I've been assigned to an O-40 men's game in a league that does not permit slide tackling: "Slide tackling is not allowed in this league. First...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2012/feb/29/goalkeeper-scores-wind-assisted-own-goal-video Included in many a ref quiz, here it is...
The final match of the season rolled around for my O-30 women's team, and I think we were all looking forward to it being over. It's been a tough...
http://footballblips.dailyradar.com/video/best-penalty-kick-ever-ezequiel-calvente-penalty-for/ I wonder how long it will be before some...
I received today two documents from the state that purported to clarify USSF assignor policies. There was nothing new in them, but there were some...
I attended a session held by the district for assignors the other night. There were a number of interesting topics. One of them was a requirement...
In the 88th minute of a lopsided match, an incident occurred that seemed to me to be completely trifling but ended up with a caution. Yellow is...
I am an assignor for youth matches, district league stuff. I'm just coming up to my one year mark in the job. I built my own simple assigning...
This was in today's Grauniad "Fiver" column: "A quarter-final of the Hertfordshire Senior Centenary Trophy between Hertford Heath and Hatfield...
Level: O-30 women's. Opponents show up with 9 players. I have 15, all eager to play. We haven't played this team since April 2007 (this...
This was touched on tangentially in a thread a while back about trickery, but didn't really get much comment. I've discussed it with a number of...
Those with time on their hands may wish to check out the referee cartoon strip in the Observer at http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/youaretheref...
Every summer there is a program for high school teams to start getting in shape for the upcoming season. CT high school rules prevent HS coaches...
Yesterday I refereed probably my biggest match to date. It was the final group stage match of the State Cup for O-30 men. The situation prior to...
Most of the time the decisions I replay in my mind are the ones where perhaps I am second-guessing myself. This one I am satisfied I made the...
I find this vaguely troubling, because there's a lot of scope for verbal deception and surely some of it goes too far. Consider: ball is crossed...
It was a very windy day, but we had decided to have an early evening training session (O-30 women's rec tram). My goalkeeper was able to make it,...
While this is unfortunately nothing new and will not come as a surprise to anyone here, there is an interesting article in the Independent about...
Here's a topic that will probably always be with us, but it's always worth a refresher now and then to keep it in mind:...
An interesting blog from the Guardian today on an FA initiative regarding respect for referees:...
My girlfriend and I have started coaching a U-14 boys travel team. Most but not all of the players also play on their middle school team and have...
Article in today's Guardian on UEFA instructions to referees concerning misconduct at corner kicks (also deals with procedure for non-serious...
I suppose it happens eventually, even if you work at relatively low levels. "It" being a match you have to terminate because things have gone...
I know I'm not going anywhere in the referee world, I started too late and at 53 there's only so many more miles in these knees. But once in a...
I coach a women's O-30 rec team. In the match this afternoon, an opposing player was wearing a leg brace with no padding. The frame of this brace,...