I schedule recreational soccer games for our area. We have 6 town clubs that cooperate, plus about 5 or 6 more that join with us for high-school age teams. Not every town mixes and matches with each other. It depends on how many teams there are in an age group. For example, one of our clubs has enough teams to make schedules in-club only thru U10 (which I create) and then combines with the others at U11 and up. Most of the clubs run their own "u-littles" programs. High school teams might have to travel about 15 miles - in a few cases, farther because we picked up a couple teams from farther away because they have no other opportunities, and when they play each other they have to go a distance. U8 and U10 maybe 5 or 7 miles at most. The definition we use is that everyone plays, there are no tryouts. Yes, some teams are more capable than others, some coaches have more experience than others. But in the end it all evens out. Some of our clubs have only 1 field available per age group; others may have between 2 and 4. So they're not always playing at the same location.
I like my left arm to be short sleeve and my right arm to be long sleeve. It allows me better movement of my whistle hand.
Apparently, Week 1 was beyond a disaster. I'm sure most received the email yesterday from their usofficials account. Who would have thought that people assigning from another state putting referees they've never seen in matches who have never done higher than EDP and some tournaments would show up minutes before kickoff for academy matches and not know how to check-in teams. I'm shocked!!!
Mine is two. I was voted PRO 2 assistant referee decision of the week for a handling I called in South Georgia Tormenta FC vs Forward Madison FC. Additionally, I am on a streak of getting KMIs correct. Saturday, I had a goal/no goal goal line decision after a hard step to the left followed by a 40 yard sprint to the goal line.
U-12 boys rec league. First game of the year. They're excited because they can head the ball now. They listen patiently as I explain the 8-second rule. Quiet, clean game as most of them are in this league. Then out of nowhere, a player gets upset about a challenge (a fair one, and he didn't complain to me, but a tough one), and he gets up and shoves the opponent in the chest. In the PA. I whistle and point to the spot. I beckon the kid over. Does he argue? Does he pout? Nope. "Is it a red card?" he asks quietly with some trepidation. "No," I say. "Just yellow." He nods and walks over to the sideline to do his mandatory 5-minute sitout.
What point is there to giving a yellow card to a u12 rec player? What point would there be to making a u12 rec goalkeeper who can barely kick or throw the ball do the 8 second rule? I had a u12 rec game this past weekend, first time in many years. I was only there because games in another sport got cancelled late and this was all that was open. They had no clue what was going on. A player got fouled in the penalty area, I know they do them but I asked the coaches if they do penalty kicks at this level anyway, both said no so I just did a free kick inside the area. No one cared.
I used to (when i reffed those games) for really reckless or hard retaliation fouls at that level. It tells everyone there, "That is not allowed and we're not having any more of it." They have to learn to avoid nasty physical challenges and not to lose their cool on an opponent at some point. I'm talking hard contact. Now, for SPA, FRD, and other technical infractions in sub-11v11 rec? Often they and half their coaches didn't know, so I'd usually opt to explain it so all could learn. Unless it was obviously a repeating deliberate tactic (coached). What's funny at U12, some of them (boys, always boys) thought getting a YC gave them some sort of soccer "street cred" with their buddies....
In my opinion yellow cards at any recreational level and any sub-11v11 games (unless it’s very high level, like pre-ECNL, pre-MLS, etc) should be reserved for reckless fouls or persistent offenses. I would not give a SPA YC to a rec or very young player. But I did once have a U12 boys tournament, both teams were pre-MLSN, I asked the coaches beforehand if they wanted me to ref like little kids or legit, they wanted legit. I gave 4 yellows for SPA/reckless stuff. The other issue is that with the huge number of competitive divisions now, plenty of low level competitive games are basically rec. I also did a u11 girls game this weekend that was the lowest competitive level, and when I did the u12 rec game afterwards they were pretty much indistinguishable The few rec games I did this weekend (u16 girls and u12 girls) were nothing but bunching together and wildly swinging their legs. A yellow card for anything would be useless. I remember a year or two ago I did a u16 boys rec game where I had to give two yellows for reckless fouls, everyone was ooooohing about receiving them, like they were in big trouble
There was a team in New Jersey that was kicked out of a league a few weeks ago due to excessive complaining by the parents. It was about a ref that issued a yellow card instead of a red for a shove in a U13G game. That's why you issue the card.
This is the first yellow card I've given to a rec player under U-19. I gave it because he basically assaulted another player with the ball nowhere in sight. The other kid said, "He punched me," and the only reason I disagreed is that I don't think he closed his fist, so it was more of a very hard shove. So the game doesn't slow to a crawl and waste everyone's time. None of these players had any problems getting rid of the ball. None of them panicked. Distribution was no better or worse than it was in past seasons. We're all encouraged to use Law 18 at U-9. Players usually get a retake on an illegal throw-in. Refs spend more time teaching kids what they're supposed to be doing than calling fouls, which are pretty rare. By U-12, the expectations are different. I realize you were racing to cover a spot at the last minute, but my rec league has specific rules published to the website. It's mostly typical USSF stuff -- buildout lines at U-9 and U-10, no headers until U-12, game times gradually getting longer as kids get older, etc. There are no direct free kicks at the lowest levels. Our rules even state that slide tackles at this age group are illegal, and we're supposed to give yellow cards for them. I only avoided this on Saturday with an extremely generous interpretation, and I made sure to have a conversation with the player involved. Bottom line -- I get paid to enforce these rules. I don't agree with all of them (as a coach, it always bugged me that we had limited opportunities to sub and then got sniped at if we didn't give everyone the proper amount of playing time), but it's my job. In this league, I'm typically working with young high school refs (a middle schooler this weekend -- someone I actually had met while substitute teaching in a strings class in her school) who are there to learn. So I get what you're saying -- I really do. I have plenty of experience with the U-9 through U-12 age group, and I have a good sense of where the expectations should be. If I were doing U-9, I'd mention the 8-second rule but be extremely lenient. (That said, again, there's the time-wasting thing -- absolutely not a deliberate tactic, but I can sense the frustration when a goalkeeper runs around for 20 seconds looking for the ideal distribution outlet or someone tries to reposition every teammate before taking a throw-in.)
Today's game, JV girls, mid sized schools. The home team had a starter who is a dwarf. No need to check her shin guards. They completely filled the area between her ankles and her thighs. The team also had another player who is intellectually challenged. Several times, she was gesturing with her arms wide, after her teammates missed easy shots. Essentially, she was saying "how could you miss?" I silently agreed with her. Both of them got as much playing time as anyone else on their team. 1-1 final score.
away team Coach losing 3-0 in the final minute of NFHS match comes over to me and says...I know that you will not be staying to supervise the post-match handshake, but I just wanted to take a moment in order to let you know what a true pleasure it was to share the field with you today...simply wow
After a busy 4 games in 6 days and 6 games in 8 days, I'm taking this weekend off. Kimberly Akimbo tonight, Symphony of Southeast Texas Saturday, and Houston Symphony Sunday. The last time that I went 7 days without a game was the last week of July. I know most people are just starting to get busy with the fall season, but I would like to remind you to take time off for you both mentally and physically.
I was fortunate enough to see Kimberly Akimbo twice during the Broadway run, and it was wonderful both times. Hope you enjoy. Looks like a lot of the original understudies/stand-bys are still with the touring company.
After 4-5 weeks of HS season and USSF fall season I'm in Rochester this weekend to feed college son and watch him play rugby. My knees/hips/ankles are high-fiving each other.
Doing ~10 mostly HS and college games/week since mid-August, my glutes would like the opportunity to high, or more likely low five each other. Business trips each of the next 3 weeks will greatly reduce my game count, including meetings in Munich. Gosh, however did those manage to get scheduled in Munich at the beginning of October?
The adult league in Huntsville is the de-facto Regional Referee upgrading/recert factory since most ref coaches live there, the SDA lives there and the SDA assigns it. Today was the rematch of the Huntsville Adult League final from this past season. These two teams have given a lot of flack to the referees over the years. Man-management is the key. I just had the rematch of the Cup Final in the middle which ended 0-1, red card (2CT), a mass-con in the 90+2 from a flagrant foul in an aerial duel that took offense, and the whole match they complained about maybe five calls. After the match both teams shook our hands and told AR1 "One of the better refs" "Best ref we've had in a while." and such. AR1 was our SDA and assignor. That 0-1 goal? Advantage in the penalty area. If only I had gotten an eval on that game -- haha!
Maintenance assessment evaluation #2 in the books tonight on a fiery UPSL premier match. Two predominantly Hispanic teams known for being a handful to referee and a striker I sent off for OAL (to an opponent) last time I reffed him. The home fans turned out with drums and horns and whatever you call those ratcheting noisemakers -- and smoke bombs on every home goal! 16 fouls by the home team and 15 by the visitors, five cautions to the home team and four to the visitors, one penalty kick awarded (to the home team) and a 90th minute winner (for the home team) and multiple players from both teams sought us out after to thank us for a job well done. Including, hilariously, a series of interruptions of our postgame debrief inside the clubhouse as players (from both teams) told us "good game" Now if only the Veo footage the home team streamed had more than eight pixels in it, I could go back and rewatch some key incidents...