I kicked my weekend off in style as the center of a Boys derby game in the district where I work. After halftime one of the coaches approaches me and says, "I don't know if you know, but this is a rivalry game. So the late fouls are what they are and should be handled." I wanted to say, "Oh buddy, you don't know me, but the first harder challenge for each team were warned in the first half and a yellow followed. I'm not one of these schmucks that will warn players all game long." Of course, his team was the first to commit a cautionable offense... Ended the game with 5 yellows, 2 tactical and 3 reckless. Side note this was my first HS game of the year and I'd forgotten how much pointless running there is.
Made a very long drive this weekend for a College Showcase just to get out of the winter up north. It was a 100 degree difference from Thursday at my house to first kickoff on Saturday morning (-35 to 65!). One conversation during a game where ball keeps rolling down the slope to the edge of the brush- After the third time I say to a 10ft radius of players "new rule, the one who kicks it in the brush has to go get it." Player closest: "wait, is that really a rule?" Me: "sure, why not? I just made it up. If there's a parking lot nearby I offer two points for hitting a car." second player: what if you break a windshield though? me: "that's an automatic win." closest player: "But do we really have to go get the ball after we kick it?"
Some years ago now, our men's league sometimes played on a field that was very close to the street. We're talking touchline, sidewalk, street. Not surprisingly, the ball tended to go into the street. At one point, the ball rolled under a car that was stopped at a red light. A player actually decided to retrieve the ball by sliding himself under the car! And then there was the high school game where an extremely high shot cleared about a 20 foot fence behind the goal. There it came down and hit a State Police car's front windshield. THUMP! The trooper just drove on when the light turned green! I don't remember if they got the ball back from the highway.
I remember playing as a youth next to a busy street. Strangest one I ever saw was a ball bouncing under a car--and getting caught on the underside of the car. A bit of bewildered watching as the car, presumably totally oblivious to it, as drove off with the ball.
Once in middle school we were regularly putting the ball over the fence. Every time we'd go ask to go out and get the ball. Usually someone would run because we wanted to play again. Once, a bus ran over the ball getting it between the dual tires. As one might expect, the ball popped. We all stood around dejected for about 30 seconds, maybe a minute, then me and another kid went to ask permission to get the dead ball. Before we could ask, the adult asked why we hadn't come to ask to go get the ball again. We informed him that that was why we were there. At least we had the good sense not to ask for a replacement for a few days.
Welcome to Augsburg University in Minneapolis. You can guess where we tried to clear a ball when we visited. We weren't very good my first few years in the program so it was no surprise that we only managed to hit it to I-94 once.
A couple of years back I was centering a BV game at a school where there is a city street maybe 20 yards behind one goal. A player hit a shot high and wide of the goal that cleared the fence and smacked into the windshield of a passing car. I don't know if the window was already cracked but apparently the ball finished the job. The car screeched to a halt and the irate driver jumped out yelling and demanding to know who was going to pay for his windshield. Don't know, don't care, goal kick! As a side note, this is the same field where we heard a series of gunshots from a maybe a half block away that send everyone (including yours truly) ducking to the ground. We restarted the game after a short pause. Fun times.
We have a small college field that has railroad tracks that run parallel to the field, on the press box/ team benches side of the field. One day, as AR2, I saw a player smack a ball off the side of a moving train! It bounced off, but not back into play. The University of Portland stadium is pretty enclosed, at least on three sides. Clive Charles was the men's and women's head coach at the time. A true gentleman, a Brit with a Cockney accent, of Jamaican extraction. Clive NEVER yelled at referees. Not ever. But, if Clive stood up, you knew you had just blown it. One day, I'm 4th official and they're playing a men's team from halfway across the country, a school that deserves to remain nameless. Their coach is just the opposite. Older, white very vocal American who is sure that, regardless of what's happening on the field, his team is getting hosed. The home team is ahead by a goal. A number of their clearances managed to fly over all of the seating and out of the stadium. The visiting coach is getting pretty vocal about how long it's taking to get a new ball into play each time. Clive, finally, had enough. He stands up, turns to the team equipment manager who is at the opposite end of the bench and loudly says, "Ah whant eight balls!" The equipment manager starts pulling the warm up balls out of the bag and tosses them to Clive. Clive throws the balls, over my head, to the visiting coach. Nothing was said to the visiting coach or by either coach but the message was pretty clear. His school was never invited back. This visiting coach didn't have such a great start to the game that day, either. As the teams are trotting out for the kickoff, he and his assistant are settling down on the bench. The head coach had a clipboard with a dry erase board on the back. He's got a green dry erase pen as well, but he can't get the cap off the pen! Until, suddenly, it pops off. He sprayed his face with green ink spots, as well as the wall behind them. The assistant wants to laugh so hard, but he knows that he doesn't dare! The spots on the wall were still there a year later.
I regularly worked at one field where the goal was near the fence line of the neighboring houses. Despite a pointy-ball PAT-type net, the ball would sometimes go into a neighbor's yard. Before someone jumped the fence to retrieve the ball, I told the coach, "Hey wait. That 'Beware of Dog' sign? It's for real."
Not soccer, but baseball. I do the radio for a high school team and we often go to Columbus (Ga) High. Their baseball field is shoehorned between the school and a neighborhood. Watch out for foul balls.
Back to soccer, my first games of the year are this weekend. Saturday, five U9 and U10 games with buildout lines, back to back to back to back to back. AR for all five, mentoring centers that were Grade 9s last year, each their first time as centers. I am very much looking forward to it.
Better you than me. I simply don't have the patience for soccer that little, or the corresponding parent/coach behavior that goes with it.
Sometimes getting experienced refs out there can help educate coaches and parents on what appropriate behavior is in a way that newbies can't do.
That dome is much better than the Stillwater one if I remember. I had to do a few GHS "spring" matches in Stillwater because of the ft of snow still on the fields. It's like reffing a game at Dusk with no field lights. Just depressing after 90 minutes...
Dealing with their appropriate behavior is a struggle for me. Especially the parents of that age that simply do not know the laws of the game. When I have a father vehemently complain that "You can't call offside on players that young. They don't know any better" when I am doing games solo, I really don't want to take the time to explain it. As AR2, I can explain it while the game is going on. That is why I love doing these type games. If the centers were doing these games solo, he or she may get frustrated with the behavior and may lean toward not coming back after a year. But if they have ARs that can act as a buffer, they can learn how to deal with it and hopefully recertify again and again.
Yes... and when I was there for an MLK Day college Showcase the temperature was fluctuating like crazy... definitely not my favorite dome in the Twin Cities area.
This weekend is Washington State Cup for "big boys" (U15-U19 top divisions). Always played on turf fields with barely-adequate drainage and occasional bursts of wind (and trains and the smell of manure, but that's less relevant). Current forecast: 6"+ of snow starting Friday night. Gonna be a time.
You guys are talking about snow on your games. I complained recently about my match being 35 degrees!
No worries. I'm wearing shorts today and tomorrow. But Saturday my first game is 37°. And I will be complaining, too. @Bubba Atlanta couldn't you have warmer weather in your neck of the woods?
What are you talking about? It was 70 degrees when my plane landed at the airport this evening. Whaddya want? Wait ... what's it gonna be for my games Friday night? Anyway I'm sure glad to be clear of Kansas City. It was 20 degrees and starting to sleet when we took off.
@voiceoflg I apologize for that snappy reply. It was cold as, well it was darn cold tonight. When I got home my wife said "Poor baby, weren't you really cold?" And I said "Nah, I layered up and it was OK." Then I started taking off layers. By the time I was down to skin I had counted seven. "You really had seven shirts on?" "Yep." "I didn't know you had seven shirts."
Miserable weather last night in south TX. 32 and windy with something wet coming down. I has two undershirts and a wind jacket under my yellow shirt. I made up for being miserable with not one but two advantage calls that ended with the ball in the back of the net.