Girls game on Wednesday was extra fun - the soccer "stadium" had very little actual stands. Most fans just sit on the hills surrounding the field. Including, what we can only assume, was the majority of the boys' soccer team, which were about 3 feet behind me in the second half. Most of the comments were pretty lame and typical teenager stuff, but when they called one of the opposing players a 'bitch', it was time to call on the site manager (the AD, I believe). Only got called a 'snitch' once or twice after that. Made the mistake of grabbing some food on my way home at a place nearby the field. Natually, as I'm walking out, a couple of the boys come walking in, one of them asked, "Weren't you the ref tonight?". Yes, we have to eat too.
It’s really awkward for me running into people from games outside of that setting. A few years back we drove an 8 hour 500 mile trip out of state to a tournament and on the drive back we stopped at a rest stop and parked right next to us was a family who we can just refereed a few hours ago. The kid still had their uniform on. Luckily it went okay but it would have been hilarious if all of us started yelling at each other in the parking lot and people saw it It’s like kids seeing their teacher out of school
While my bluntness and candor of how high school referees are treated in comparison to USSF may not always be appreciated or understood by those who have done high school a long time, I have ALWAYS gone out of my way to state that so far, I have had ZERO issues with fans, players and spectators. I am aware that one day that will come to an end. I don't doubt the stories I'm reading here, because it's similar to what I'm hearing from referees I've known for a long time. I'm not afraid to chat with folks after a game where other referees bolt the second the game is over, because that's what they're instructed to do. If someone really wants to attack me in the parking lot, they'll find a way to catch up to me. One of the teenagers after my boys varsity game yesterday asked how they can start doing USSF games as they took the course back in February and didn't really follow-up on it later because he didn't know if he'd have the time to do games this fall. I showed him where to find a list of assignors and even emailed one of them for him since every assignor can use a body on short notice for this weekend, even if they're a newbie. If folks see you're genuinely a good natured-guy, people will respect you even in today's climate.
One nice thing here during Covid was that we had to wear masks. Sucked during games, even times I used an electronic whistle, but for that fall it was nice that we could walk off the field without worrying whether the dipsticks in the crowd could read our lips.
Oregon mandates that a game manager, for varsity games, offer to escort us to our cars. Yeah, except that there's no penalty if they don't. I'd say that it happens about twice a season. I was once followed after a game. The same car was right behind me, from the parking lot, down the road, onto the freeway. So I just calmly drove to the police department parking lot and pulled in. The car following me did not follow me into the lot. Problem solved. Another time, coming home from a game, I noticed a car following me when I got into my part of town. I hadn't thought to look back there when I left the school, but they were making every turn with me. So I turned in an unusual direction and they went by. When I got home, my son asked why I had turned that way. He was the one right behind me.
It's always funny to hear the stories of being followed to cars. I ride my bike to the majority of games I do. I park right on the fields. It leaves my only method of escape very exposed, but then I can quickly get the hell out of there and be down the street before people even get into the parking lot. I quickly run to the bag, pull off my uniform and put in backpack or pannier, hop on the bike and pedal outta there before people are even out of the stands.
I'm AR1, play down in the far end on my side. Looks like defender got last touch, should be a corner. Center doesn't have a great angle and turns to AR2. AR2 doesn't have much help, play was on the other side of the goal. Defender starts lining up for the corner but center goes with goal kick. Coach behind me loses his mind. Starts yelling at me to jump in. Hey dude, you really don't want me to start making decisions from 50-60 yards away. "What if you had comms?" he said. Umm ... maybe ... still a tough sell. I tried to calm the coach down but he wouldn't let it go. Center had to come over and warn the coach before we moved on. Center later explained he signaled goal kick too soon. He didn't see the deflection and admitted if he had waited a bit longer to see the players' reaction he would have gone with corner. Didn't want to change the call after making the original decision. Seemed reasonable. As AR in this situation, would you have done anything different? If I'm 100% on a throw in on my line & close to me I will say, "Hey Center, blue #25 had last touch, red ball" even if Center is pointing blue. But for a GK / Corner decision on the far line? No way. As center I wouldn't think of turning around to look at AR1 there.
that was too funny...just last year I had the away team lose in OT...I get to my car and there is a parent from the away team waiting for me with her cell phone. She says I need to show what you referees have done to my son...she shows me a cell phone pic of a black and blue swollen ankle. I said to her excuse me, but that picture could not have possibly been taken today...she said, well no...that was taken after the match from last week. I said very politely, this conversation is now over. Then she proceeded to walk at a snail's pace in order to prevent my car from leaving the narrow lot.
Ask her "holy shit, a referee assaulted your son and stomped on his ankle? You need to call the police!"
I used to put my whistle in my mouth and then put my mask on over it. Just reffed the game that way. I got a couple of strange looks cuz nobody could tell where the whistle sound was coming from. It also kept me from talking to players, which was fine since I didn't want anyone close to me anyway during Covid.
not as you. But the CR who realized he botched it had options, such as a quick jog over to AR “hey Bob, just nod. Thanks.” Step back signal deflection and point to the corner.
Without comms? Give a low flag in the direction for a corner and hope the C looks at you. And if they look reinforce it with a shake and point down. If they don’t, you tried. It’s a corner versus a goal kick. Yes we want to get it right. It’s not the end of the world if we miss it. And we all know we miss them all the time.
It wasn’t soccer, but For the first time as a referee, I had a partner start screaming at me during the middle of live play in front of everyone at the end of a game because he was angry that I called a few fouls in his “area” that he didn’t call. It would be the equivalent if you were doing a dual in high school soccer, you call something that’s more in your partners area and he starts screaming across the field at you WHAT ARE YOU CALLING, THAT’S MY CALL TO MAKE, AND YOU CALLED THAT OTHER ONE IN MY AREA A MINUTE AGO, STICK TO YOUR AREA AND STAY OUT OF MINE
I once worked with a well-known knucklehead on a Girls JV 2-man. An attack progressed and showed no likelihood of countering, so, as trail, I was pushed way up. The guy from the opposite corner flag starts waving at me to back up! I was amused, but, of course stayed in position. (maybe 10 yards in from the sideline and about 30-35 yards from the goal line. This caused him distress and eventually he crossed over to my side of the field --so now we were both on the same sideline as the teams and the coaches. So what happens next? Of course the ball switches back to the other wing and there is an out of bounds call to make. One of the coach looks at me like WTF? and I just shrugged. At half time, he says something like, "You have never done a 2-man before?" I say I've done them dozens of times. "I like to push up to be close to the play." No real answer. I think it was after this, that I started to mention to my 2-man partner pre-game: "I like to push way up. So if we have a corner kick in your end, don't be surprised if you look up and I am just above the corner of the penalty area. And, I you want to push up on my end, I won't mind, at all." ___________________________________ Let me just put a footnote. On another thread, horror stories of varying degree are being told about HS refs. This guy (and one other guy) in my 15 years of doing HS soccer are the only ones I could not rely on to run a decent game and make decent calls. That is dozens and dozens of competent and well-meaning refs. Many of whom do HS soccer only. They hustle and they care about the players and the game. And, if their knowledge of the Rules is a revision or two out of date are happy to be updated.
My pre-game for a dual is always something like "Call what you see even if it happens right in front of me. Getting the calls right is more important than my ego. Plus sometimes we can be too close to the play or our angle can be wrong and we miss something." In my career, I've only ever had one dual ref tell me to not call things near him. He said something like "I'll live and die by my calls in my area." I ignored him and called what I saw any way.
Indeed it does. However most refs think the correct position is standing at the halfway flag like a sub waiting to come on. I guess I could say: "Most refs don't have a clue how to run a 2-man; so, let's quickly flip through the diagrams in the back of the manual to see what's what." But that a bit pedantic, so I just say what I say.
I remember one Freshman dual where both of us called PKs in the opposite Penalty Area - because we both had a better view of the fouls we called.
Presumably not simultaneously. Only one penalty kick involved but I once watched a state high school boys championship game, largest classification, both teams from the same league, so lots of history. 0-0, in the last minute, Purple is attacking white, in white's penalty area, frantically trying to get a clear shot. Meanwhile, back in purple's penalty area, purple has a goalkeeper, of course, and one defender. White has one forward. Purple defender shoves white forward to the ground. AR's flag goes up, it finally gets noticed, PK awarded and white is state champion 30 seconds later.
I thought the same thing on my first read of IASocFan's post. I don't understand how a foul off the ball can lead to a PK. I know what the Law reads, just not sure why
Simply because no exception was ever made because it just never happens, so need to create an exception for a knucklehead who does something really, really stupid.
I had one of those just before the pandemic. U16B game. GK makes a save, opposing player bumps him after. GK puts the ball up the field to create a 3v2... as I'm running up field to catch up to the play, I hear yelling from my AR behind me, shaking her flag vigorously to indicate an offence. Turns out, after he punted the ball up field, he turned, walked back 10m and punched the opposing player in the face. Le Sigh. Stupidity of youth.
racism at U8s...sigh: Clarkstown youth soccer player suspended following racial harassment allegations against opponent (news12.com)