reckless challenge in minute 1 and reckless challenge in minute 5. Daaaaaaaang. For sure, if I’m the referee on the field I know that either we’re going to have a basketball game (someone looks at someone cross-eyed it’s a foul) or all hell is breaking loose at some point.
Finally get a chance to write stuff out on a computer So you can see the two red cards. SFP-achil (achilles) and VC-punch Home #12 went down on a fair shoulder to shoulder challenge, challenger gets possession. He gets up and starts running after him, he sticks his leg out and stomps down on the top of the guy's achilles at the base of the calf halfway up the leg while "going for the ball". I blow the whistle as hard as I can and start running over to RC him, and before I get there, Away #8 who was a few yards away goes and grabs his collar then punches him in the face and yes all hell breaks loose with players all running in. I start yelling SURROUND AND RECORD into the comms, I'm not even bothering blowing my whistle. Both coaches run in off the bench to separate people and both are yelling at me about if I saw "that bullshit" (the stomp, and the punch) that the opponent did. Now I go off script and pull something out of thin air. I tell both teams on the field to go into their penalty areas, just opposite sides of the field, I don't even care if it's bad protocol. Once they all go in there, I start comparing notes with my two ARs. Clarify with them the two RCs, 2 ub-respect YCs for each team for the melee afterwards and dissent YCs for the coaches. I call all the carded players and coaches into the center circle to issue their cards. Send the players away, have coaches stay and call captains in. Tell them that I would appreciate them to get their teams in control and show an example because there's 70 minutes to go and I don't care if I have to abandon the match from sending off too many players, but their ADs asked for a disciplinary ref and as they can see, that's what they're getting. Then I gave them a minute to meet with their teams and handle the situation before we restarted Codes for my UB-respect. ARG = arguing (basically the chest bumping stuff we card) As you can see for the most part it went very well until mid second half where I guess the cool down wore off. I wasn't about to let up on cards at the last half of a 0-0 rivalry game so you see an outside the box handball shot SPA YC which no one knew why just a handball was a YC so I had to explain, and an arm to the face. That's how I have to indicate RCs. My old paper card I had a check box for YC/RC for each one but no space or logical place on my new card. The first one was literally 20 seconds in. Away team had kickoff and had the ball down the field, guy passed it, 2 seconds later #10 just runs right thru him. The 5' one was a regular slide from the side, studs go thru ball-carrier's foot. Told my ARs on comms this is how it's gonna be today it's gonna be a long night. Everything in the second half was pretty regular stuff. Wasn't recorded, these schools were say on the lower socioeconomic side so they don't do fancy stuff like recording games Really overall the game wasn't that bad outside of the 10' mass confrontation situation. In fact I think that might have helped save the game because now equal send-offs already, equal yellows for each side, the coaches were now on a card for the remaining 70 minutes so they had to be on good behavior and protect their teams too. Teams realized that the ref isn't going to allow the crap they usually get away with. And there was basically a 4-5 minute rest break as I shuffled the players into their PAs, conferenced with my ARs, issued the cards, and gave the coaches a minute to talk to their teams to cut the crap. Both ADs afterwards came to us and said that it was exactly how they wanted a ref to handle the game
I’ll just say that I LOVE the “get to your penalty areas” move. That was brilliant and really good thinking in the heat of the moment.
I agree with @RefIADad that while unconventional, it is what the game needed. Sometimes we need to make the show about us, not about the knuckle-heads. Sending the teams to their respective PAs is the field equivalent of making a student sit in timeout.
Years ago, when I had a last game of the season match, HS VB, where it was clear that the 50th minute fight had been planned in advance, I sent the teams to their benches, opposite sides of the field, while I tried to sort things out with my dual partner. When my partner was zero help, I gave two reds to the home team, one to the visitors plus a red to a visiting team sub, a fellow referee, who came on the field to join the fight. (His coach later told me that he usually had that player stand next to him, so he could keep him from going on the field at times like that, but he (the coach) had been watching what was going on and he forgot to grab the kid.) We had no further cards in the game and the only goal of the game was scored by the visiting team 20 seconds after the restart.
It wasn't even supposed to be a timeout. Since the benches were on opposite sides, if all players are standing in their penalty areas, there is no chance for any conflicts while we can conference together in the center circle. Wouldn't have worked with the traditional benches on same side setup.
Also after years of searching for the Casio RFT-100 watch (the old world cup watch that has dual stopwatches and a vibration alarm rather than beep), years of having the search saved on eBay and seeing watches listed at $60+ or hundreds of dollars from Japan, I finally just today won a listing of one paying $30 total for one. I have used a similar Casio with the dual stopwatch but has a beep alarm and it's started falling apart. The lazy bum seller posted no description, so before I pay I'm making sure everything works. I was debating if I should go with a used smart watch like Vivoactive 3 to get the GPS feature and maybe even use Refsix. Maybe I should, but I figure that at $30 I can pretty easily get my money back reselling it.
First game of the year, after not getting re-registered for a month plus and then weather and a couple college track meets. U-15 boys, low skills division. AR checking the roster (I was checking the player cards) didn't pick up that one player's number wasn't what was shown on the roster. Murphy's law required that was the player who got the only card of the game. FRD, when he stood less than two yards from the ball after being told by a teammate to "get the 10." SMH. 1-0 to the visitors, on a corner kick header that also glanced off a defender's head but I didn't really think it was an own goal. But it didn't rain, didn't snow and no wind. Parents complimentary after the game. Good just to get the rust off, but I probably won't be able to do very many games this spring, due to track commitments.
Great stuff. Exhibit A as a counter to the "ref let the game get out of hand, now my kid is injured, it's the ref's fault." nonsense. Sometimes you know it's coming and do your best to avoid problems ... but the kids are going to punch the crud out of each other anyway.
NSR. No games last week as I was officiating the NCAA Division 1 Indoor track and field national championships. Signed off on a national record, a separate U20 national record and was on the crew for two other national records, and something like five national collegiate records.
Spring is in the air, and with it the usual flurry of National Honor Society applications. I usually get 8-10 kids a year asking if they can use me to verify their reffing experience. Got this one today and I swear I heard a mic drop.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/refere...ck-reunites-with-the-player-who-gave-him-cpr/ Not many people get to return to the scene of their death, but John Sculli was able to go right back to the gym where he died — and meet the man who saved his life. Sculli, a basketball referee, was officiating a semi-pro game between the Jamestown Jackals and Toledo Glass City in June 2022 when he was suddenly struck by a "widow maker" heart attack
After 4 weeks off due to an ankle injury, I entered the foray of college club soccer. Was AR1 with Samford University vs Auburn University (Men's) then I had the whistle for Auburn University vs Mississippi State (Men's). No varsity programs due to many reasons but it was still some good soccer. Glad to be back after injury and both games went well!
It was only youth but it's nice to do a pretty good level game and end without much controversy. U19B state cup R16 two NPL teams. Home wins 3-1, home got a clear PK, multiple weak PK shouts by the visitors not given. Not a peep from either coach or the stands. Only 4 YCs. Both coaches say I did a great job. Even got thank you from some visiting parents in the parking lot. My usual talking and explaining throughout the game went over pretty well Also I have a few weeks use of the Casio RFT-100 watch I finally got a good deal on after years of searching and it is truly the best referee watch.
Glad you are back as well. If I never hear "college club" again, it will be too soon. Last year a referee who had accepted a USSF game texted me to turn it back. Our high school association president also assigns college club and he told the referee "It's OK because college is higher than USSF." Yesterday I have another ref who turned back four Saturday tournament games because our association president told her to so she can work two college club games. *sigh*
I've always been curious about the quality of college club soccer around the country Here In the Midwest the D-1 programs that don't have varsity men's soccer tend to have very good club teams. I had multiple high school teammates who had opportunities to play D-2 or D-3 soccer but wanted the experience of a state school so they ended up playing club for those schools. Decent number of quality international players as well... I'm assuming the situation is similar at SEC schools
We have a very active college club league which is USSF affiliated. I even got a maintenance assessment on one last year. Two divisions for men, one for women. Some of the D1 schools have two teams, and they have to hold tryouts to make those teams. If you've got a university with twenty or thirty thousand kids, yeah, you're going to find 20 or 30 who can play the game. Some play on less than enjoyable fields but that happens in the adult leagues, too. Not a lot of spectators, which is also a plus and the 'coaches' are players that are just the ones who got all of the player cards and rosters together.
Ahh, college club.... ya get what ya get. 1) Pregame discussion leads to bad feelings when the 'coaches' are told the referee is not "College certified". They didn't know what they were asking for (weird sub rules?), but they were unhappy they were not getting it. 2) Very hot day, and visitors are unhappy that we (the refs!) did not have water for them. They sent the end of the bencher an a hike to Walgreens across the way. Don't know why he had to walk, but I felt bad for him. 3) Center Ref left his facial piercings in, which I thought was dubious. I think it helped with game control. 4) In our games, the CR / AR pay differential we weird. Like 80/30/30. The time I did a center, I made sure to put two 10s in my pocket, and gave one to each AR after we got our checks. 5) I always thought the 5 or 6 girlfriend/spectators, per team, were a calming influence. 6) Physicality was about the same as Mens Adult, but boy do they run faster. Shot on goal; keeper save; he punts long, while the defense sprints the 50 yard dash. I, AR, am now multiples of tens of yards from the OS line, as are 3 or 4 of the previously attacking team. If that punt is played back, or god-forbid headed back, I have a problem and Houston is not there to save me. It took about 3 or 4 of those to sink in, (I was disappointed they only did it in the first half, so the other AR did not get to enjoy it, as well... ) Overall, I enjoyed it; but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to pick one up anymore.
Not sure this fits in any category, maybe we need an unintended consequences. AR on a HS varsity game last night. We have a rule that says, in the last five minutes, when the leading team substitutes, the clock is to be last night. With the visitors up 5-0 with 10+ minutes to go send five subs up to the line. The ball doesn't go out of play until 4:50 left in the game. It is cold and windy, and the other subs are shivering on the bench. Do we stop the clock. Neither the CR, AR or the timekeeper remembered to stop the clock. The game ended 6-0 to the visitors. The previous night we had a JV game with continuous clock between two of the better schools in the state. Very skilled play and players. The game was scoreless until 50 seconds left of the 30 minute second half. The home team scored. The team erupted in jubilation. With a Varsity game, the clock is stopped after a goal. With some encouragement and after about 15 seconds of celebration and little indication they were ready to stop, the CR stopped the clock. With the clock at 40 seconds, the visitors kicked off. With a foul about 10 seconds to go, the home team crowded the ball, and the clocked showed zeros! Game over!! Visiting coach wasn't happy, but this is what you get when you play running clock!
I think this is somewhat of a compliment of the way I've been reffing, considering I'm only on my second year, but there's an ECNL/RL event this weekend and the assignor sent the following e-mail along with the assignments (I got three U18/19 AR assignments):