I couldn't go a whole season without going to at least one game. We got tix lower section for 10 bucks so my wife and I are bringing our 4 and 2 year olds to the NE game. Last year we got to games early so the kids could burn some energy. During half time we would let them play in the grass over on the west side of the stadium. Our kids go to bed early so they sometimes hit a wall after half time so we do what any good parent does and fuel them with sugar (fruit or fruit snacks) to delay the possible meltdowns till after we are long gone from the stadium. They did well last year, we had half season tickets plus some extras and took them to all but one or two games. Last year the girls were free, but this year I would have needed to buy an extra set of tickets and couldn't justify the added expense.
This is my thought too. Free till they are 3. So let him figure it out while it only costs for 2. Our 19 month old doesn't last all 90 in the stands. His snacks, Pizza, Sippy and streamers are good, in seat distractions. My wife and I take turns taking him out to walk or goto the park. We have gotten to a point where he does last til 930. (Normal bedtime 9). Kens suggestion to let him kick on the kids field is out of touch for any kid under 2. The kids over there would overrun a toddler.
I have been bringing our stroller to every game for the past 2 years and tonight I was told no strollers are not allowed? I asked for the supervisor and he said yes we can take the stroller in. I guess some people were turned away and told to put them in the car.
I understand that many of the "front line" customer service positions have high turnover rates, but the lack of consistency is one of the most consistent hallmarks of the Crew organization. Whether it be checking/not checking your belt, allowing/not allowing backpacks, allowing/not allowing strollers, differing vehicle ingress patterns, differing vehicle egress patterns, different charges for upgrading youth tickets to adult tickets...
Some of it (security, food) is what happens when you outsource. You have folks working at different venues at which the rules all differ. And some are not the brightest bulbs in the lamp. Had it happen with the Jackets and my SLR camera. The guy actually told me that I could take the camera in if I left the lens with them.... And a non-Crew reference--we used to have that problem when HS refs would do our co-rec games. Even though the facility was using FIFA rules, explicitly (except for subs and slide tackles), we had guys who would still call it by HS rules--even when you showed them the rule book. Lost a goal that way when they changed the touch rule on kickoffs. By FIFA rules it was good. Drove us nuts sometimes.
Truth. With last night's OSU game and a Crew game and who knows what else going on in the area, I'm sure CSC had to pull from all available resources. I wouldn't be surprised if they had to get people from other cities. I've heard they do that on occasion. Regarding the referee story, I think it was Bill who once posted a story about how he looked into the back of some van and here's a guy pulling a soccer ref uniform out of the back. Other stuff in the back of the van included ref uniforms for oh, just about every sport imaginable.
I was coaching one game a ref immediately beckons players on and yells at them for not getting on the field quickly enough then the next game the ref makes the players practically play a handclap game for a minute on the line before being allowed to step on the field. The ref was then threatening to card players and wouldn't listen to me telling him they weren't being rude but were just told last match to hurry on to the field. You'd think with security they'd double check policy each venue before starting but that'd make too much sense.
What, they didn't know how to find the Salvation Army shelter? And frankly, your average seedy bum -excuse me, I mean domicilically challenged individual - has much nicer manners than most of the CSC guys. And smell better. Seen it more than once. Once my bride had to restrain me from asking one of those clowns what the ******** they thought they were doing. But then, She Who Must Be Obeyed has a lot of practice with that kind of thing All you have to do to referee high school is pass a written test. A lot of those clowns do 6 or 8 sports,year round. Swimming, track, field hockey, on and on. Read a book, memorize a few things, take a test. It's strictly for the money. A bunch of them- a lot more than you'd like to know - have never, ever even SEEN a soccer match that they themselves weren't refereeing. That's not to say there aren't some good ones. There certainly are. But you haven't lived until you've seen what a fat, stupid all purpose referee does in a Farmyard vs. St. Nobody gives a crap game. Can't get away with it in football or baseball or basketball, and the assignors seem to keep them off of, say Westerville North vs. Gahanna Lincoln, but overall nobody cares, least of all the school AD who generally sees sports like soccer as a useless pain in the ass.
want to stop hurting so much There is one part I have to disagree with here, Bill, at least from my standpoint - doing it for the money. I used to do it for the thrill of being under the lights with these kids playing their hearts out for their schools. I was a running back in Ironton but, after a second broken leg, my parents said "No more". Because of that, I missed out on really getting to play under the lights and, in my pre-match meeting with the captains and coaches, I let the kids know that they should feel proud and privileged to have that chance and to go out and show the respect that opportunity deserves. As far as the money goes, I can make almost as much ($2 less) centering a U12 OCL or MOSSL match than I do in a two-man at a JV match with a lot less stress, physical demand and time commitment (30 v. 36 minutes). Granted, I do know a number of officials that are in it for money but I definitely consider myself an exception. In fact, this is probably my last year of high school as I have lost that feeling I alluded to earlier and unless I get assigned with the crew with whom I have specified to the assignor I want to work, then I usually get stuck with some very old ones or some as wide as they are tall. Again, there have been exceptions but that seems to be the case much of the time. Actually, I might even be done refereeing period because it has become so much more stressful with the way parents are and some of their kids reflect that with their mouths. I have done nearly 1200 matches since 2001 and my body is reminding me that I wasn't very good to it when I was younger and I just want to stop hurting and don't need the grief any longer. I can make as much trading a few options in the stock market each month as I do reffing and that is a path I am seriously considering. You are right about pretty much everything else, though.
I was hoping things have changed a little since I was in high school but maybe they haven't. That was back when you had one ref for the whole field but a few were horrible. One ref stood out for his incompetence as he was reassigned after two games. The first game we had a free kick and asked for our space. Two guys in the opposing wall got into a shoving match when our player took the free kick. The ref comes over and cards our player for taking the kick. We set up again the two guys start shoving each other again and after ten seconds the ref gives another player on our team a card for delay of game and gives the other team the free kick. The second game the ref starts yelling "referee error" and cards a player on our team for playing after a foul the ref did not call. Towards the end of the game we had a free kick which I quickly took, we scored and got called back. According to the ref, if you don't ask for ten yards and score the goal doesn't count. Please tell me you are better than this FootyRef.
Mookie was playing in a high school tournament in Cinncinnati and got a red card for turning around and glaring at a guy who had just punched him in the back. Of course, as you might expect, his father was the very model of mature, appropriate and decorous response.
Much, much better. I don't even get how any of those calls are interpretations of the rules of the game as I understood your explanation. I remind players that they must give ten yards and that the other team doesn't have to ask for it. In fact, if it is apparent that a team is delaying the restart, I make it a point to remind everyone that it is a cardable offense and now that they are of aware of that then they need to be mindful of it because it's on my mind.
Neither do I or my friends of my and opposing teams. That's why the ref is still a joke for more years than I care to admit.
My dad and Garyn are refs. I think most around here know that. I do not know two individuals that know the rules of the game better than them. Though some do not like standing next to my dad in the supporters' section because when the fans cry for a foul that was not a foul he will loudly say: "settle down it wasn't a foul, watch the game." Markus is lucky to have him.