U-9---U13 Yellow Cards

Discussion in 'Referee' started by Spencedawgmillionaire, Mar 13, 2017.

  1. seattlebeach

    seattlebeach Member

    AFC Richmond
    May 11, 2015
    Not Seattle, Not Beach
    The one thing I would add about especially the younger youth players - even if they are on travel leagues, and even if they have tryouts, and even if they seem like they know what they are doing, they are still kids - elementary or middle school kids - who don't have the control of their emotions when in a stressful situation that their behavior or actions on the pitch might lead you to believe they do.

    In other words, give the card or have the conversation, but be kind about it. Don't be another version of the angry adult correcting them, especially because you're in a position of authority in a complex personal dynamic. There are some jerky kids out there, but most of them really aren't - they're emulating something - and they don't need us to give them crap.

    As Confidence in Conflict says, "If what you want to say to the coach or player makes you feel good to say, then it's probably not the right thing to say." Apply that 5x for these ages.
     
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  2. Spencedawgmillionaire

    Mar 2, 2017
    Belleville, ILLLLLLLLINOIZE
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Only one of the players I carded knew it was coming, the other two gave me puppy dog eyes. I was reassuring them "It's ok, it's not a big deal, just calm down and take it easy." And after the game: "Hey bud, you play really hard, and that's great, don't worry about the card, it's just a warning, no big deal, good job fixing it." They were all smiles.

    I actually carry around a bunch of extras (someone gave me a handful of cards) in casef a kid is upset afterwards, I'll sign it for him and we can take a selfie. Kids like stuff like that. A friend of mine taught me that one.

    I'm all about the kids having a good time and learning.

    One coach asked why the YC in the PA? I told him it was a really late tackle and he almost took your keepers nose off. The coach was cool about it.

    I gave a lot of verbals, the game was 7-3, one kid with 6 goals, started getting chippy, the verbal warnings worked really nicely with the younger kiddos for the most part.

    PK as punishment for sloppiness is really helpful for my mindset, I appreciate all the input.
     
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  3. cmonref

    cmonref Member

    Oct 16, 2016
    Stillwater
    What I like to do in that situation is to put the player directly between me and the coach, that way the coach knows they're repercussions for bad behavior. I will also explain it to the player.
     
  4. Gary V

    Gary V Member+

    Feb 4, 2003
    SE Mich.
    And that's why we have Division 14 Blue and Division 14 Green and Division 14 White and ...

    Probably they're not very good. But they are pretending that they are good. So I'll pretend that the Laws apply.
     
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  5. Timbuck

    Timbuck Member

    Jul 31, 2012
    Do you adjust whether you'll give a card to youngers based on how the coach acts/reacts to the whistle? Or the sidelines?
     
  6. seattlebeach

    seattlebeach Member

    AFC Richmond
    May 11, 2015
    Not Seattle, Not Beach
    Instead of giving the obvious, generally correct answer - which is NOOOOOOOOOO - I'd cover the one exception, which is when the coach clearly and obviously steps in to correct the player's behavior in a way that teaches the lesson that needs to be taught adequately. A well-placed admonition from a coach can be as or more effective than a card in a U-littles or an otherwise-newcomers (e.g. JV HS) game.
     
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  7. Timbuck

    Timbuck Member

    Jul 31, 2012
    Let me give an example.
    U12 girl goes in hard. Doesn't attempt to play the ball at all. Uses mostly shoulder, but elbow is up a bit. Girl she is against is a smaller player and goes flying. Girl could have won the ball cleanly or challenged with less of an impact.
    She appears remorseful and says sorry to the player that she lit up.
    Ref blows the whistle and is going to talk to the player about taking it down a notch. As ref approaches the player, the coach barks out "YES!!! That's how I want you to play. Keep it up."
     
  8. refontherun

    refontherun Member+

    Jul 14, 2005
    Georgia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    U12 Girls Rec. Most players obviously have never played before. The main objective was to kick the ball as hard as they could regardless of where it went. Several players converged on a bouncing ball, and a player takes a cleat to the gut and goes down. Coaches come on the field. Coach of the offending player proceeds to firmly but gently explain to the girl how what she had done was unnecessary and dangerous, subsequently subbing her out. I was thinking a card there would have been double jeopardy and would have diminished the girls enthusiasm for the sport.
     
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  9. NHRef

    NHRef Member+

    Apr 7, 2004
    Southern NH
    I had one of these, in travel, not rec, I think U13 girls. Coach yelled, girl ran up, I told her to back up I can't let her do that, she backed up, coach yelled, she came up, I just smiled told her she has to get back or it's a card, she backed up, coach yelled, she came up, I carded her. At half-time coach approached telling me I made the girl cry and she didn't know what the card was for, I told her she knows cause I told her, coach said, well I don't know, so I told her, she said "that's how our director of coaching tells us to coach", so I told her then the DOC is setting them all up to get players carded.
     
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  10. voiceoflg

    voiceoflg Member+

    Dec 8, 2005
    How about U8 rec, no keepers? Blue team is scoring left and right. After around the fifth goal, a blue player hangs on the goal. I told him to stop and he released immediately. A few goals later, he does it again. I walk up to him and tell him "I already told you once. The next time you will get a yellow card." "What does that mean?" I said "That is a caution, and a second yellow means a red card and you are kicked out of this game and have to sit out the next game." A few goals later, he reaches up to the goal, but quickly put his hands down. He turned around and I was right there looking down to him. He said "I figured you were looking." He didn't do it again.
     
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  11. IASocFan

    IASocFan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 13, 2000
    IOWA
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In our U-little leagues (through at least U8 - not sure about U10), no cards. The referee is to tell the coach it's time for a substitute and that he/she needs to educate the offender.
     
  12. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    Yep, been on the other side of that. Before I started blowing whistles, I was a coach. When I got my D license, the topic I was assigned to present was teaching kids gamesmanship on free kicks. I passed, but it's kind of ironic that was my topic.
     
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  13. wguynes

    wguynes Member

    Dec 10, 2010
    Altoona, IA
    My first thought here was that the coach might not be sophisticated enough to know what the players did wrong. In which case, this policy would be somewhat of a failure. I then remembered what level of play we're talking about here. Anything I deem misconduct is going to be blatantly obvious to all adults in the vicinity what went wrong.
     
  14. Spencedawgmillionaire

    Mar 2, 2017
    Belleville, ILLLLLLLLINOIZE
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    I've always taught them to give the impression of space without giving the full ten. give them 6, then be incredulous, but polite.
    It's the kids who run up and stand a foot from the ball that usually give you stick.
     
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  15. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    What I was taught in my D license class, by the state director of coaching, a former EPL and NASL player, was to look clueless, wander through the area roughly three to six yards from the ball, without making eye contact with the referee, as if you were on your way to a defensive position necessitated by the foul and resulting free kick. 'Oh, am I inside 10 yards? Sorry.'
     
  16. cmonref

    cmonref Member

    Oct 16, 2016
    Stillwater
    I think at a da event we were told to not let teams do that. Coaches were under the impression their players would never get a card if they stopped at 6 yards from the ball on every free kick.
     
  17. jayhonk

    jayhonk Member+

    Oct 9, 2007
    If they settle in at 6 or 7 yards, and we don't tell them to keep going, what are we supposed to do if they jump and deflect the ball? Should be a YC for FRD, right?
     
  18. Bubba Atlanta

    Bubba Atlanta Member+

    Mar 2, 2012
    Yep, Atlanta
    Club:
    Atlanta United FC
    Only if they jump in, I believe. No?
     
  19. fairplayforlife

    fairplayforlife Member+

    Mar 23, 2011
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's the way I always viewed it. If an attacker sees the defenders set up at a point and chooses to kick anyway, to me that says "I'm ok with a defender being there to defend me from that distance". If they come closer it changes the original expectation so thus the card. Side or back, well you kicked it so tough.
     
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  20. Timbuck

    Timbuck Member

    Jul 31, 2012
    Ever give a card for the kick taker smashing a ball at a defensive player that stands 2 yards away? It's clear their intent is to strike the ball at the defender.
     
  21. fairplayforlife

    fairplayforlife Member+

    Mar 23, 2011
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No but I did let the play continue since it hit shins, the player it hit recovered the ball, and hadn't had a chance to retreat. When the kicker complained it should be a yellow, I asked: "What for, the worst free kick ever? You want one that bad?"
     
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  22. Schlager

    Schlager Member

    Dec 5, 2016
    I gave a yellow to a U9 travel player this weekend...

    First free kick, there's a statue and I loudly tell him that he has to to move back and give 10. Second free kick same guy, statue again so I move in and tell him no more with hand gestures and all. He does it again on the third free kick, which was an offsides coming out from deep in the defensive end o_O...Here's your card...
     
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  23. Bubba Atlanta

    Bubba Atlanta Member+

    Mar 2, 2012
    Yep, Atlanta
    Club:
    Atlanta United FC
    For PI? :p
     
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  24. Dayton Ref

    Dayton Ref Member+

    May 3, 2012
    Houston, TX
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Slightly out of the age range, U14.
    Yesterday, I gave out 3 yellows and a red. Two tactical fouls, one delaying the restart for a statue on the offside IFK, and violent conduct for kicking an opponent after going down under a fair challenge.
     
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  25. Spencedawgmillionaire

    Mar 2, 2017
    Belleville, ILLLLLLLLINOIZE
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    U13 girls consolation match.

    Girl has this preternatural gift for poking the ball away from the attacker from behind without making contact. BUT, after she pokes the ball away, she throws a really nice elbow to the back.

    I let it go the first time, because it was such a clean dispossession that I wasn't sure if it happened, really quick, plus, played advantage PLUS, my grade 7 AR on that side signals nothing, and it's right in front of him. But I start paying really close attention to her, specifically. She did it again, and I gave her an "EASY UP with the elbows 00," and played advantage. Third time I stop play, and explain to her that if I see her do it again, she's getting yellow, which happens IMMEDIATELY afterward. She's REALLY ticked, as is her father, who's going nuclear on the sideline about "getting the ball". This was really late in the 2nd. They go OT, with the last kick of the ball, she goes in halfway, but stops the elbow short, then turns and looks at me. As they walk to the benches before PKs I tell her she did a good job adjusting to which she replied "it's really hard." I tell her to keep practicing.

    She was either coached to do it, or it's been let go on for far too long because she's young. Either way, I hope her wide-eyed, terrified reception of the yellow gets her on the right track.
     
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