I just had a U13 league game today where a home team keeper took a goal kick to a teammate stationed outside the PA. Opponent came into the PA, intercepted the kick but, in his excitement, kicked the ball wide of the goal. Home coach said "He can't do that!" Um, yes sir. He can. That law, among others changed. "Maybe I should read the laws." Yes sir. That would be a good idea.
I had a DA coach yell today about a potential penalty handball. The ball hit the upper arm and the hand was low. Clearly nothing doing. “THERE’S NO MORE INTERPRETATION ANY MORE! it hit the hand, so it’s a handball” was his claim. Oh dear. He was just letting off steam, and we had a long (good) discussion after the game about the clarifications for the new laws. He was clearly conflating the attacker hand —> goal situation. And these are the WELL informed coaches? Can’t wait for the mess of dealing with this stuff in lower level leagues with coaches (and plenty of referees) that are misinformed.
I've already done some DA pre-season/scrimmages and the players don't know that the ball doesn't have to leave the penalty area anymore on a goal kick. It's quite staggering. These are professional coaches and they aren't teaching or informing their players of a Law change that is fundamentally changing the spacing of the players on the pitch and the way in which teams press.
I assign for 2 clubs and plan to have (4) meetings with Refs and Coaches to go over the rules. I attended 2 clinics (IFAB material) given by the state on the new laws, which were ok, but could have been a lot more focused (IMHO). And my understanding is that 300 (out of 3000) refs in the state went to a clinic. So I know we are in for it. I decided to write up my own, mostly text only powerpoint that covers the new laws from the youth level perspective. And I ran it by the SDI, who basically blessed it. So I am sending it to every assignor in my part of the state and strongly encouraging them to hold ref meetings and go over the changes. And after reading some of these posts, I am no longer sure everything I wrote is completely accurate My goal is to try to get consistency in what refs are doing. Probably a pipe dream..........
This is the presentation I put together - this is for CT with input from our state association New Soccer rule changes For Youth games Coin Toss Team that wins the coin toss can now choose A) which goal to defend or B) to kick off Drop Ball NO MORE DROPPED BALLS WITH 2 PLAYERS A) If in, or last touched in, the penalty area, drop ball to the goalie or B) outside penalty area, drop ball to team that touched it last, at the spot where it was last touched • All other players, on both teams, must be more than 4 yards away Ball hits Referee Do a Drop Ball IF the ball hits the referee AND Goes into the goal or Causes a change in possession or Starts a promising attack Goal Kick ANY kick from inside the penalty area does NOT need to leave the area before it is played by either team • Ball is in play when it is kicked and moves • Defenders must be 10 yards away and outside of the penalty area • Defenders can enter penalty area as soon as ball is kicked • Kicker can wait until other team leaves the penalty area OR may kick at any time (at own risk). • Refs should not allow unnecessary delay of leaving the PA Goal Kick with Build Out Line If you are in a U9 or U10 game with a Build Out Line: On a goal kick, the ball does not have to leave the penalty area before it is touched AND The other team can come over the Build Out Line as soon as the ball is kicked (I was told this is our state ruling) Wall In a wall of at least 3 defenders, no attacking player is allowed within 1 yard of the wall If an attacking player moves into the wall as the kick occurs, then give an Indirect Free Kick at the spot of the foul In youth games, try not to let them kick until attackers are away from the wall If kicking team does a quick kick, then no foul for being too close to wall Penalty Kick Goalie must have at least one foot touching (or in the plane of) the goal line until the ball is kicked • If goalie violates this rule and a goal is scored, goal counts – no foul • If goalie violates this rule and stops the shot, retake the PK • If goalie violates this rule and the shot misses the goal or hits the post and no goal is scored (give advantage), then retake the PK • Goalie is supposed to get a yellow card for violating this rule – use discretion with young players – talk to goalie before kick!!! Substitutes The official rule is that subs should exit the field at the closest point to where they are at the time of the substitution • Do NOT enforce this rule for youth games • Continue to sub in the same way as before • Do not allow stalling while subbing Goalie Handling If the goalie makes a deliberate attempt to play the ball and misplays the ball, the goalie is then allowed to use their hands to control the ball So, if there is a pass back to the goalie and he attempts to kick it and messes up, he can then pick up the ball – no pass back violation has occurred in this situation Cards for Coaches Referee can now give a Yellow or Red Card to any coach or team personnel • If you give a coach a card – you MUST report it to me!!! • If you give a red card to the only coach, a new “legal” coach must be located or the game is terminated • Coach with red card must leave the visible area. If they won’t leave, terminate the game Try to control coaches without carding them, but if they are yelling at you or otherwise being disrespectful, go for it Hand Ball - Handling More complicated than ever Old Law – Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with the hand or arm • Does not need to be deliberate anymore (in certain situations) • Players take a risk if their hand/arm are in certain (unnatural) positions Not Handling • If player is falling and puts their hands out for support and touches the ball, this is NOT handling • Unless they do it on purpose • Unless they extend their arms AWAY from their body • If the ball accidently deflects off another (legal) body part of that player onto the hand or arm, this is NOT handling • Unless a goal or goal scoring opportunity results Probably not Handling • If hand/arm is close to the body and does not make body unnaturally bigger • If arms are below shoulder and not unnaturally bigger and the ball comes from another player who is close by Definitely Handling • If player deliberately touches the ball with hand/arm • If player touches ball with hand/arm (even accidentally) and then scores goal • If player touches ball with hand/arm (even accidentally) and then gains a goal scoring opportunity • The closer to the goal, the more likely this will occur Probably Handling • If the players arm makes their body unnaturally bigger and ball touches hand/arm • Even if from another player who is close • Unless the ball deflects from a deliberate play from same player • If the hand/arm is above the shoulder • Even if from another player who is close • Unless the ball deflects from a deliberate play from same player Handling – Hand Ball Coaches/Fans need to understand: • It is now possible to have a similar event occur and be a foul or not be a foul depending on a bunch of different factors • Is it a Goal or goal scoring opportunity? – if so, same play might be called handling in the box, but not a foul at mid-field • Did the player make themselves bigger? Could be difference of few inches and is totally in the opinion of referee • Players protecting themselves from ball to face or other sensitive areas is generally not a foul
I don’t think I like any of the changes and I don’t think they were necessary or benefit the game. Especially at the grassroots level where the vast majority of the games are played. I’m willing to have my mind changed though
I can't rep this enough. I had literally JUST sent a note pitching a story that would explain the changes for coaches, on the heels of my story explaining to coaches that they can no longer text players without copying parents.
I'm a huge fan of the drop ball change. At the pro level, the players generally understand the game well enough to make it fair. Parent coaches who've apparently never watched a pro game in their lives would treat it like a dadgum hockey or lacrosse faceoff, and I was just waiting to carry a U9 player off the field with a broken leg. I hate the goal kick change because it encourages keepers or strong-legged defenders to blast the ball upfield. I like cards for coaches -- just adds a nice bit of clarity. And I think the kickoff change will make the coin toss more fun for kids. I look forward to a bunch of U9 kids thinking they've won something valuable at the toss. They haven't, but it won't keep them from being excited about it. At higher levels, maybe the kickoff change will lead to more Yael Averbuch goals:
I'm not sure how the goal kick change encourages players to kick the ball upfield. From what I have seen, it does just the opposite. Generally, the goalkeeper will kick the ball to teammate that is within the penalty area. This is going to help at the lower levels where there were times that the young kids could not get the ball out of the penalty area!
The drop ball rule is fantastic at the grassroots level. And, the penalty area free kicks is also good. But, I have only done around 20 matches.
The ‘keeper taps the ball to the defender and either the defender takes it up or taps it back to the ‘keeper who gets a rolling ball to blast up the field.
I worked some games over Labor Day weekend and had a blast. However, I worked a couple of games with one youngster who I hope gets straightened out. U15 girls. Something called Southeastern Club Champions League. Better soccer than the normal state league. White team up 2-1 and has a promising attack in the attacking third. Center blows his whistle when he sees a player on the black team down, hurt, at the other end of the field. I'm AR1 and I tell him he can't blow the whistle to stop a promising attack like that. He said "I always blow the whistle if someone is hurt." Dude, this isn't rec. Sub was made and he starts to get two opposing players together for a drop ball. I tell him the law changes has a drop ball for one team, the team that had possession. He shoos away the player from the white team and tells the player from the black team to kick it toward the opponent's keeper. I tell him again that isn't the way the new changes say. He said "That's how we've always done it." After the game, another, way more experienced referee than me, asked him if he had recertified yet. He said he hadn't. She suggested he read the law changes before tomorrow's games because even though he hadn't recertified for 2019-2020, those games are played under the new laws.
We have had webinars in our state ahead of recertifications. I think we have 5,000 referees certified in the state. Only 20% of them (including me) have taken the webinars.
I had my first matches this weekend with the new laws. All the players and coaches seemed to take advantage of them. In my second game at a tournament, AR2 waggles his flag after the keeper taps the ball to a defender on a goal kick. I waved him down, and explained a few of the new laws to him at half-time. Fortunately, he didn't have any false flags after the first incident. I did have a u14 keeper dive on a loose ball and injure his ribs. I allow a substitute keeper on, and explained to those near me that we would have a drop ball to the keeper. An opponent asks if he can contest. "No, it's a drop ball to the keeper!"
The kids in my first game today struggled to grasp the drop ball. And one club kept taking short goal kicks with the defender outside the area -- the attacking team pounced and got more than one good shot out of it.
' I have. But those who haven't still need to learn the changes when officiating games that use the changes.
In a referee facebook group, somebody posted a picture of a USSF document stating that with the new goal kick rules, players could come over the Build Out Line as soon as the ball was kicked. I have searched the USSF website for this document, but can't find it. Anybody have the original source/link?
I can tell you that is true for AYSO. I don't know how USSF phrased its BOL, but if they said players can come back over when the ball is in play, it is automatic from the GK law change.
This weekend had first USSF youth matches since the 2019-20 Laws changes (have only done NFHS since last spring). Just double-checking here... U15 CR, defender clears the ball from the PA . An attacker ~8 yds away does the involuntary reaction thing with arms up against her chest while wincing and turning head away - purely protective reaction. Ball hits her arm and goes outward to teammate who soon puts it in the net . In HS, the clearly protective reaction move with arms against the body (female chest) is still not handling. I point to the center circle for "goal" then think, oh wait this is USSF, that non-handling arm contact created the GSO... [tweet tweet], wave it off, DFK for defending team. Quick explanation to players/coaches ("Laws changed") and they were fine. Did I get that right? Close proximity arm contact that would not be handling elsewhere is now called when a clear GSO for a teammate came immediately from it? I see the "Accidental" tied to a goal scored directly from the arm contact (second bullet) and take it as implied that the "creates a goal-scoring opportunity" includes FOR A TEAMMATE from arm contact that by itself would not be considered an offense. (EDIT: I've read through the Laws but haven't re-certed for 2019-20 yet; wasn't really planning on doing Youth this fall, but they're short refs again...)
You've fallen into one of the quagmires of the new Law. The spirit of the law seems to say handling, but the literal drafting requires the player who accidentally handled to possess the ball. I'm not aware of any official guidance on this. I'm certainly far erring on deciding handling when any attacker gets an opportunity to score, but not where I would fall if it was completely obviously not deliberate. Shrug. I'm sure we'll get new language next year . . .
South Texas did something similar. I'm not sure what percentage viewed the webinars. I suspect it isn't far off from what Rufusabc reports.
Thanks, SoCal. I paused and hem-hawed in my mind for a second or two debating pretty much exactly what you just wrote. It was a Rec league game so they took my explanation as gospel and got on with it, but I'm still questioning myself this morning... I just asked one of our district's USSF instructors about it... But, it quickly became clear he has NOT gone through the 2019-20 changes very thoroughly yet...