Finally the start of HS soccer season here and I did a BV scrimmage between a rising power city team vs rural (very) small school farm boy team. Given this is eastern CT, these schools are are in neighboring towns and less than 10 miles from each other. Game is at the rural school on their postage stamp sized, tilted field with the softball infield and the dugout 4 feet from the sideline. But the soccer was pretty good and the 2 man system still sucks. But I made two nice, game changing calls that (I think) were spot on. 4-4 tie with 15 mins to go and visitors (who put in their JV players with a 4-1 lead) get the ball into the box and get a shot off that deflects off the goalie and toward the goal. I am the lead ref and even with the ball and sprinting into the box. GK goes to cover the ball and actually pushes it closer to the goal before he controls it with the ball 75% over the line and I am 6 feet away. The attacker (smallest freshman on the field) is standing right there and pointing repeatedly and obviously thinks it is a goal. NO GOAL! 5 minutes to go and home team has a corner kick. I am the trail ref and up at the 20. Big tall center back comes up for the header and just before the ball gets there, gives a 2 hand shove to clear space and heads it in. NO GOAL! I feel like I'm in mid season form already
Sad story of the week... Watching my kid's HS game in neighboring state. They're running a three whistle double-dual. After an injury there's a drop ball restart. So, one player from both teams is at the ball - just like in past years - and CR drops it. An AR blows his whistle and tries to correct the procedure. Good job helping to get it right! But then, the CR makes both of the players backup to 4 yds away from the ball and drops it again - both players charge in.... Oh, my. The unfortunate part about forgetting 2020-21 rules changes this late in the season is everyone in the stadium knew it and let the poor guy hear about it for quite a while...
I'm also seeing this in USSF club games, and the law change has been in place for several seasons now. I've also seen cases where a referee is hit by the ball with a change of possession or a promising attack and play goes on. Again, same thing where this law change has been in place for several years. As a newly licensed USSF grassroots instructor and new clinician for my local chapter, I'm taking a different view point of watching things that I want to focus on as I begin my instructor's journey. It's tough to watch games where I continue to see rule changes that have been on the books for some time continue to be misapplied. It's a challenge I definitely want to take on to teach our officials. Our jobs are hard enough. We need to do everything in our power to reduce the evidence fans and coaches have to make them think we aren't effectively doing our jobs. (I know I'm preaching to the choir in this case. Those on this forum are working to understand the laws, otherwise you probably wouldn't be on this forum.)
My best story.... Oxford United's coach stalled by alcohol spray Alcohol spray used on a football club's coach to protect against coronavirus left the driver unable to take players and staff to an away match. Oxford United had to change at their hotel and travel to their game at Accrington Stanley by car. It is thought some of the spray in the air was picked up by a device that stops the coach driver starting the vehicle if alcohol has been consumed.
Our HS season starts this week, and we had a week’s worth of scrimmages that just ended. Weirdly, the first one I did was BV and no parents or ANY spectators were allowed. Very quiet. One of the administrators on site said it was a state rule, which I hadn’t read or heard about. Next day, I was at another school where there was a BV, JV and Freshmen soccer as well as a Girls Field Hockey game. Easily 500 people watching. Guess it wasn’t a state rule. I had the JV/Freshmen doubleheader, and my partner wore a mask and used an electronic whistle. It was the Fox one. I had to blow 3 times to stop play AFTER he used the whistle. Not the loudest whistle, and maybe it isn’t omni directional. I have one, but haven’t used it. We have had an uptick in cases in our area in the last week with the start of school, sports, and indoor dining. Praying, we make it thru the season. I would like to be out in the air on the field.
The HS season in my state starts Friday. I will be officiating my first games since March. At our HS referee meeting, we were told that each player on a team will get 2 tickets for a game and that spectators are supposed to be masked and socially distanced, However, as referees, we are not supposed to enforce COVID rules; that is up to the home school.
My son played in an out of town tournament this weekend. I wasn't able to see the games yesterday because of some other family issues that required more immediate attention (and kept me from officiating this weekend, which was OK since I enjoyed getting to do some of the other things I sometimes miss when I officiate during his tournaments). When I got into town last night, the other parents were raving about this young assistant referee who looked sharp, signaled sharp, and was really good. He was AR1 for my son's last game today. I can see why they were impressed. This kid was GOOD. He capped the performance by flagging for a penalty kick when the center missed the call initially. He called the center over, gave him the information, and the center pointed to the spot. I told the kid after the game I'd take him on my line any time.
I also bought the same whistle and have used it a couple of times. It's OK when the field is by itself or there's maybe one other field close. It just isn't overly loud, so I don't feel comfortable using it when I'm working at a multi-field complex. Plus, and I knew this going in, it's really hard to "talk" with the whistle for obvious reasons. It's definitely safer, and I would probably use it for a smaller-sided game where talking with the whistle isn't as big of a deal. When I work older ages and I use the volume/tone of my whistle as a communication tool, I go back to my Kakapo or my Acme Thunderer pea whistle.
Speaking as a parent: * For our home games, there's only been one game (district rival) with a limit on how many tickets, and it was 4/player. * For road games, we've had limits (as strict as 2/player), AND submit names ahead of time. This includes games in the same county played on the pointy ball field (and they put the visitor fans across the field behind the benches).
Do you have the large or small Fox 40 electronic? I haven't had any issues with the large one and its volume, but we are also playing in front of zero fans. We don't have much of an option for high school, at least, in my state. Everyone in the facility other than the players actually in the game, including the officials, are required to wear masks at all times. The one game I did before my electronic whistle arrived I tried to blow my whistle after pulling my mask up or down. Not a tenable solution.
This is the one I purchased, but in red. I think this is considered the "large" whistle since Fox 40 also has a mini whistle, but I'm not sure about that.
We've had very similar restrictions on tickets, lists of names, and having teams/spectators on opposite sides . But, when watching my daughter's HS home games it's been nice that some of our not-so-soccer-smart spectators are no longer within verbal jousting distance of the visiting spectators...
We've got some loud parents. In the district game I mentioned above, I was on top of the press box (home side) because I shoot coaches video (and stream the match for those who can't attend). We were the visitors. Another parent from our team was with me, shooting his own video. Foul count seemed lopsided, but I can't say for sure. Our parents (again, across the field) are give the CR a bunch of grief. At one point, the parent who was with me yelled "Shut up" at our parents. They were pretty quiet the rest of the game. I about busted out laughing.
Ball out of play late, I holler to coaches "about a minute, guys." Player asks "a minute left in the game?" "Yeah, then after that we can all get on with whatever we're doing the rest of the day." " 'Kay. I think Fortnite." This was U10...
I do coaches video from up top too! It also helps to keep me from getting questions on every call / no-call. I have given up on trying to educate those that do not want to be educated and are only there to yell their nonsense. I usually edit the video before posting to pull teaching clips & highlights and to remove my comments that shouldn't be heard... But, across the seasons I've missed erasing some "oh, shut-up", "brilliant suggestion, dad", "do you still not understand advantage?!?", and so forth.... When coach texts me nothing but an "LOL!" after getting game film, i know something slipped through my screening process... oops.
Ha! In past years (and w/club), I delete all the audio before posting. Because of Covid, I started streaming the HS games, and that audio goes out live, so I don't bother taking out what I post on Hudl for the coach. There is one parent (the one above) that will sometimes video to give me a break and he'll occasionally inject his opinions. His big one is "peanut butter and jelly" when something doesn't go right. The coach told me his wife asked him who keeps saying that and he didn't understand until he actually watch the video with his sound turned up. lol
https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/...uss.6cb9ed55-1d9d-4037-aba5-af7b71652e00.html Bibia Steinhaus will be the first female ref to lead the German Super Cup match. Bayern München gegen Borussia Dortmund Bibiana Steinhaus pfeift den Supercup – ist danach Schluss? Von red/ dpa 30. September 2020 - 13:40 Uhr Als erste Frau wird Schiedsrichterin Bibiana Steinhaus den Supercup zwischen Bayern München und Borussia Dortmund leiten. Doch danach will sie laut Medienberichten in Ruhestand gehen. Geht Bibiana Steinhaus nach dem Supercup in Schiedsrichter-Rente? Foto: dpa/Torsten Silz
So, I am back coaching in Maryland (many of you have no idea who I am, but maybe one or 2 still do). First issue is that I feel for all of you refs with the differences between the local county rules for Covid vs the league rules. We played our second game and almost had EVERY ball over the side-line be a kick-in vs a throw in (yes, local ordinances, but ref said our league did not back this). I personally don't see how picking the ball up and throwing vs picking it up and kicking it makes a difference, but so be it. I am happy that the refs near where I live are told to NOT enforce masks/distancing etc. It really is too much of an issue for them to be involved with. So, for a story - last week my CR is a good friend who I've played men's league with many years ago. He is a very good ref and the ref team was great. About 10 minutes to go in game, we are winning 3-1. My striker gets a great ball about 40 yards from goal and is in behind last D (just for reference, we are 2007 year side). Their back is beat by about a yard and I can see he clearly kicks out at my player, but I'm more in line and ref is trailing where he should be. He only manages to clip his back heel, not enough to bring him down but does slow him down. My friend blows whistle, gives defender a YC and us a direct kick from about 30 yards out. After match, I'm gathering the corner flags and happen to walk by ref team. I don't acknowledge that I know the CR, but respectfully ask what the thought process was on the call (I thought either RED or let advantage go and then Yellow). The said they were discussing and going over all of the issues. Later, my friend texted ans said he made a mistake and should have been red. Told him that I didn't need an apology as it was a game time decision, I just wanted to know the refs perspective. I really wish that more refs/coaches could have interactions away from the match field so each side could see that the both really want the same thing - the best possible game experience for all involved. Thank you to all of you who ref matches, we wouldn't be able to play without you.
Well, BTFOOM, last year, I was AR1 for a boys' varsity high school game, and the referee had brought his com system. So we're having very, very nice communication between the referee crew members. In the last third of the game, the referee made a decision against the home team on something. Nothing monumental. The home coach is behind me and he says something to his assistant like, "I wish I knew what that was." Nothing loud, really just a conversational level of volume between the coach and his assistant. The referee heard what the coach said through my mic. The referee then turned to the coach and told him what the call was. The coach was pleased to get the explanation and things went on smoothly for the rest of the game. Similarly, years ago, I was R1 for a varsity girls game between two VERY low skill teams, even though they were in the largest schools classification. The home coach was a big, tall guy whom I had refereed in the adult men's league. I have to say that he may be the only player that I was really scared of, because he tended to, shall we say, express his opinions forcefully and up close. We're less than three minutes into the game and I give a penalty kick to the visiting team and the goal is scored. The coach says to me "What was that???" He was essentially behind me, but I had noticed that he was talking to one of his players and not watching the field when it happened. I went over and stood side by side with him. I said, "Coach, the ball hit your defender's forearm. I got no problem with that, but then she scooped the ball over the goal line." "Oh, Gooood!" (just for clarity, by "scooped," I mean that when the ball hit her forearm, which was down at her side, her reaction was to instantly bring the forearm straight up, with the ball rolling up her arm to her hand, as she threw the ball over her shoulder.) I had no further problem with him during that game, or any time since, as either a coach or a player. So, from my perspective, I really enjoy being able to go over and have a quick. adult to adult word with a coach about what I saw, assuming it is a coach that will accept that collegially and not as an opportunity to argue. "You're entitled to your opinion, but you're not entitled to different facts."
These highlight something I always tell new refs: before games, have a conversation with the coach. You want the coach to recognize you as a person, not just the ref in the yellow shirt. That helps issues that come up be handled as people, and not like last night's presidential debate.
Took me just NINE MINUTES to issue my first yellow card for dissent as the high school season opened in my area.