The next day was one where I was kind of nervous. We were now going to center matches and so the stakes were a little higher. As I was observing a couple of previous matches, I saw that some of the centers were letting play go on more than what I normally do. At that moment I decided that I was going to let them play when I was in the center since that was what most of these others were doing. It turned out to be a mistake. The reason it was a mistake was because I was then not able to call my game and was taking longer to determine if it was a foul that I was not going to call that I would normally call. Then they started flopping and trying to buy fouls because I must have been all over the place with fouls. Let's just say it was unfortunate. Lesson learned for sure. And it was really hard to reign them in after because they did not know what type of game I was going to officiate.
In the second match, where I was an AR, the center decided to do the opposite. Call a tight game and ease up if needed. Turned out to be a better thing to do instead of the other way around. So if nothing else, ref your match as you see fit. Then make small adjustments accordingly, but at the end of the day, at least you can live with yourself after the match it over. The feeling I had that second night was terrible. I felt like I let the kids down and it was because I had.
At the same time, some kids were really letting me have it. Saying that I was the worst referee they had ever had, that I could not recognize what a foul was and what a flop was, etc. I was so out of my element that I should have started carding for such snide remarks but I felt like I couldn't. Things got better though for the other two days, so don't feel too bad for me.
2 comments:
What was the age group and gender (I assume Boys)?
I feel your pain. I've been AR for some ECNL games with 5s or 6s in the Center. There is always a small handful of fouls that occur that I wonder "why didn't they call that?" As you said, you have to run center the way you run it and not the way someone else runs it. I hear ya!
http://milehighsoccerref.blogspot.com/
It was U18 Boys college showcase. The level was actually about as high as I had ever done. And yes, I tried to second guess myself and try to change how I ref, so I was not true to myself. But the stories get better. I hope to post Day 3 today and Day 4 after the holiday. Thanks for reading and have a great holiday.
Post a Comment