I was discussing my first red with a couple other refs and it turns out all of us first sent off a player for offensive language. This is not what I expected so I think this poll might be of interest.The first time you gave a red card, what was it for?
This actually doesn't surprise me at all. Unless you are a former high-level player who starts out doing amateur matches, most newly registered referees are (whether they are adults or teenagers) reffing young kids. If you stick with it long enough, your first red card is probably in a lower-level U12 or U14 match. I'd bet foul language directed at an opponent happens at that level more frequently than any of the other potential send off offences. True SFP is rare (again, at that age and the lower end of the skill level). Language will happen before things escalate to VC. Since yellows in lower-skilled matches are pretty rare to begin with, 2CTs are rarer. Spitting isn't a regular occurrence at any level. And the standard for DOGSO-F is pretty high with young kids. I'd suspect OFFINABUS and DOGSO-H (because kids are kids and sometimes they catch balls on the goal line) are the two most common answers.
I think I mine was spitting. It might have been 2CT, but I have a distinct recollection of the spitting early on. I actually got both guys. One guy spits clearly at the feet of the other right in front of me, and the recipient loads up and responds in like kind. It was in a charity adult tournament. Idiots.
Many years ago.... High school JV boys, solo. I remember the weather, the field, the teams, even which direction play was going. Home team player steals the ball from a visiting team player in midfield. Visiting player is angry and yells "F.....ker! Next time I'll take your head off!!!"
I think I've shared this before, but my first reds were VC for fighting in my first HS varsity center. Girls. They told me it would be easy and five minute in I've sent off two girls. The good news is that it freaked out the rest of the players almost as much as it did me. Easy game from then on.
U17 boys OFFINABUS, final of a local tournament that I picked up after a buddy of mine was removed. Somehow these teams played each other in the prelims and it wasn't pretty then either. unfortunately I had the same two teams like a month later at state cup on my first ever Gr 7 upgrade assessment. Another red, this one VC for an elbow to the face.
Mine was for for SFP in a BU14 game. What I saw was a kid A go up straight up for a header and an opponent (B) come running through, B knocked his head into A's head from behind, not coming close to playing the ball. "A" went down concussed. It was ugly. It wasn't a particularly physical game, and I didn't notice anything previously (though I'd love to rewatch the game with my level of experience today), but 100% excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent. With my shaking hand, I sent him off, and when the sky didn't fall, I got a bit more comfortable and have had to do it a couple more times since then....
Haven't given one yet, though I should have once for 2CT. I just didn't pull the trigger on the 2nd for FRD.
2CT 2 minutes in the game I realize no cards in my score book. Get close to AR2 and ask for his Yellow Card. He says, "You better take both." U13B game, hothead on a Yellow is unhappy with a foul call and kicks the ball into the next county. Kinds hard to ignore that.
State Select Boy's U14 Final. Largest boy on the field by a long shot keeps getting dispossessed and doesn't like it. Halfway through 1H, ball gets taken off of him by his own goal line, pushes the kid down who takes it. Tweet, YC. Five minutes later, does it again. We have a little chat about how I want him to finish this game, but now everyone knows what's going on and I'm going to be watching him. Three minutes into 2H, dispossessed right by his own bench, opponent passes the ball down the field, and when he thinks the play has moved on, grabs the boy by the elbow and throws him down. Tweet, YC, RC. As he leaves the field he cries out "but he was calling me a little bitch!" I learned the next day that a friend's son was on the team that received the RC (and eventually lost on the last play of the second OT). He sent me an email saying that they had a thoughtful conversation on the way home, and that his son said, "well, it didn't help us win the game, but I think Andrew needed that to happen."
I'm pretty sure it was a DOGSO-F that may have been SFP as well. No one complained. I don't recall though. I had a lot of SFP like players actually breaking bones (lunging in 2 footed, someone kicking someone in the face with studs). My first HS soccer red card was for offinabus (I normally have a higher threshold) but I had a player call a coach a fat cu**. In her defense the coach was a large pain in the ass. It didn't help it was a catholic school and the whole crowd heard it.
Violent Conduct, and yes I did. Still have the written form from the assessment. Unfortunately due to a filing error I didn't receive the official upgrade until a year later. I was a little salty about that. Especially since the assessor saw me at another tournament but didn't recognize me. He asked if I had ever considered upgrading.
I think my first 3 were in the same match. All VC including a post game punch during handshakes. That was a 3 Red 5 yellow affair. U19. Boys.
My second game as a ref....a really obvious DOGSO-F on an adult game. Breakaway, player grabbed the attackers shirt and pulled her back.
I feel your pain. My 8 to 7 upgrade game was U-17 boys, ODP teams from adjacent states (so natural rivals) and it was broadcast, albeit on cable access. Cable access having little content, the game was apparently replayed for weeks because I had people telling me "I saw you on TV!" Who has time to watch cable access? The assessor told me that I passed, although I needed to call more fouls. I'd never been assessed before so I didn't know that there was supposed to be paperwork involved. I just assumed that he reported the outcome to someone and that would be that. When I renewed, I marked the upgrade section of the form. When the stuff came from USSF, however, it showed that I was still an eight. The SRA was actually understanding when I contacted him. It seems that the assessor never did any paperwork. The SRA upgraded me anyway and the assessor was never heard from again. AND when I was going to upgrade to 5, I was assessed on a PDL game. The assessor, a FIFA Emeritus from Italy, had very little criticism during the debrief. Again, I never got paperwork. When I contacted the SDA, much too much later, he had no sympathy and I never got upgraded. Connecting some dots that I gathered later, the assessor never felt comfortable writing in English and some time later began visiting another National Assessor after games, where they would talk through the assessment and the second guy would do the actual writing. The assessor really was the best assessor I've ever met. You always learned something new and good from Gino. (And, when I became SRA, I replaced the SDA who'd shown no mercy. He was doing some other stuff that was totally unprofessional as well, like telling assessors, before the game, whether the referee should pass or not.)
My first two red cards was for VC - U16 or U19 game (20 to 30 years ago) , As the ball, most of the players, and I head toward the north goal, I sense commotion behind me. Two opponents were holding each other and trying to get punches in. No hesitation, LOUD WHISTLE, run to their location, show both red cards. Game was under control from that point on. I don't remember the restart, score, or who the visitor team was.
I've given a lot over 19 years, maybe around 100 or so, more if coach dismissals are included, but I will always remember the first. It was my second year reffing and I was 15. Our local rec league used a dual system (I know, I know, but I didn't back then) and I was on a U10 game. Visiting team is getting destroyed on the scoreboard. After about the 7th goal they went down one of the kids proclaims loudly "these refs are a couple of [word that starts with f and rhymes with maggots]!" I didn't know who said it at first as it was behind me, so I spun around and asked who said it. Many small fingers pointed to the culprit who then hung his head. I showed him the red, and explained to his coach what he'd said. Luckily for me, he'd said it in front of the spectator side and his parents had heard him. They apologized and thanked me after the game for dealing with it appropriately.
More notable than the first one I gave is the only one I have rescinded. Iowa Games is a Sportsmanship oriented competition every Summer. I have a U14 or U16 girls rec level game. Near half time, the stronger team was already up 3 or 4 to 0. They sent a shot upper 90 that was deflected by the hand of one of the defenders. NO Choice, I show the RED CARD. The opponents' coach requested that I not give a red card. SPORTSMANSHIP! What does the game need! I felt like the lesson had been learned, playing short would only further unbalance the game. "OK, I agree, I change my mind. Yellow card and a PK."
I have been refereeing so long that I don't remember what I gave my first red card for. I do remember giving my first red card in a high school NFHS game. It was a girls varsity game when white took a shot on green's goal. The ball hit the post and land in front of the green goalkeeper. A white player rushed in to attempt to score. Instead of doing the easy thing and falling on the ball, the goalkeeper American football tackled her opponent. I also was a referee for green's next game, and while getting the roster, the coach pointed to the stands to show me the suspended goalkeeper. He said, "I knew you'd be one of the refs, and I just wanted to show you she wouldn't be playing." My first two NCAA red cards were even more memorable. It was a Division III women's game between white and purple. It was the middle of the second half, white was leading 3-0, and had a corner kick. Before the kick was taken, I saw a purple player punch a white player in the face. The two teams start rushing toward each other as I am blowing my whistle and my AR2 and I rush in to separate everyone. After we separate the players, I saw the purple player a red card for fighting (which is an extra game suspension in NCAA soccer). Then I ask my AR, "Did you see anything before the punch which would have caused her to do that?" He responds, "Yes. She punched her because right before the other player slapped her face." I said, "Your word is good enough for me" and gave out another red card for fighting to the player that had been punched. When I explained it to both coaches, neither one argued the call. After the game when I got back home, I spend three hours filling out game reports about the incident. The teams' league wanted one, my assignor wanted one, and the NCAA required one. All three wanted the same information, but all three had a different form and I couldn't just copy and paste one onto the others!
My first red was also the only red I have had to rescind. I had been a referee for maybe 2 years and was still in high school. It was one of those Nike tournaments in Oregon and it was a U15 boys game. Gave a boy a yellow card for something and then he said something back to me (not loud, thus not public, and not profanity nor personal) and I gave him a second yellow followed by a RC. players and coaches went berserk and my more experienced AR1 walked me through it and I rescinded the second yellow and thus the red. I cant remember what he said but I remember talking with the assignor about it later and her saying "thank god you rescinded that 2nd yellow, no way that comes even close to earning a yellow". Early in my referee career, a yellow for dissent was extremely easy to get from me. I have since learned to manage players in a way to nip dissent early and prevent it from raising to the level of yellow. In ten years, I think I have given 8 reds most for 2CT, a couple for profanity, and one for DOGSO-F.