Has anybody bumped into an issue with drones yet? Do any of your venues have a policy regarding them? There was one hovering over the spectators at a match I AR1'd last weekend. I called it to the center's attention, but we agreed that in the absence of instruction to the contrary from the club, given that it wasn't over the field of play (or AR2) it probably wasn't our problem to deal with. But — in the continuing absence of instruction otherwise, I'm inclined to the view that I will stop play and require the removal of a drone that enters into field-of-play airspace on a match I'm centering. Thoughts? EDIT: Just did a search (after the fact, of course) and found this brief discussion last year.
Due to a kickoff or punt hitting a drone during a High School Football match this past year our High School association has banned the use of drones in all of its sports and competitions.
I'm primarily a (American) football ref. Guidance has been vague to say the least, so the unofficial guidance is if it's not interfering with play to let it go. We have drones at the majority of our high school games now I would say (and surprisingly haven't come across one yet at a college game), and so far it's always been a non-issue. Soccer could be a little more problematic, though, given that the ball could be kicked high in any direction at any time.
I've done exactly one match where a drone was present. It was well behind the spectators, and I never even noticed it until mentioned to me at half time. There is a lot of money spent on quality (?) video by prospective scholarship athletes. I'm sure the the days of the guy with the camera in the press box are numbered at HS events. I remember costs of around 250 a game for HS football with more if it was a 2 camera shoot. Drones? Might raise the cost! And I remember talking to some soccer coaches at showcases who told me they never looked at unsolicited tape.
Unless the competition rules say otherwise, an outside agent that is neither interfering with play nor causing a danger to anyone connected with the game should be ignored by the referee.
I'd only have a problem with it if it's flying too low - enough to be a visible or audible distraction. Certainly if someone is "buzzing" people with it the game is stopped. If the pilot cannot be identified don't make it your problem - the onus to remove it falls on the home club (or school).
Well, that's the question, isn't it? There was this: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/n...led-copter-fatally-strikes-pilot-at-park.html The one at my match was hovering about thirty feet over the spectators' heads. I fully expect to see one hanging directly over the referee containment circle sometime this fall.
https://www.nfhs.org/articles/legal-issues-related-to-use-of-drones-in-high-school-sports/ http://highschoolsports.cleveland.c...cials-deal-with-drones-during-regular-season/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook...-movement-to-ban-drones-at-high-school-games/
Our state high school association (not the referees, the association of the member schools) has banned drones from all (outdoor) contests. Within a week, we had a soccer game with a drone, so the referees stopped the game and asked the AD to take care of it. He found the operator and it didn't appear again. I can, however, envision 1. a coach wanting a time out in a soccer game, so he has someone launch a drone. The referee stops the game and the coach gets to talk to his team. 2. Teenage boys decide to jerk everybody's chain. (Would they do that? You must never have been a teenage boy.) From outside the stadium, they fly a drone over the field. Referees stop play, send the teams to their benches. The drone flies away and the game is restarted. A minute or two later, the drone reappears and play is stopped again. Repeat, ad infinitum. Imagine kids from the same school who are not associated with the team doing this. Then imagine kids from a bitter rival school doing this at a game that doesn't involve their team. Yeah. The possibilities for mischief are endless.
I just wanted to add that in the first game I ever refereed I permitted an un-catchable dog to run on the field with the players for a substantial part of the second half, so while I talk a good game I don't know if I'm the guy you want for practical ideas on the management of outside agents.
I was at Oberlin College a few weeks ago. We had a drone floating around, but not over the field. We joked that it was the assignor checking up on us.
Yes, Marin county has a lot of wealthy parents. I've had drones at games for parents making video for submission to College coaches. Not a problem, unless they move them down close to the keeper when free kicks or PKs are being taken. After a few minutes you never even notice them.
And I've done a number of track meets where the television camera on a boom is down at track level as the runners get into the blocks. They get it up, out of the way, before the starter gets to "set." I think the hysteria about drones will go away eventually. Look at the former bans on any electronics in the team area. We have this unfortunate tendency to want to prohibit anything new just because it's unfamiliar.
I agree, I have no problem with new tech. I work in tech and every time I get a new toy, I spend a bit of time to learn as much as I can about it. With drones, I actually own a couple, I have a problem once they enter the pitch airspace. It may malfunction or get hijacked by a neighboring controller and cause real harm. This actually happened to my drone once when I was flying in my backyard when my brother tried to fly another one at the same time. Luckily no one was hurt, but the dog got a good scare.
I'm certainly not an expert on the technology, but I know that one of the networks, NBC, I think, was broadcasting a MLS game in LA one time. They had an overhead camera with a controller of some kind to move it. My daughter was asked to be in the truck, telling the operator where to position the camera to get the best view of where things were developing. In the second half, the camera got out of control and dive bombed Kevin Stott, who was the 4th official. "It wasn't me!!!!"
I always wonder what people who won't play with drones in the area do when helicopters are in the area. After all, the main difference between them is size.
Do you have helicopters buzzing the field or swooping in and around the sidelines? Hovering over games? If we did, I'd be worried and would probably terminate. We used to have an ultralight pilot doing touch-and-goes in the park where the MBB league plays. That made many people way more nervous than a drone. My understanding is that several people reported him to various authorities. I haven't seen him for a couple of years and I can only hope the two things are related.
Actually, I have been at a high school football game where a helicopter landed on the field before the game. PR stunt by local television station. They were, putatively, delivering the game ball. For years, a number of the local stations did "Friday Night Flights," showing aerial views of high school football games.
Due to a mixup with the city field scheduler, one of our Saturdays was interrupted in the middle of a game by a Fire Department disaster rehearsal which included ambulances driving onto the field to meet a life-flight helicopter. The show was interesting, but the rest of the games scheduled for that day were cancelled.
Obviously the exception, but we were told they are not allowed for our league. Even if not over the field, there is concern about accidents and the view was that they are a distraction to the kids playing. If you want a video, stand there with a camera like everyone else.... Or hire one of the companies that will run a pole up 20 feet. With plenty of options that don't present the same issues, hard to get worked up about any of it.