The biggest thing I see as an issue with experienced referees doing games where they are used to inexperienced refs has to do with coach behavior. Coaches who are used to spending more time coaching the referees than their players seem surprised when actually expected to behave in a responsible manner.
I haven't found that to be so either. In fact these guys seem mostly to respond to The Look in a very gratifying manner. Maybe because they see (and hear) me doing the coaching-the-referees (ARs) part. Having said all of which, I will no doubt find myself issuing my first red card to a coach in a U11 match next week ...
This definitely depends on the league you end up doing those youth games in. I would try and avoid those leagues that attract certain types of coaches.
We're in early-mid season in both college and HS, with most teams having 6-8 games so far this season. Counting this week's center, the last four middles I've had, the eight teams had a total of one win coming into that game. Also, last week, I had a double (women's middle, men's AR), where all four teams were winless so far this year (and in two cases, winless last year). As AR1, I listened to the team that hadn't won in two years celebrate scoring a goal and then lose their collective mind in the second half as their (winless) opponent took shot after shot after shot. They fouled at least 25 times, had two players get 2CTs, and the coach threw one guy off the team for mouthing off and another just walked off, as I quietly tiptoed on my line. Then they won. It was a _day_.
Before every season, I come up with some things that I want to focus on as an center and as AR. One of my goals as an center is to be more proactive in my positioning and never be caught flat footed in transition and not be left behind on a breakaway play. I felt that this weekend, I was finally making it a habit. I had few games that I could have easily went on cruise control but I found myself running 18 to 18, getting the far corners from my AR's, making full sprints on every breakaway and constantly anticipating transition play and rarely got caught flat footed.
That reminds me.... Not a Best Story, a quiz: HSBV, I am AR2. Mid way through the second half, Red player from the bench, gets extremely mad at _______________. And F-bombs his way out of the playing area. 1) The referee 2) Either AR 3) A player on the other team 4) His coach 5) The fans 6) A teammate I won't keep you waiting: 6) a teammate. CR reports that from his vantagepoint, the teammate is a real prick, and the player had just had enough. The bad news is the Red team won, and the prick scored a hat trick.
I had a weird situation that I'm not sure what I should have done with. HSBV game between two small schools, which naturally leads to some uncoordinated play. I'm AR1. CR believes that soccer is and should be a physical game, so he let a LOT of contact go. Coaches and players never figured out what was OK and what wasn't. The visiting coach, feeling extra aggrieved, was yelling a lot, which caused the CR to get upset. With about 15 minutes left in the game, visiting attacker and home defender have a big collision mostly due to the uncoordinated play. Defender was sprinting to a location to defend the attacker when he received the ball. Attacker misplayed the ball and chased the missed pass in a direction neither player expected him to go. They collided square and went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Both players tried to catch themselves and each other to soften the fall. YHTBT, but my view was technically a foul on the defender, but due to the uncoordinated play and the ball eventually going over the touch line, I could see no call. Either could be justified. This happened far down the field on the visitor's side line. CR blows the whistle. Not sure I'd have done that, but it is justified. Next he reaches into his pocket. I think a card is overly harsh, but maybe he wants to keep control after a hard accidental collision. I keep my mouth shut. He calls over the attacker and shows the card. I was dumbstruck. The coach goes ballistic and gets a yellow card. I didn't think I should run 40 yards to argue with the CR and try to rescind 2 yellow cards. It would have been right (in my opinion - which could be wrong), but it would have destroyed any credibility the CR had left and might have led to an abandoned match. What should I have done?
Nothing you can, really. You're not in a position to credibly help on the caution on the player. (And regardless of how bad the decision to caution was, the coach earned his.) That was a call the R had to own.
I agree. The very few times that an AR has called me over to offer me an opinion I have not appreciated it. Bad optics as well. "Assist, don't insist." You can talk to me at halftime about it. For the record, that is different than telling me something that the AR saw or heard that I should know about, such as a coach using foul language, etc.
Nothing at the time, but you could ask about it after the game. Maybe the CR saw something you did not.
...and might not even have been wrong. Like you said, YHTBT, and the center was 40 yards closer with a different angle. He certainly saw, or thought he saw, something different than you did. As for what you might have done -- you might have asked him "What did you see on that yellow card?"
Best story: I had my first whistle in a DA game this past Saturday. It was a U13B game. Four goals were scored in the last ten minutes, with two coming off of free kicks. I awarded a free kick for handling, which I didn’t get a very clear view of and probably shouldn’t have called. Oh well. This coming Saturday, I have the whistle on a U16 girls DA Cup match!
Maybe it’s not the way you meant it, but I wouldn’t say “oh well” about a mistake. A mistake is a chance to learn. (Some of us have had too many of them. ) so don’t say “oh well,” think through why you did t and how you can avoid that mistake in the future. One possibility is slowing down—but it really depends on What you saw, thought you saw, and reacted to. That doesn’t mean dwell on it, but learn from it before you put it aside.
Had this one this weekend, wondering how you all would handle it: Visiting team of U17s has no subs. It's warm, but not hot enough to warrant water/cooling breaks. Visitors score midway through the second half to tie the game. Visitors' bench is on the same side as the goal they're attacking. After the goal, a visiting player stops at his bench to get water. He stays on the field, but is taking his sweet time. I can't restart, because he's in the wrong half. What would you do?
Give him a quick chance to drink some water and then tell him he needs to get back to his half. If he refuses to do so, then you have tools that you can use. Was the home team upset by his actions?
Law 18. If he's taking more time than reasonable, tweet, and tell him to get on his own side. That should resolve it. If he decides to make a show of not getting back (could never happen with 17 year olds), then he knows that he is asking you to caution him, and you shouldn't feel guilty if you have to oblige him. And of course add the time.
After several tweets and direction from me with no movement, I told him to get off the field and he could sub on at the next opportunity. That got him off the field and allowed me to restart, but in retrospect not sure what my justification for that was.
You were observing his temporary injury (mental) and had him leave the field for treatment (cool down, body and mind). Saved him a card, didn't it?
Worked for you. But arguably protestable (if permitted by league rules). If, as @Gary V cleverly suggests, you were treating it as an injury, he could return from the touch line during play with your permission, which you would be expected to give once there was no unfair tactical advantage from where he was returning. Personally, if a player wants to be cautioned that badly, I see no reason to disappoint him.
I was just going to say “ask him to either A) leave the field of play for a “cooling off period” or B) book him for DR. Tbh I lean more towards going off the field of play. But tbh I’d give him the option to choose his destiny. Sounds like he was being a dick. So I’d wait to bring him back on “until” I felt there was no advantage to bring him on. Honestly, I feel like cautioning you don’t get much out of it. Are you modifying the behavior (maybe), or are you punishing the player?? Having him leave the field and the team played short (probably 10-15s) Bc the player was trying to work the system? How many more players do you think will try it? I know cooling off and overall player safety is important in youth soccer. However, after the several tweets and direction he’s still there... he knows he is trying to game the referee and match. Kudos to you for having him leaving the field and quick thinking.
Sounds like the difficulty of getting coaches to let their kids onto the field at lower levels. TWEET! "OK, guys, let's go." (Huddles continue another 15 seconds.) TWEET! "Let's go!" (Huddles continue.) TWEET! TWEET! "No, seriously!" What do you do here?
Assuming this is not a game that will "count", I will announce, "clock is starting", or "coach, we only got this field until xxxxxx" On a higher level game, I will start walking towards the huddle, looking slightly PO'd. I have never gotten all the way there before they break up.
Start blowing the whistle two minutes early, and pad the time you tell your family you'll be home by five minutes.