RefBlog

Looking at the Media III

As we explore more of what the media thinks about referees...

No doubt about it - the referees suck, and the others are better... if you believe the media, that is. If you read Big Soccer, you'll inevitably find a thread about how referees suck. Not just one game, but all of them - every last one sucks rancid hippo butter.

I found this article from The Mercury in Africa - while the domain may end in .za, it appears to be South African in origin (or at least, it's pretty focused on South Africa). What can you say about this article? It starts out so well: every country dislikes their referees (what they don't say is that it's the nature of the game - when you ref, you gain an entirely new perspective on the game, not to say an entirely different view compaired to the stands or sidelines), and asks good questions about how their taught, assessed, etc. If these questions are answered, and answered well, you might get a miracle and people might start to understand the perspective of referees.

But it couldn't last: "Why was their incompetence not identified in the junior ranks?" Dow! So much for the good article - yes, they may not be ready for the top level, in the case of a new referee, but even seasoned ones have bad games, and imcompetent is such a strong word, you might as well say "retarded"; it'll get the same effect out of their readers.

If there's one good thing to say about it, you can always reply, "If you're good enough to judge imcompetence, why don't YOU ref it?" That question, of course, is never answered. (more)

31 October '03 - 11:51 - theref - default| two comments, already - § ¶

Those are some poorly designed goals

I know I'll re-learn to enjoy indoor, but this last year outdoor was so much fun, that it's proving hard to make the adjustment to indoor. Fortuantely, things early on are always mellow; because of the lack of time at the facility, teams are having a lot of byes, so even though this was my second week, for many of the teams, it was still their first. Things won't start heating up for another couple of weeks (unless there's a history between a pair), and even then, not as much as when the second or third session starts, when some of these teams have played each other five or six times during the winter.

Two things of note; first there's one team I had last winter, and I don't know if they found a way to curse me, or just have extraordinary bad luck, but last winter if I was to screw up and look stupid, it was a safe bet it would be during their games. I don't know what it is, but I'd either put myself in a bad position, or more likely, something totally flukey would happen and I'd have to work my butt off to make sure things didn't come apart. I moved to a different field (the company that does these uses three different facilities during the winter), and they followed, complete with something damn odd happening.

These games are small-sized, solo referee, with kiddie goals (if it was outdoor- I think the size is appropriate for the space - unlike some other sites that use full-sized goals with half-sized fields). Because the space is rented, these goals, which are metal, fold up. Here's what it looks like: take your regular outdoor goal, remove the support bar that's on the ground (in the back), and put the sides on hinges, allowing them to fold flat. This works pretty well, except for one other modification: because of the hinges, the support bars on the side don't reach the top of the goal, but rather about a foot-and-a-half lower. I never realized that this could be a problem until the game with The Flukemeisters (not their real name); they shot a nice ball, directly into the upper corner, and because the net drops down from the top of the goal, out and to the side support bars (which, remember fold, so they are NOT at 90-degree angles!) - the ball, inside the net, drops down and hits the bar and joint on the side of the net and pops out. I whistle the goal, the other teams gets pissed, and as I said, whenever this team plays, I have to work extra hard to stay credible. Ever wonder why USSF and NFHS are picky about their goals - that's why!

Second thing was a compettive level game (there's Competitive and Intermediate-B, as opposed to the slightly better Intermediate-A which plays at a different location), with a team that has a lot of the owner's relatives on it (although it's not a bad thing, the owner's like it when I yell at them, since their big complaint over the last few years is about refs not acting authoratative enough) - but they do NOT like to lose; and not only did they lose last night, they lost soundly. I don't think I've ever seen them out-classed as much as I did last night. The first week, I had competitive teams that didn't strike me as much; could it be that we'll have a definate top and bottom tier as the session goes on?

30 October '03 - 09:15 - theref - default| - § ¶

Smiling when they boo at you

Had my last outdoor game, and it'll have to last me for at least six months - at least it was a good one; and it was about as much fun as I had running a line.

State high school tourament, and all the boys games were centered by National (USSF) referees; so no arguments from me about not getting a middle; the high school association wanted the best referees in the state, and it's hard to argue with who they got. In the middle was a referee I've seen several times the last couple years, and have always admired. He's big (no, HUGE - I think I measure up to his armpits), but doesn't just use his size to control the game, he's everywhere on the field, he talks to the players - his size is secondary to just being a damn good ref. So, as you can imagine, I was very happy, and felt quite priviliedged in fact, to work with him.

I wasn't disappointed. The game was between a pair of very good defensive teams, and one of them was particualrly fast; the first half I was all over the line; never having the time to worry about the stress on my ankles (they held up!!). Because of the way the stadium was set up, fans of both teams were on the same side, so they were feeding off each other's energy, creating a boisterous and emotional atmosphere. When the crowd booed, the center smiled, and for myself on the line, that was very infectious - we knew that no matter what the crowd, players, or coaches said, we were doing right - so I smiled, too, even when I got my very first "Bull-Shit" chant (whoo hoo!). I need to remember keep that in my repertoire.

Game ended one-nothing, although we were very much expecting it to go into overtime. The only goal came off a shot that the keeper saved, but couldn't handle; the offense crashed the goal, the defense didn't), and the rebound was an easy put-away.

The center had some very nice comments, as did several other local USSF officials (not just referees). If there was anything bad about it, the game left me so jazzed that it seems such a shame that everything is small field for the next half-a-year.

29 October '03 - 10:54 - theref - default| - § ¶

Looking at the media II

Another look at new articles concerning referees (marginally, of course). Today one that truely gobsmacked me, out of Waterford, Ireland. The article covers a game that went sour (three red cards) but instead of laying blame at the referee, it gets laid on the players and society that allows them to act this way. Occasionally I've seem similar articles that, while they touch on these subjects, also says the referee didn't have control of the game, was lopsides in calls, or some other (very possibly valid) action that, while probably unintentional, allows the readers to dismiss our own behavior (which our children model).

I'm truely impressed. It's clear that the author, Adrian Flanagan, loves the sport, and genuinely enjoyed the game up until the losing team decided to vent their frustration: "With less than four minutes left... the first of the dismissals [was awarded] followed by a second. When the referee then blew the final whistle, another player was showing the red card for striking an opponent. In an excellently contested game ruined by moments best forgotten."

In a sport where being "the bad guy" (or is it "The Fall Guy" is just the role you slip into and accept, it's nice to see someone forget the referees, for a second, and concentrate on the behaviors of the other 22 people on the field.

27 October '03 - 12:21 - theref - default| - § ¶

Can't they wait five minutes before saying something wrong?

Ty couldn't wait, and neither can I. I just sat down to watch, cat on my stomach, to watch the Chicago-Columbus game on ESPN2, and so far, interesting game. Lots of offense, and we haven't even hit five minutes yet. Dipsy Selowane made a nice run in the fourth minute, past several Columbus defenders, hit the underside of the crossbar, and followed up with a nice diving header to score.



So what just pissed me off? Ty Keogh blathering that the "linesman" didn't signal the shot at in the goal, but their camera did - except their "goalline" camera isn't on the line - it's at least ten yards off - and you couldn't tell even then! Sigh... (more)

26 October '03 - 15:14 - theref - default| two comments, already - § ¶

Looking at the media

Since the amount of work I'll be doing drops dramatically, I thought I'd take a peek into Google's news search and see what comes up.



Traverse City, Michigan - I recall it not-so-fondly as the place where a relative bought quite possibly the worst bottle of wine ever. Apparently they will themselves as Wine Country, but frankly, I've had strawberry pop syrup that wasn't as sweet. I think this is probably the most sterotypical soccer article one can find that involves referees: the game is lost because of the ref's call. Winning the "Duhh, I'm a Brainiac" award is coach Byron Scott, of Sunnons Bay High: "'It's no way to decide a game, especially in overtime,' Suttons Bay coach Bryan Scott said. 'There were harder tackles and harder fouls on the field that weren't called.'" Of course, with any game call, it's strictly "You had to be there", but here's a quick lesson on tackling in soccer:



There are three ways to get called for a foul in soccer: with excessive force (which should also bring in the red card), recklessly (yellow - though in practical terms, especially on borderline calls, a talking to will suffice), and carelessly. Careless and reckless can intermingle a bit, but it also (and in this case, more importantly), includes technical violations, such as making contact with the opponent before the ball is kicked. Strangely enough, whining about getting the ball first is the most common complaint given to refs - even though the whistle is for being reckless.



Apparently though, that information is quickly forgotten when the opportunity to sidestep the blame, and to criticize the ref arises. So, I think it's entirely appropriate, that since the game referee cannot comment on the situation, that I do:

Scott, sit down, shut up, read the rules, and grow up! My god, what kind of example are you setting to the kids you're supposed to be teaching? You think that game is unfair? What's whining about it going to do? It certainly hasn't made you a better coach!

Ahhh... I feel better now. (more)

24 October '03 - 14:56 - theref - default| two comments, already - § ¶

Not exactly Law changes, but...

OK, this is just wierd - only reffing one night a week. I'm working on finding another indoor place, but during the winter there's far fewer games, so refs are a lot easier to come by.

USSF just released an updated version of their Advice to Referees - their interpretations on the Laws of the Game, and game situations. A gentleman already did a comparison between the old and new versions, which I'll let you read it for yourselves (I need to re-read the entire document before spring, anyway), but here's a summary of the interesting bits:

* "The Laws of the Game do not require that a player agree to be substituted even when the substitution has been requested by a team official or team captain. If the player refuses to leave the field, the substitution request must be denied." I can see this one causing a lot of problems if word gets out to some players.

* "If a player commits twos form of misconduct simultaneously, you may card only for one, but you must report both." Again - I shudder to think about if certain hotheads learn about this one.

* The "hand" (for handling the ball) now excludes the top of the shoulder (it used to include it) - this now makes the increasingly common practice of chesting the ball with the shoulder (to help direct the ball) is now legal. In the past, it just wasn't called. :)

23 October '03 - 13:41 - theref - default| - § ¶

Players to watch out for

As expected, yesterday wasn't much of a big deal - most of the teams were on good behavior, and the only suprise was that of the four games I reffed last night, three of them had teams with yellow or gold in them (and the one that wasn't had them on the opposite side of me). The only color I could have worn that would have never conflicted? You got it - green. I expect it soon from Official Sports. (admissions: I'd rather they look something like this.



There was one player who I know is going to be a problem once the session heats up, however; he's one of those, "I dish it out, but I can't take it" type of players. A charge goes beyond, into pushing, near the penalty area (keep in mind the PA is much smaller indoors), I blow the whistle, point in favor of his team, and he starts complaining vigerously. So I say, "Look at the direction I'm pointing" (even if he's not mixed up about who gets the free kick, most of the time that will shut them up, because they look stupid for arguing when the call is going your way).



"Yeah, but the pushing..."



I interrupt, going louder (Purpose is to make it known there will be no discussion, and the game should retart. Now. This was not only to him but his teammates - to see if they'll get the hint, and get the game moving again.), "Take the foul. Be happy. Be quiet!"



It worked. Not only did his teammates realize the more important thing was the free kick in a dangerous position - it also did shut up that player. Score!

21 October '03 - 08:15 - theref - default| No comments yet - § ¶

Back to indoors

Except for one last game, high school is over with, and with it the last of my affiliated (and insured) games. Tonight I go back to reffing indoor soccer, in one of the local unaffiliated leagues. Although the skill level isn't as good as the other leagues, they can be more challenging in terms of man management. The games are co-ed, and the skill levels vary widely, so it makes it difficult to find a level that's suitable for all of the players, and you also get people who think they're god's gift to soccer; which is of course utter sash - if they were, would they be playing at this level? No, of course not. But a couple good moves and being the best player on your team and that ego just goes sky high.

Interesting situation playing last night; actually more of an observation. We have a player who I reffed all of last winter on our team; I have had my issues with their team (and when you look at them, you wonder why, but every once in a while one of their players has either snapped or just done something really stupid). I've talked to her about those games before briefly - not sure if that's good or not, but we get along fine now that we're on the same side; but this game we had three other players from her team on the pitch, who of which subbed in on our team. One is a goalkeeper who, while mostly reasonable, I carded after he sent to midfield and just plowed into another player going for the ball (all you needed to complete the picture was him yelling, "Freight Train!!" as he charged forward); he got hurt on the play and had to be carried off, but it was enough that I decided to card him anyway (we got along good at the game, even joking about how goalkeepers should never, ever have to play central midfield - which we both did yesterday). The other sub for us was a very tall player that I never really had a lot of problems with, except that he always wanted to "help" with with the direction on balls out-of-play. :)

The fourth player was someone pretty good; large, Scandinavian, and the recipient of one of my red cards. I don't recall exactly what it was for - I think it was for some sort of retaliation long after I blew the whistle for a foul (and the foul wasn't against him - if I recall correctly, he came into and grabbed the offender, although there was no scuffle or anything that required, at least before he got there, that required that type of action). I do recall clearly one incident that always brings a smile - every referee gets questioned about their calls from fans or players who claim to be referees, and therefor, know better than you ("I'm a referee, and you're out of position" says the fat-assed man sitting on a lawn chair another twenty yards from the play). I've checked around, and found absolutely no reference to a throw-in that enters play, but is touched by noone before going over the goal line (for a goal or corner kick) is to be retaken. Tell me if I'm wrong, then I can finally inform this "former master level referee" (his words!) that he's only really out-of-touch when it comes to the Laws of the Game instead of out-of-touch and an idiot.

I don't expect a lot of problems tonight. Usually the first week of the session is relatively problem free, the second a little less so, and by the third we have the scrappy little games that give me so much exercise in man management that make me love working these games.

20 October '03 - 09:59 - theref - default| - § ¶

Why refs bring their things everywhere

I had been on a hunt the last few weeks for plastic shoe-boxes, as part of my attempt to have the perfectly outfitted referee-oriented soccer bag. There's been a definite progression in my obsessiveness in this endeavor, too. My first year, I shoved my three shirts (I only had short-sleeve) socks, and really sucky line flags into an old sports bag - I think I carried my cleats (the same ones I played with). By the fall, long sleeve jerseys entered the bag, and during the winter, I found a new bag (a huge one).

The next year I discovered turf shoes (although I only wore them tentatively, as the two pairs I bought both took a long time to break in); and this year I wore flats when centering (except in bad weather, when I'll either go to one of my other pairs). This year, of course, it got worse - I have two sets of flags (one for adults, one not-so-nice if I'm working with kids), and different shoes to ref (three pairs) and play (one) in, but I tried to go the route to polishing them all the time - early in the season, I found that the polish rubs off into the jerseys, and even then, the jerseys on the bottom of the (neatly folded) pile tend to get wrinkled. Regular shoeboxes worked well until it rained, and now, after going through the container store, everything I have, at least when it comes to reffing, has it's proper place.

*Bottom of the bag contains two plastic shoe-boxes with those anti-moisture packs (I usually wear my flats to the field - I've only had one game in my life where was an actual locker room for me).

*On top of the shoe-boxes, are my eight jerseys (yellow, black, red, and blue) folded and separated by sleeve length.

*To the right of the shoe boxes, are two smaller boxes with flip-open lids: the first contains miscellaneous game gear such as whistles, flipping coins, wristbands and pencils. The second contains more esoteric things like my lightning detector, weather radio, and shoe polish.

*The little space in front of those two boxes is perfect for storing two to three pairs of socks (this may seem obsessive- but if it's raining, it's really nice to be able to change into dry socks.

*There's an open-air pocket in front of the bag that I keep hair spray (long hair, you know).

*There's a smaller, closed pocket where I throw in my keys, wallet, cell phone, and erasers (for my write-on cards, which I use when its raining; otherwise I prefer paper).

*On one side, there's a large flat pocket where I keep all my flat things: a copy of the ATR in a hard binder, the Laws of the Game, the High School rules, my cards, score sheets, and zip-ties (because too often than not, nobody else will fix the nets).

I'm not the only one who obsesses about this. I've seen refs who have made their entire trunks into a dresser, with shelves for each jersey, shoe racks and more. I've read stories about a trucker who refs, and keeps his kit in his cab, so he can do games on the road. And why do we do this? Because we want to be ready to ref anywhere on any notice. It happened just last night to a friend of mine: he called an asked if I wanted to see some of the high school playoff games. I was going to get there late, but said I'd meet him there (girlfriend willing). I got there for the first game, about 20 minute into it, and he's there on the far touchline: one of the refs was late, and because he had his kit, he was able to fill in! I only wish I could have been there that early myself; then we could have flipped for it!

17 October '03 - 11:40 - theref - default| - § ¶

Not sure what to make of this one

I was told a story the other day - I have no idea if its true, and I'm not even sure if the referees are the point - but I find it disturbing on a couple of levels.

The story is this, at a reasonably competitive high schools boys game, you had two referees working the dual system. This being high school, which is under the NFHS (I'd link the rules, but they prohibit them being posted online, them being the high-minded keepers of their own paychecks), as opposed to FIFA/USSF rules, they have their own ways of doing things, or in this case, not doing things. One team scores, and the entire team (including goalkeeper) cross over to the other side to celebrate. The team that was scored upon puts the ball in the center circle, and one of the referees blows a whistle to restart the game.

What's missing here?

If you answered, the other team, forget your diet and get yourself a cookie. According to what I was told, there were absolutely no players on the other side of the line. The team that was scored on, took the ball straight upfield and scored, and the referees allowed it. That two referees (and either of them could have blown the whistle again after thinking, "What the heck?") allowed isn't disturbing enough, the person telling me the story said that in NFHS, no appeal is available.

I find that a little hard to believe, having had the local high school association vet through a couple games that I had been involved with, but according to the storyteller (who has much more experience with high school sports than I), those situations must be remedied at the game time, and no protest is allowed.

In USSF play, protests can be filed only on misapplication of the Laws. If a coach doesn't like a foul or penalty kick, or even red card, it cannot be protested, because the referee is the sole determiner of the facts of the game (referees are the judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to games, although assignors and referee associations can make sure we never practice Law again). Valid reasons for protest would be if I awarded a penalty kick on a non-penal (indirect) foul, or a red card for a yellow card offense (like encroachment - where "excessive force" plays no part) - in these situations the Laws of the Game have been misapplied, and the competition authority can decide if the mistake was valid enough to overturn the results of the game, and suspend me from reffing.

"Playing under protest" allows the game to continue, without the tension getting out of control. After the game, all parties involved write reports, and further action is taken as appropriate. But if the storyteller is correct, than the misatke these two refs made will stand; and what's worse, the only thing the players and coaches can do is get pissed at the refs and risk ejection - they are totally impotent, in that situation.

I can only guess why it is that way. A couple of the USSF tournaments I'm in charge money to file a protest, in order to make sure there are no frivelous claims; a couple I've been in charge a deposit in the multiple hundreds of dollars. If the protest is upheld, they get their money back; but if not, they're out the cash. My guess is that coaches/team officials learn pretty quickly what is and is not protestable.

But can individual high school associations do the same? They're under a different charter than the state USSF associations. Did things get so bad that, like two kids fighting over the same toy, they just took it away? Or is it something that the high school association missed, or maybe doesn't communicate to coaches and referees?

As a referee, I like being in charge of the game - it's needed in order to manager 22 bodies on the field, plus those on the bench; but to make us unaccountable is more than a little distrubing - and wrong.

16 October '03 - 08:30 - theref - default| - § ¶

What if the refs evaluated coaches?

Apparently I didn't piss off too many coaches this season in high school, because, as I mentioned earlier, I was selected to AR in one of the high school tournament games (I don't know who's centering, but if it's like last year, it'll be the state's National and State 5 referees for all the games). The process of selection was supposed to be a combination of evalautions by coaches, and a member of the high school association doing an independant evaluation (like the USSF assessment); the later of which would hold a lot more weight, because the evaluator would be independant and neutral, not subject to the whims of coaches who want to extract revenge for you making the correct call. After the game, the evaluator was supposed to meet with the officiating crew and go over the evaluation and suggest ways to improve.

One problem with this setup - I haven't run into anyone who had that evaluation, which means the high school association relied totally on coach evaluations. Coach evaluation of referees have several problems right up front:

*The evaluations are not relayed to the referee (which means, if they complain, there's nothing to tell us if there's a problem).

*Unless there's a tie, one team will lose, and there's always the temptation to blame the referee.

*It's very unusual to have both coaches send in an evaluation for the same game (which means you're being evaluation based on one side of a biased story).

*Some coaches are vindictive: I heard one story recently where the ref had worked with one team four or five games this season - all with no problem until the last game, and had no evaluations from that coach; on his final game he awards a controversial, but in his opinion justified, penalty kick that that determines the game (and the coach is not happy about). The next day, every game he did had an evaluation - do you want to guess what all those evaluations read? If you said they were fair and well balanced, you're probably a coach (time to take the blue pill).

*Some coaches are stupid. OK, some coaches are insightful, reasonable, and a credit to the game of soccer, but the ignorant and cretinous are louder.

My guess is that there were too many referees applying to work at the high school tournament, and not enough evaluators - probably not enough people qualified to do it, too, which which is not the fault of the high school association. But it does put them in a bit of a quandary: How to use coaches evaluations to fairly evaluate referees? I would submit that, if you are going to rely on coaches evaluations, then the coaches themselves need to be evaluated by referees! Coaches with good ref ratings would therefor be given more weight when assessing the ability of referees.

And with this idea, I humbly submit my own form below (more)

14 October '03 - 11:03 - theref - default| - § ¶

Depreciation of Play On

I'm trying to get out of the habit of using the phrase "Play On!" to indicate advantage, which is too bad, because it took a little while to get used to indicating (and verbalizing) advantage in the first place, but now the phrase has little meaning.

Watch a MLS game on ESPN (or the final on ABC) before the season ends, and you might just see what I mean. On any particular play, there are, beyond is the ball in/out of play, one of three possible outcomes:

*The referee determines there's no foul (or the foul is so trifling that it shouldn't be bothered with).
*The referee determines there IS a foul and blows the whistle.
*The referee determines there IS a foul and signals advantage.

If you watch MLS, or any soccer match being broadcast by Americans, you'll hear the announcer state repeatedly, "the referee says play on", or something like it - but do you see the motion? Sometimes, yes, which means it's not something that's fallen into disuse, but a corrupting of the meaning by the people who teach the majority of Americans about soccer. I started having problems saying Play On last year - I'd get people yelling, "What do you mean there's no foul!" and despite my trying to educate them that I did see the foul, but thought they would do better if I didn't blow the whistle - often there's not enough time for either my to explain it, or for the player to calm down enough to understand. It's even gotten to the point where I see more referees (than not) use the term Play On to indicate that there was no foul - eek!

So, I'm working on changing my verbal call to "Advantage", which is more succinct anyway. I'm not sure why Play On became more popular; maybe it was becase people, following the foul, all stopped, waiting for the whistle. But all-in-all, it's yet another group of people who don't know the Laws, making my job harder.

13 October '03 - 11:12 - theref - default| - § ¶

The stupid things parents say... made stupider!

Three years ago I read in an article (that, regretably, I can neither find, not find anything similar to it) that said that there's an increase of cards, both yellow, but in particular, red when in playoff situations. As the article was aimed at Americans, MLS was used as an example, but you can certainly see the men's World Cup in 2002 as an example, and see why: stakes are higher, emotions are higher, and in the case of men, the testosterone is higher.



High School playoffs started this week, and when they start, it's kind of odd - the best games are the middle-of-the-road teams, because they (at least in theory) should be evenly matched; the best teams play the worst teams in their bracket, and you hope to stay awake. I started with a pair of ARs (does this mean I'll get a center later? I can hope, but I'm not sure), with the fourth and fifth seeded boys teams - we hoped the game would be evenly matched, but right off the bat, it was clear that the home team was going to walk away with the game, and once the game was finished, it would be no exageration to say they had possession of the ball 75% of the time. Between the other AR and myself, I had the greater workload in the first half, but even with that didn't feel like I was working too hard, because the visitors had a tough time keeping their opponents more than thirty yards from the goal line.



My tough call came while the score was still close, 1-0 home. One of home's midfielders makes a run deep into the corner (the visitors never adapted to this, and these runs accounted for half of their score), and played the ball backwards, into the center of the penalty area, to a waiting striker and an easy goal. I run up the touch, and the visitors are furious, wanting an offside call. Center comes over for a chat, and I explain that they want an offside call because the goal scorer was in front of all of the defenders, but I won't make that call, because he was still behind the ball when it was kicked (indeed, it was kicked back slightly, and he ran a straight line on his collection).



Here's what I think - I think the home team adapted pretty quickly. I flagged them for offside pretty quickly into the half (maybe a minute in), and they started paying attention, and starting using more through-balls down the flank, where they could outrun the visiting opponents.



Second half, not as much for me to do - home picks up another, and then on an infrequent attack by the visitors, give up a penalty kick on a handling call at the far edge of the penalty area; visitors score, and the game is now at 3-1. There's a slight burst in activity in the visitors offense, until they too, get called in the penalty area for a push. I'm on the fan side, and this is where the funny bit is:



The fans are all over the center, with plenty of "Call it both ways, ref!" Always a stupid comment, but in this case, HE DID! Five minutes earlier, he call the penalty kick, for a lesser foul, in their favor! Woe be the person who gets in the way of their precious Loin Fruit (more)

10 October '03 - 13:49 - theref - default| two comments, already - § ¶

How much do I love reffing?

Very stressful time at work - major project, going about as I expected, but still mondo-stressful. Unfortunately, I haven't reffed since Saturday, and don't have any games until tomrrow - where the possibility of being yelled at, insulted, and having my manhood questioned seems a lot more like a stress reliever than what is really a very supportive work environment.

08 October '03 - 14:34 - theref - default| - § ¶

The Ref Vents Upon Other Refs

I know I've said it about other referees, but I saw it happen to myself too: referees make the worst players and/or coaches. In the past, I've usually refereed to some of the National referees I know of (and either have worked with on the field, or with them on the sides as coach), but yesterday I started to appreciate why.



To those of us who truely love refereeing, it pisses us off to see it done half-assed. Hopefully I won't degenerate to the point where I ream out a hardworking referee working his or her hardest (and, unless I'm blanking it out, I haven't); but it would be nice, as a player, no matter how much I suck, that the refs would give a damn as well - if nothing else, because they're being paid, and I'm paying.



Now, when I say I want the refs to give a damn, I don't mean I want their calls to agree with me - I want them to look like they're paying attention to the game. One of my goals, when I referee, is to not get caught out of position - I do not, at any point, want to be fifty yards away from play. The USSF constantly emphasises that they want their referees to look professional: clean shirts (followed by what I dearly want to scream: tuck your shirt in!), propper socks (not rolled down), and well groomed - and the reason, besides you're on display and getting paid for it, but because it helps sell your calls. I know, being short, having long hair, and not being as athletic as those I usually ref for, that I have ground to make up whenever I do new teams: I wash my kit after every use, I use spray on my head to keep hair from my face, I use a firm whistle to start the game so players know what it sounds like (when there's multiple games going on around you, this is a big deal - again, another gripe about referee slackers), I vary the whistle so players know when I'm pissed off or not, and I talk to them so they know that I know the game.



I played two games yesterday, both city-leagues (because we're not good enough for any, even the recreational, affiliated leagues), both with uncertified (god, I hope they were uncertified) referees. First game, I like the center: old guy, must be late 70s, and he's finally starting to have problems keeping up with play - I want to be this guy when I grow old. He called a very tight game, tighter than I like it, but knowing some of the players we have, and what they've done, it was not unwarranted. The ARs, however, were lazy little bastards, never ran (which makes the whole point of them tracking offside useless), flagged across their body (which, beyond the practical purposes that it cuts out your vision to the rest of the field, just looks stupid), and even when the defense didn't move, they didn't both to move to the second-to-last defender.



In short, they were there for the money - maybe because they wanted to center, but ultimately, they didn't give a toss about the game. And it showed.



Second game, different city league, this time with a dual. The two referees had no idea what a dual was, and basically operated as two center referees, FROM THE FRICKIN CENTER CIRCLE! Geez - if you don't know how to run the dual, AT LEAST RUN! These bozos called fouls and then pointed both the direction, and where the ball was, and if they were lucky, they were in two oppsite directions so they just looked like morons; but more often than not, they looked like they were playing some imaginary game of Twister, using the spots from their lastest hit of LSD.



Let's make this perfectly clear: these guys were here because they won't work hard enough to do even the lowliest USSF kids game, because assignors will make them work, will make them pass a simple little multiple choice test on the game, and most importantly, would chew their asses off if they saw them doing such a piss poor job.



That's probably why there were on our games. Oh, and my team DID get the benifit of most of the calls - I'm pissed because it makes my job harder to have to be associated with people who just don't care. (more)

06 October '03 - 18:11 - theref - default| Only one comment - § ¶

The AR on Astroturf

I was quite surprised to get a letter from the high school governing body this weekend - while I did apply to ref in the state tournament, I figured that, given that its so close, that I wasn't selected. But as it turns out, I was. And while I've been pretty vocal about the quality of play in high school versus the upper levels of USSF/USYSA play, it's still a big deal for the players, which makes it fun for us a referees. I was selected to be an AR in a boys semifinal game (same as last year), which has some advantages/disadvantages that have nothing to do with the game (well, one does).

The best part, is that for the second time in my life, I'll actually have access to a locker room. The game is at a college football stadium and while there's a massive difference in the quality of the locker rooms (the ref's locker room is like your old high school room, with adult-sized lockers; versus the players, which are outfitted better than my home), there's actually a place for us to go to that coaches and players are not allowed. One of my gripes about Referee magazine, in the short time I've received it (besides the errors in their soccer quizzes), is how they hold the locker rooms for referees sacred - but I haven't seen them try to address what to do when you don't have one (and let's be fair, maybe it's because they can't - they can't magically create one for stadia, assuming you're even playing at one), let alone what to do if the coach decides to vent his frustration at you. Myself, I always try to position my bag, and that of those I'm working with, at the opposite end of the field - but too often the path of least resistance takes hold of those who come after me, and they refuse to cart their bag an extra 60 yards.

The worst part is that this college football stadium uses Astroturf (the old fashioned rug kind, as opposed to the nice stuff). There's also football markings, but that's par for the course when it comes to high school soccer. If you look it up, there's little scientific evidence about injuries on astroturf versus grass, but you have to wonder about reality. Did the studies look at new installations of Astroturf, instead of ones 20 years old? After bruising both of my knees goalkeeping on turf (which has never happened before or since on grass), I decided to never play on it again. I really don't want to AR on it, except it is an honor to do the tournament games. Last year, on the same surface, I popped my knee as an AR - not serious, and I was able to continue to the game, but for about five minutes I was hobbling; the ability to stop on a dime, and the side-step and quick-stop motions of an AR just do not mix.

But, it's only one game, and I'm looking forward to it.

05 October '03 - 10:49 - theref - default| - § ¶

Entering the game half-way

Really odd game yesterday; actually the game was fine - lots of running, not too many fouls, and I came out feeling pretty good. The odd thing came out of the assigning of the previous game.

My assignor for high school games was given a number of short-notice games, and was trying to fill them up; now as I've mentioned before, they like me, because I don't mind traveling, and I got a call on Wednesday asking if I could fill in for a 5pm game. I said, yes, but I already had a center scheduled at 7pm, so they would need to either re-schedule me, or start the other game late, because there was no way I could make it from one location to antoher (about a half-hour drive) in time for the second game. She said she would try to find someone else, but asked if I could keep myself available just in case. I did, and she couldn't. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call asking if I could do both games, and she would contact the schools in the second game, saying I would be late.

(Two words: referee shortage - next time you complain about reffing, I will personally look up a training class for you, but you have to go, and have to ref)

First game, where I'm an AR, goes fine - good, tight game, until the last twenty minuets when the home team goes up 2-0. So after the game, I tear out and start driving to the second location. I get there at about 7:15, and the game is already underway. I check with the coaches and the near-side ref (they're running a dual), and they all knew to expect me late. I drop my bag, and get the tools of the trade out (new score sheet, whistles, spare cards, flags for the soon-to-be ARs), and my timing is apparently good. Home team scores, providing me with a seemless way to enter the game, and for the ref crew to change from Dual to DSC . But after I started the game, I realized that I had to approach this game carefully, because the variables were far different then when I start a game in the center.

When you start a game from scratch, the center referee often tries to establish what his style of calling will be, so the players and ARs will know what to expect, and what punishments to expect when crossing the line; in this case, the pace and style of the game (now 13 minutes underway) had already been set, and more importantly (to me), was the players expectations of the refereeing. Now they had a new referee to try to figure out (more)

03 October '03 - 10:48 - theref - default| - § ¶