It's another case of "it shouldn't be there", and in a pro game it wouldn't be. It's unique because it's attached to the required goal. It's called an appurtanance. That's the reason that when the ball hits the pointy-ball portion of the goal, it's treated as having gone out of play (and we restart with the appropriate goal or corner kick). All this can be found officially by searching Jim Allen's archives from about 5 or 6 years ago. I know because I asked one of the questions. (Maybe it's only semi-official; the date may be before Jim's site was given the official USSF blessing.)
"I agree that it makes more sense that if the ball is obviously going to go out of play along the line, just give whatever restart you would have if the tree was not there." And, clearly this is what I based the decision on. It did not make sense to me to award a drop ball on about the 5 yard line and give a possible advantage to the attacking team, when the ball would clearly have gone out of play if it had not hit the branches.
I hear ya...I just wanted to quote what our friendly local neighborhood national referee told me when he assessed us. Take it for what it's worth.
High School fields with combination soccer goal/football goal posts are common in Iowa. If the ball hits the football extensions, it's a goal kick or corner kick. Sometime in my 20+ year career, I've reffed on a field with overhanging trees. I discovered this during my pregame field checkout, and instructed my ARs and both coaches that any ball hitting the trees would be considered out of play. The most important consideration is identifying potential issues and deciding consequences before they occur.
Although I don't necessarily disagree with the action, what said that the drop ball has to give an advantage to the attacking team? I would have instructed both teams that I would drop the ball into the goalkeeper's reach, at which point he could pick it up. No advantage, and you stay within the bounds of the LOTG.
Or the keeper gets kicked! once you drop its a free ball, you have no right as the ref to keep the other team from participating and kicking the ball. Its good sportsmanship and you can suggest it, but if they don't listen, there's nothing you can do. Of course you could just walk to the keeper, drop and walk away
Agreed. Decide what to do about these annoyances ahead of time and be consistaent - hopefully a local understanding exists for these things. When I played and reffed on fields with pointy ball uprights, the "understanding" was that if the ball hit any part of the football equipment, ball was out of play (corner/goal kick). No big hue or cry ever took place about it - it was just understood this is how we deal with things.
The first time I used this plan, the keeper didn't realize he could catch the ball, panicked, and volleyed the ball over the touchline.
I surprised a keeper like this, but I dropped the ball with enough force that it bounced up into his hands. He looked at me with panic in his eyes and I hollered, "ball's in play, gentlemen!" It worked on that day, in that game. Might backfire in another game.... Steve
the laws of the game do not specify who can or cannot participate in a dropped ball...so we can drop to whomever we want. all 22 players could participate; or none. use the dropped ball to set things straight when needed. play is stopped with team a clearly in possession; you might just drop to team a. play is stopped with keeper in possession; you might just drop to the keeper, etc.
I had the smae sort of thing happen. That's why when I do this at the younger age groups (usually after stopping it for "injured" player), I tell the keeper "Im going to drop it, pick it up!"
I was an AR on a regional youth final where branches hung over the field over and near the goal. First, we decided we would judge situations where the ball hit them as out of play. This was a regional final and it was important to be fair. Second, this a regional final. That's an honor. Try tuning that one back or refusing to do that game... Never say never.
In Region 2 last year in Rockford, there was a field with overhanging branches that what forced into action because of standing water on a couple other fields. The administrators made it VERY clear that the overhanging limbs are outside agents and every ball that hit them had to result in a drop ball. They agreed it was tedious and unfortunate but that this was the case. They did make an effort to move as many games off that field as possible, but there were some games with a high number of drop balls played on that field. The instructors (including the FIFA referee assigned) and assessors (including the nationals and a couple MLS assessors) seemed to all be in agreement on this point.
yeah, there's a field we use for preseason matches that has a tree on one side overhanging the field - I usually rule that by hitting the branch it's a drop ball. I think it usually affects the ball too much to keep going. Works for me. On another board I saw a photo of a field with bushes on the field.......
Back to the original thread topic... I wasn't reffing, but was a spectator in a tournament U11B match on a field where a raised burm ran diagonally through half of the pitch (kinda like a raised railroad bed without the tracks). Anyway, the ball took some really funny bounces around this thing. But the funniest was when it rolled over the burm at nearly a perpendicular approach with players turning 180 degrees to pursue following the ball over the burm. 3 of 4 players went down like dominoes (not hurt, just wondered what hit them).
First mens open match of this fall season I arrive late at a field(they had to take me there from the scheduled field as it was closed) to find a large pile of dirt in the corner of the field. We decide to call it out of bounds and reserve the right as referees to stop play if it got too close to the dirt which was full of rocks ranging in size from baseballs to basketballs. STUPID IDEA! I should have refused to play.
If you're referring to the fields at Ft. Logan, it is a raised railroad bed. When they created the fields they didn't bother leveling the grade, just removed the rails and ties and threw sod over it. My very first tournament as a newly certified Grade 8, I was assigned to a line on that field and didn't know about the hump. Damn near fell flat on my face several times.
Just as an FYI, I had gone to the USSF Recertification in New Jersey ande they showed a video that showed a ball hitting the field goal above the soccer goal and it showed the proper restart as a corner kick or goal kick. It also is in the Advice to Referees book they had given us. It is strange that the assessor said to play it as a drop ball.