Random Questions

The top of the arc is 10 yards from the PK spot, which is itself 12 yards from the goal line, so the top of the arc is actually 4 yards from the 18yd box, and it transcribes a circle 10yd in radius from the penalty spot. That's its raison d'être.

 

Hoops are only prominent in soccer. Since the people ordering the uniforms (presumably ADs) aren't used to them, they don't get ordered.

Not as much as the new yellow jersey.

Someone has to cover the long rebound.

When asked or comments are directed at me/ARs.

Yes, it's fun.

1 for HS, 2 for USSF. Yes.

Younger.

 

I think his point is you're only 6 yards further from the goal (and potential rebounds) than the shooter (i.e. 18 yards from the goal line instead of 22). As to why you would stand there, beats me, I never did . . . of course back when I played we always had defenders on the goal line at the edge of the 18, too, but not those guys have to be up even with the peanlty mark . . .

 

Because off-the crossbar/post, punches, deflections and rebounds can be peculiar? But, from the points where the penalty arc meets the 18yd box, it's, what, about 20yds to center of the goal? So the extra 4 yards also might have some benefit for creating "noise" behind the keeper for the attacking team. I demand a peer-reviewed study.

 

If you started at the intersection of the arc and the penalty area line you would be ~2.3 yards closer to the center of the goal (on the goal line) than if you started from the top of the arc. You would be 3.9 yards closer to the near post, and even 0.7 yards closer to the far post. It is hard to find much benefit from being at the top of the arc, except for maybe some elbow room.

 

2) The advert patches used to bug me ALOT. But after about 3 years I got used to it.
7) I wish I had started much earlier, even as a adult. (I started at 48. Now that I halfway know what I am doing, I am almost too old.)

 

There are a couple of clubs around here that occasionally wear striped uniforms. I prefer solid colors because as AR keeping the color of the team attacking on my half in mind helps me keep track of which team is going which way for the first few minutes of either half.

Not at all. The league needs to make money and the patch doesn't interfere with the match, so who really cares?

A player at the intersection of the arc and the penalty area is the same distance from the penalty mark as anyone else around the edge of the penalty arc.

When the coach is causing a problem. If he's nowhere near the technical area but he's just giving tactical information to his players and it's a low-level game, I don't really care. If he's moving that far to yell at us, he'll need to get his ass back to the bench. I figure it's a good way to assert authority at times when the coach needs to be reminded of our authority.

Absolutely. I get to spend whole days refereeing, make a fair bit of cash, and spend a bunch of time with my refereeing friends. There are a bunch of guys who live an hour or so from me that I don't get to see too often but I get to hang out and work with them all the time at tournaments.

I've worked 285 games (both sanctioned and unsanctioned) in my state since this time last year. 262 of those were assigned by my main assignor. There's one other assignor I'll consider working for if I have a day off from my main assignor, but I really have no reason to look anywhere else because my main assignor keeps me so busy.

Younger. I'm pretty young to begin with, but compared to some of my up-and-coming friends in other states, I feel like I'm behind the curve a little bit.

 

1. No
2. After a couple of games, no.
3. Don't ask me, I'm a goalkeeper
4. We don't have TA's except for the games that they would be strictly enforced anyway (university, provincial cups, etc.), so yes, always.
5. Yes, for spending time with other refs. I don't do a slate of games anymore though, just 2, maybe 3, per day.
6. 4 or 5, depending if you count two people scheduling for the Provincial Association as one or not.
7. I started as young as a could, but at the time, I had still wanted to start sooner lol

I know you're a young guy like me, but don't burn yourself out. Be careful. I've done about 450 games total in 6+ years. Granted, I've was also actively playing for 5 of those, plus school sports. And now with those done, I do referee training sessions instead. Manage your career. I was at a National Tournament recently, but I could feel the fatigue in my legs from (well partly the travel which I wasn't used to) but also from having overworked myself during the last 11 months. It didn't affect me thankfully for a couple reasons, but it could have because I wasn't managing myself properly.

 

I worry about that too. I do feel burnt out at times. But I go to school, my expenses are paid for via academic scholarship, I have afternoons free, and I really don't have anything better to do. This is infinitely better than working at McDonald's, so I just end up doing whatever my assignor needs.

 

1. Why don't we see more striped (hoop) uniforms in youth or HS teams? (raised because of the USWNT Olympic kit)
Some of us don't look good in hoops. I thought the hoops were hideous on the US men, yet rather becoming on the women.

2. Does the advertising patch on the referee's arm in the EPL bother you?
I look at the colour of the ref kit, not the markings.

3. As a player, If at the intersection of the arc and the penalty area you are about 6 yards from the shooter, why would you stand at the top of the arc during a penalty?

4. Do you enforce technical area limits? If so, when?
Yes. When I need to.

5. Do you like doing tournaments? If so, why?
Pros: referee camaraderie, varied experiences.
Cons: poor assigning leads to overwork. Once there it's hard to say no. (See next question.) Also, being stuck in a six-game set with someone you despise.

6. How many assignors do you work for? Do you have a primary guy/gal?
Primary guy/gal or is it a cabal? Working a half-dozen different leagues I used to have four or five different assignors. There's been a consolidation of the assigning tasks in recent years due to a multitude of reasons. The dominant assignor has multiple sub-assignors so I really don't know to whom I should talk when receiving too many or too few assignments. Also, feeling the need to work tournies for said cabal members so as to be seen as a team player.

7. Do you wish you had started younger or not started at all?
For me, I started at the right time - when I saw that I could become "that parent" on the touchline or help the game grow in my area by becoming a referee. That said, I wish I had upgraded sooner. I'll never get beyond 7 now (or L3 or whatever the task force sets for new ratings ).

Speaking of which, I passed my annual fitness test without passing out. Six weeks of drinking beer while watching the g'kids play is not conducive to stellar results.

 

1-6)What the other guys said, esp LaRikardo (although only half his game count in the past year, four assignors between different Associations).

7) I started @38 and 8 years on, I wish I'd have discovered the profession MUCH sooner—at least a decade or two. I would have loved to have evolved to be a pro, even FIFA. At my current yearage, I'll be lucky to jam ten more years in at competitive levels, if that. I'd like to finish as a grade 6, but 7's about as far as I'm likely to maintain given the damage level on varying body parts (16 years of extreme sports—before there was such a category—pretty much wrecks a body). Our SRA's trainer & I are good buddies ;-)

 

Rarely. Only if a) a coach keeps getting in my way and/or pisses me off, or b) players are standing up and I know they will interfere with the AR on the far side for offside calls.

Usually. A good way to socialize with a bunch of other referees and spend a nice summer day making some money.

I have eight different assignors who give me games. A strong majority of them automatically come through the website we use so I have zero interaction with them for the most part. I have two primary guys who have been looking after me and fast-tracking me, this being my first year in Canada, but having had 10 years experience in Australia.

I started when I was 13, so that was great. What I do regret is not getting back into refereeing sooner after moving to Toronto.

 

No, if someone would give me a jersey I would gladly allow/wear their patch if it were allowed.

Not sure I understand, that place is 10 yards from the spot and could be further from the shooter if the shooter is lined up left and player is on the right??

This is as AR, and usually just need to ask to make sure I have room off the touch line to see and run.
As long as no one is WAY out of what should be a technical area I usually will not say anything. If anyone from either team strays too far I will ask them both to keep to a technical area, usually one is not marked so it's more stay nearer the bench and 3 steps off the line.

Yes, I get to work with referees I don't see much or at all, and usually get to work with higher grade referees (read much better refs than me) which is a great way to learn (sometimes what NOT to do).

I officially have 2 for HS and 5 for USSF, but I get 99% of HS from one and 95% of USSF from one.

I started 4 years ago at 44, YES I wish I had started earlier, going for upgrade to 7 now and if I make it that will realistically be as high as I can go.

 

1. Typically hoops were used by rugby teams, not soccer teams with the notable exception of Celtic FC.

2. No

3. No idea what you mean by this.

4. Yes, all the time.

5. Only if not more than one match per day. I want to be able to put out maximum effort every game I do. Not possible on more than one game/day.

6. one or two

7. No. I started at just the right time, after I finished playing seriously. This gave me a great insight into the game and I was still not too old to be able to be very fit and able to advance.

PH

 

Gee I started at 45 and thought I was old. Yes, I wish I had started earlier.