I didn't want to start a new thread so I'll post it here. ESPN wrote an article that takes an inside look at NBA officiating. It talks about basketball but overall there's a lot of nuggets about what it's like to be an official of any sport. I found my self nodding in agreement multiple times. http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23680154/crucial-calls-nba-refs-make-biggest-stage This one in particular stood out to me. "Players, coaches and, for that matter, virtually every person in public life is afforded the privilege to apologize for mistakes, defend their honor or offer consolation to those they've wronged -- the owners, the execs, the players and the coaches with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake, the fans who live and die with their team. Yet referees are prohibited from saying anything, apart from a couple of boilerplate quotes to a pool reporter following the game before they go marinate in their blunder."
A good referee buddy and I helped out mentoring some young referees today during 5 u-10 matches. Build out line and all that! Here’s what happened: We had a double touch kick off, a double touch corner, a crying goal keeper, an FRD from a DFK and best a GK out for a corner EXCEPT it never left the PA before it went out. We had calm appreciative coaches and the young refs did really well. Hopefully, out of the 3 of them maybe one will be with us next year. Funniest, though, was a girl, attempting a throw in, stage whispering to her teammate, instructing her where she was going to throw it! BTW, yesterday 93 degrees. Today 58.
I had one of those, too--in a G19 game! I blame the curse of this board for discussing it recently . . .
When I am getting beaten downfield worse than I should, its usually because I am focussed on one the AR's secondary duties. If two players are getting into it a little bit and I am watching them; If the ball is launched from near my sideline; if the coach is in my ear with something stupid; these are all thnigs that can put me a step behind on a ball over the top. (And if I start out a step behind, it only gets worse as we go...) Recognizing these distractions usually helps, but some games you are just behind. Also be clear on what the risk is: on the ball over the top, you have a snapshot for the first decision. The reason you are running is to detect whether the second Forward is ahead of the ball when the first Forward passes it to him once he gets control--or gets the rebound off the shot. So even if you are 3 paces behind, you should be trying your best to anticipate this decision using the 18, the 6, and your best field geometry.
I had a WPSL game on Saturday where a woman just started dribbling the ball backwards with about 5 minutes left in the game... I too blame this board
Is there a worst story of week category? My 18yr old son is doing AR2 on U13 Cup match. Game is not even 1 minute old. First through ball and he starts sprinting down the sideline. When he called me to tell me he was on the way to emergency room, he said, "I was running, then I was on the ground with a hole in my leg". I asked him how big was the hole. He says, pretty f'ing big. A dog came out and bit him and he never even saw it. 19 stitches No details about kind of dog, but owner stepped up and said dog has shots and is offering to pay. So it could be worse.......
I had an awesome Open Cup game last night in Louisville! Probably the hardest line I've ever done. Louisville City pulled the upset over New England Revolution. Got to shake hands with Juan Agudelo and Brad Friedel after the match.
ODP Jamboree I am doing some referee mentoring with some young, new referee’s. Dressed in USSF polo, khaki shorts, USSF lanyard, etc. - the designer assessor/mentor look. We finish the match and the referee crew and i are walking to the referee area for post match discussions. Along the way, we come across an unachored goal with a 10 year old climbing up the back side netting on an empty field adjacent to our field. I state in a loud voice, “ Young man get off that netting now or I will red card you from this facility.” I am immediately approached by the young man’s father, he gets in my face “ YOU CANNOT YELL AT MY SON YOU PIECE OF S***!” “He needs to get off the nettting now” I continue walking with my crew “YOU CANT TALK TO MY SON THIS WAY!! THATS IT KEEP WALKING! KEEP WALKING!!” A field Marshall approachs and I say , “ You deal with him” I walk my crew over to the ref area. We discuss the match ( not the incident, wish I had in hindsight). The referee’s are done for the day and I return to the field. I come across the field Marshall, “What happened with the guy?” “ There are a lot of people out here today. You happened to find the a**hole of the day.” Unbeknownst to me , my next door neighbors brother in law witnessed the whole thing. My neighbor tells me, “ Adam said you had an incident today. You are trying to keep his kid safe and the guy verbally attacks you. He says he has lost faith in humankind.” Adam may have a point. No shortage of nut cases out there.
What rulebook was this? One he'd written himself? I can't imagine a rulebook going to the level of minutiae that would be required to specify what a player can do if another player is running the ball to the corner flag.
LOTG had similar language dating back to when charging from behind (as opposed to C/R/EF charging) was one of the penal (DFK) fouls.
Still does, more or less. I thought I remembered so, but I couldn't find it because I was searching on "behind" and "challenged," instead of "charge." (Thanks, I feel better.) From Law 12: That's less generous than the NFHS version (which I've always kinda wondered about). Was there an earlier LOTG version of this language that more directly addressed the "from behind" part?
Back when “charging from behind” was a re was an explicit exception for when the opponent deliberately put his back toward the player. There was language about it not being dangerous, and I believe at some time there was further elaboration that it could not be directed at the spine.
Very possibly, however that just makes my point - there's no actual mention of any specific scenario, such as the exact situation of a player running the ball into the corner, which the post I was replying to said there was.
That is EXACTLY what he was referring too (Thanks @Bubba Atlanta). The coach "interprets" that "Challenging from behind" Means you can run the player over from behind. He seems to not understand the "legal" part just in front of it. Or the violent or the dangerous part. A player "running to the flag" is not really attempting to play the ball and is indeed remaining between the opponent and the ball. they are just sitting at the flag and shielding the defender from obtaining the ball. He just picks and chooses what part of the rule he wishes to enforce.
So, how can the defender legally challenge for that ball? As a referee, coach, and dad, I'm truly interested to hear about it, so I can teach my players the correct way to both challenge and defend it. Thanks!
I found this, and like the description of a legal challenge that may still knock a player over. This is the toughest one for parents to watch I imagine. Legal Contact Legal contact in soccer is nominally described as being “shoulder to shoulder” between two opponents, as one player comes into the other, or challenges for the ball. The most common instance of this is two players running side-by-side, usually as they both pursue a moving ball in front of them. Shoulder-to-shoulder contact may also occur with opponents facing one another, such as in a front block tackle, or from behind, such as when one player screens the ball from an opponent. Each of these examples, when performed properly, represents a “fair charge” or a “fair challenge” in soccer. Former wording of the FIFA Interpretations stated that, “the act of charging is a challenge for space using physical contact [emphasis added] within playing distance of the ball without using arms or elbows.” The expectation during the performance of a fair charge is that both players will have at least one foot on the ground and that excessive force will not be used. In other words, the player making the challenge cannot just slam into an opponent who is in mid-air or barrel into him at high speed, even if the contact is shoulder to shoulder. A fair charge can result in a player being put to the ground, however, if one player loses his balance, timing catches an opponent on the “wrong foot” at the moment contact is made, or if another player is simply bigger or stronger. The mere fact that contact has occurred and a player winds up on the ground does not make the contact illegal. A fair challenge or fair tackle generally involves a defender cleanly contacting the ball first and not the opponent, when trying to take the ball away. A fair challenge or tackle may also result in the offensive player going to the ground, essentially tripping over the stopped ball.
To a coach, "challenge" often means "slide tackle". This coach is interpreting that you can now slide tackle from behind if the opponent is headed to the corner.