Today i had a great experience while doing a u-13 boys classic 1 game in illinois. I was centering, and i had two twelve year old AR's whom had never done a match before. I was a bit scared for these kids, and my fear turned into reality. Just as the first half came to a close, the home team scored a goal. After i whistled to stop play at half time. The Ar on the side of the goal comes up to me in a scared tone and says "Are they offside if tthey're offside, but they didnt get the ballt here, they got the ball passed and recieved it onside" My response was "yes they are, why?" "whoops" Apparently this is the play they scored their goal on. Any expericenes like this? i just thought it was funny and wanted to share.
Going along with inexperienced referees, I was in a similar situation last year at our Open (travel league) tournament. Our assignor likes to pair the older, more experienced referees with the young grade 9 kids, so they have an older-brother type of role model to look up to and to give them guidance and whatnot for the weekend. I was assigned with two grade 9 referees on a U12 boys game, I was in the middle. We walk out to the center circle, I shake their hands, let them go straight to touch (to avoid the confusion of "checking nets"), and turn away for a moment to check my pockets for everything. Teams come out, I'm ready to go, so I look to my one AR, who excitedly gives me a thumbs up... then I look to the other AR... or rather where he should be... and he's not there. I scan the touchline for any sign of life, and finally find him standing at the center of the field, ready to go. I ask quietly, "Why are you there?" and he responds with, "What do you mean?" The exchange continued with, "Second to last defender?" "Oh, yeah! Sorry!" before he moseyed down to the SLD. It was worth a chuckle; the kid did a fine job on the line that game and has faithfully stayed with the second to last defender ever since.
Ha that always makes me laugh. New AR's always think they ahve to at the center at thte beginning of a match.
it was a high school game, and there were two experienced ref's (the center was a national, and the other line was a state) and my friend (who i travel to tournaments with). The state (AR1) has the ball obviously go out on white. however, with a smirk on his face, he points red. the national center, not expecting it, is a tad confused, but ends up realizing what was happening. in the end, it was a good chuckle for the referees.
I was reffing with one of my sons friends, his first ever game proudly wearing his brand new shirt and patch. On a break down his line, I follow play and shoot a look over at him, he is running down the line to keep up with play, but is holding the flag over his head with both hands to tell me there's a sub ready Had a laugh and waved him down, at the next stoppage I wander over and have a little chat.
Well I'm glad you understood what he meant. I don't get this one either. I must be particularly dense this morning. Or old.
He was asking about having the ball played to you in an offside position, but coming back onside to recieve the ball.
Doing a U-15 match a couple months ago. There was a foul for which I decided to give a card, (late tackle about 3 min. left). I'm dealing with the card the AR on my near side is supposed to be watching players while I deal with the offender. There is commotion going on on my left side two players go down in a heap I didn't see what was going on. I have dealt with the caution back to the restart. The AR has his flag up, the fans are going ballistic, I jog over. Whats up? AR "I think that there was contact between two players" Which players I ask? AR "I don't remember" My thinking "this happened 15 seconds ago "you don't remember?". So then I ask Did you see the incident. AR "No but the fans seem pretty upset about it I think you should card the players" Which players? For what? There are three minutes left. I tell the AR the only persons opinion/what they saw are his the other AR's, and mine. If he did not see it and I did not see it and the other AR who is 60 yards away didn't see it, It did not happen. Jog over to the players I think were involved in the incident sternly suggest that they play the game, and stop being foolish. Match ends life is good. Check my schedule, thankfully I have no other matches left with this official. Find out this is his first tournament, this is a premier tournament, not rec, and he has been officiating for less than a year.
Let's get away from AR errors. My last funny experience was travel tournament, where I did a bunch of U12 games. As the last game of the day, a U14 game is scheduled on the same field. I continue with the same size 4 ball that was issued for the U12 games, didn't even give it a thought. 10 minutes into the game, one of the players says "that ball seems kind of samll". I realize my mistake and get a #5 from the home team and restart the game. Visiting coach gets upset and says he wants to play with an official tournament ball. So, now I'm stopping the game for a 2nd time to tell hime I don't have a tournament #5. Field marshal says he will radio the tournament tent to get a ball. Meanwhile, I restart with the unoffical ball. Five minutes later I have to stop the game for a 3rd time to swap balls, when the official tournament #5 ball shows up.
My one and only ovation from the parents..... Was doing a U12G game by myself (long storing in itself). These sized kids come in under your line of vision while you are running At one point I am sprinting up the field trying to get around the attackers to make sure I can get into position to call offside, should it be needed. I changed my run to get around one player and unfortunately another player ran right into my path. Didn't see her til the last second due to coming in under peripheral vision. It was either her or me...... Somehow I pulled off a nice dodge/dive that sent me down, turned it into a roll and came up running, almost without missing a step. Parents, after the "oooh" went into a standing ovation.....
Was just thinking about a thread like this based on an event from yesterday. I'm AR2 on a Region 1 Premier Game in VA. Field Turf field with about 1 yard of turf off the sideline. I'm on the parents side. Early in the game, before I've got a chance to feel things out and in a situation where I certainly wasn't expecting it (ball had been cleared a good 30 seconds before) the sweeper on my end of the field sprints forward toward midfield. I take off after him and as I'm stopping, hit some gravel that has made its way into my yard of sideline turf. I start to slide. At the same time, the ball starts back up the field and now I'm trying to turn as I slide. Because my right leg is now splaying outward, I've lost my area on the turf and pretty much hit its edge where it becomes the dirt outside the field area. I just go a$$ over elbows right in front of all the parents. Thankfully, they had the class not to laugh at me, even though I made sure to laugh at myself. Got a nice scrape on my hand and another on my the back of my knee somehow, but no real injury, thank god. I really wish someone had gotten it on film, because I must have looked ridiculous. Definitely forced me to focus harder the rest of the game to prove that I really am not just some clown.
I was AR2 for a U-17 first division team. I'm in line with the 2LD when a forward on the far side of the field starts a run across the field about a foor behind the 2LD. I can see what's about to happen but I can't leave early in case the 2LD pulls up. The ball is played, the forward is onside, and makes a cut to goal running full speed and I am almost at a dead stop. I'm already 5 yards behind the play. I'm almost caught up and the next thing I know someone is shaking my shoulder asking if I'm OK--and I'm on my back! It turns out that a dad saw the keeper coming out, took a step forward, pointed to the net--and cold-cocked me as I was running past. I had a nice scratch on my temple about 1/2" from my eyeball. He had a dislocated finger.
In my first game of a rainy tournament, I was an AR2. A light rain had been coming down, but the sun was trying to peak out. A fan tell me that one of my responsibilties is to let them when it stops raining. I told her no problem and later in the match that it had stopped. The next day I happen to have the same team as AR2 again and it was raining again. The same fan asked me if I remebered my responsiblitis as far as the rain. No problem I said. At one point I am following the last defender and stop in front of the fan at midfield. I hear her ask if it is raining, and I reply without looking at her that it was raining pretty good. The other parents around her erupt in laughter. With the play on the other half, I sneak a look over my shoulder and she wasn't talking to me, but was on the phone and red with embarasment. At least, I didn't forget my other duties.
I actually did the same thing only it wasn't a U12 game so I have no excuse. It was a U16 Selects and as I caught the player in my right side peripheral vision, I tried to pull up and change direction but was too late. Rolled and got right back up continuing with my run, but dang, I didn't get any applause at all. Of course my favorite goof up was as an AR on a U18B select match. Just after half time the ball went out and I was hit with a small case of 2nd half dyslexia. Started to raise the flag with the wrong hand. Brought it down but as I changed hands and started to raise it again I caught it on my knee and it went flying straight up. Batted it around in the air a few times before it finally fell to the pitch at which point I proudly stood straight up and used just my hand to indicate direction. Of course by this point the center had already figured out which way I was gonna call it and was looking straight at me signaling the throw in with a huge smirk on his face. Not a great feeling having to sheepishly sneak your way onto the pitch to retrieve the flag you just threw out there.
Maintenance assessment. Sprinkler head not fully buried but hard to see, no way to see on field inspection. Back-peddling the sprinkler jumped up and grabbed my heal. I fell flat on my arse. Halftime assessment? "You are the 5th guy today to do that there, watch out." Nothing like a prior warning from your assessor.
Speaking of going butt over tincups, it reminded me of a story, which reminded me of several others, all from the same guy. We have one referee whom everyone loves... he's a relatively young-looking, middle aged, surfer type of guy... always cracks jokes, always fun to referee with, always fun to play under his refereeing. Great referee as well. Story 1: We're all at a tournament, and it had just rained, so it was a bit slick. There's a hard, dangerous, seriously foul play in the box, and he was sprinting over to red card the person who committed the foul. He gets about 8 feet away, with card in hand, when he slips on some mud. He lands square on his butt, bounces right back to his feet with his card-hand extended, and sends the player off in the most dramatic display I've ever seen... Graceful indeed. Story 2: I'm sitting in the referee tent next to the field where he's doing a U19 division 3 boys game at our Open (travel league) tournament. He runs into the tent at halftime and says, "I red carded the wrong sonuvabitch (pardon the language), and I just now figured it out. Can I do anything about it?" Our SDI responds, "Um, did you restart play?" followed by Dave's response, "Yeah, about 25 minutes ago." Our SDI had a chuckle, and then responded with, "Well, unfortunately it's too late now." "Damn... okay then, guess it's time to start the second half." Story 3: State Cup, in the referee tent. This kid, presumably a U15 or U16, comes into the tent and asks for Dave. Dave says, "Hey, what's up?" The kid responds with, "Hey, Dave, remember me? You red carded me last year, and I just wanted to say hey!" Dave laughs and says, "Oh yeah, I remember you! Are you going to behave today?" "Oh yeah, definitely, have a good weekend!" This guy clearly oozes charisma... I need to get me some.
On a U10 match, I was walking backwards, my shoelace was untied and I tripped and did a backwards somersault. Some of the parents had a good laugh at that. In a boys U19 match, during the coin toss, it landed vertical! It hit a players shoe and then stood vertical against a weed, we had a big laugh at that.
There's a local U-little rec tournament here each fall that I sometimes work. White player gets fouled; tweet, everybody takes a knee while the coach and mom rush out to attend to the boo-boo. (Don't ever tell a mother wildcat that she can't come onto the pitch without your permission when her cub goes down. ) After a minute or so we're ready to go, everybody gets to their feet, but of course no one but me remembers the restart, so I say "White, on the ground." The white players look a little puzzled, but they all, in unison, obediently go back down on one knee. After I stopped laughing and explained that wasn't what I meant, they took the free kick and we got going again.
I'll bet you anything you and I have done matches together... Just to keep this on topic, I'll throw in one of my funny moments. At our open tournament (club level stuff) I was doing a U-something girls game when the keeper collected the ball and was preparing to punt it out... I start backpeddling and clip my own ankle, tumble over backwards and roll smoothly (I thought) back up onto my feet. Half the field collapsed with laughter and the keeper couldn't distribute the ball she was so doubled over. Had my face not already been red from hours in the sun that day, it would have been easy to see how embarrassed I was.
I have said this before, but someone should collect these and put together a compilation book and donate the proceeds to the retired referee fund. I digress.....two of my all time favorite stories: In Muenchen, Bavaria about 6 years ago during late September doing a men's tourney. Anyone who has been to Muenchen at that time knows it is Oktoberfest. Many of the men's teams partake rather strongly before, during and after the matches. One match was no exception. I was AR2 to two national BL referees, one CR the other AR1. During the first half I notice the keeper for red stepping into the net and appearing to relieve himself through the net to the area just behind the net. I had to double-take, but yes sure enough, he was!!! I raise my flag and motion for a caution. The CR, seeing nothing, comes over to me....all of which taking place in about 15-30 seconds....and the stream of pee is STILL going!!!! I simply motion to the CR to look at the red keeper. The CR strolls down (pee still going) and waits about 5 meters from the keeper for him to finish. When he is all done and turns around he is baffled to see the CR standing there with the yellow card. The keeper and the CR have a small, quick chat and the keeper takes the card well. He then extends his hand to the CR to apolgise, to which the CR says "Are you kidding me? Wash that thing first." Next match, same crew, same day. Blue keeper has nothing to do as his team is already 8-0 up within 25 minutes or so. Ball does not even make it past midfield....ever. Keeper gets the attention of a fan who brings him a tall Weissbier and a cigarette. Keeper casually places the glass inside the net like he would a water bottle and then takes up a Marlena Detrich pose against the post as he puffs on the Marlboro. The CR from the last match, now AR 1, flags down the CR (AR1 from last match) and they have a chat. Then the CR heads down to talk to the keeper. Guess who gets offered a swig of beer and drag off the butt? The CR declines, laughs, cautions him and moves on. How I miss that tournament.