Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Now really Passing the torch

This weekend, apart from the crazy referee in the previous post, I worked Saturday for the first time with my son. The local rec league does something that most leagues do not do. That is to put ARs on their U10 and U12 matches. Those are the first age groups where there is a semi big field. It is basically the same size as the fields used by travel if they were 12 and under.

My son and I worked 3 matches, 2 U12 boys and one U12 girls. He was more than observant and did quite well. My glowing moment where I realized he "got" it was during the first match where I was close to him but due to a discussion with a coach on his side, I had my back to him for a second as play restarted. Team took a quick throw in, one player flicked it with his head to a teammate that was slightly offside. I called it without looking at him since I had a good view and he had his flag up, so he saw it as well.

It was great to work with my son, it felt like something akin to bonding time. It helped that he knew what he was doing, so that always works. Good for him. Next weekend, he works with the U6 kids all by himself. I wonder if he will be able to control play just as well as he did on the AR side.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Passing the torch

This weekend was a wet one for many in the east coast. I had my fair share of matches and had some interesting things, but the most important one was working my first games with my son (who did awesome by the way).

To start off, I will go to the Sunday work. Two higher level matches (in terms of age). A U16 Boys match and a U17 match, also boys. I was ARing on the U16 match that featured a well known referee in our parts. He is somewhat of an interesting character, a lot of flair, a lot of other stuff as well.

To start it off, he was using an electronic whistle. I had never had one use it, but there is always a first. The problem was that it was not really audible. If you were in the vicinity (about 15-20 feet), you heard it, but farther away, it was difficult to make out what was going on. He later said that he needed to replace the batteries. Well, why didn't he? Or use a whistle...

To start things off, in the first 10 minutes, there is a ball played over the defense, keeper and attacker come to the 50/50 ball when there is a collision. Keeper had played the ball away and then collided with the attacker. No foul in my book (I was the lead AR) and the ball falls to another attacker who drops it over the defense for a goal. Center signals no goal because of the hurt attacker. Mind you that the time it took from the collision to the goal was 2-3 seconds at the most. Still, no goal for that team.

So what is the restart, since he stopped play for an injured player? Dropped ball, right? Wrong, for this referee, he decided to give the attacking team an indirect free kick from where the shot was taken that eventually resulted in a goal. When questioned at half time as to what he was thinking, he said, it was the fairest way to give the team a chance to score. But it is not in the rulebook, the other AR and I said. Well, but it was what was fairest, he said. We then suggested that this would be fair in high school, but not in weekend soccer.

Then comes a weak penalty for the other team at the start of the second half. It was really weak. Not something I would have ever called, especially not in a 0-0 game like that. The team converts the PK and then down at the other end, he calls for a free kick, close to the 18. As the players are lining up, the team losing try a quick free kick, which goes in, but alas, our great center decides that he was setting up the wall, though no one on the attacking team asked for 10, it was the defending team that asked for it. So for the second time that match, the same team had a good goal wiped off.

In the end, the match ended 1-0 but was not the result of the team, it was a bunch of hogwash. Silly actually.

The one about my son will have to wait until the next time, as I am out of time right now. But what a character he was.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Do coaches know the rules?

Pretty standard match yesterday I was working as an AR in High School (which I like less and less by the day) until late in the second half. A throw in by white that was more like a corner, a laser. Anyway, it gets flicked and tips off of a defender and into the goal. 

Coach from team receiving the goal if I looked at the thrower. I said I did. Then why did I not flag the illegal throw he asks. Because it was not an illegal throw I tell him. So his assistant walks up to me and said, "You mean to tell me that was not an illegal throw?" Again, now more than slightly irritated that indeed, it was a legal throw. To top it off, one of the younger kids on the bench then says real loud "I am a referee and even I know that it was an illegal throw!". At that point I ask all of them, what part of the throw in was not legal. 

The coach, assistant coach and idiot sub all basically say that part of his foot was on the field. And so therein lies my problem. How can they be so ignorant of the rules? In my case, I did tell them that unless the foot is completely on the field, it is legal.

After the match, the coach had the gall to ask my the other two members of my team if indeed it was right what I was saying. Ah, what can I expect? A coach that knows the rules. Nah, why bother.