The ZenMaster shares some tips on how teams can handle dirty play and react to it in ways to counter it and evne take advantage of it.
Entries for the ‘Referees’ Category
Differences In How Boys And Girls Retaliate
An experienced referee has some interesting observations about how older players may retaliate in different ways depending on their gender and what to look for.
An Epic Rant for Youth Soccer Referees
Referee’s endure an unacceptable amount of abuse from overzealous soccer coaches and parents. But there also are referees who just don’t take their responsibility seriously, and a recent forum poster lets off an epic rant on many of the reasons why they should.
A Scary Weekend of Injuries
A recent weekend in Georgia saw a significant number of serious soccer injuries. Soccer is definitely a contact sport and the risk of injury very real. Perhaps it’s time for youth referees to start showing the plastic more often.
Insights On Becoming A Referee
Charlie Slagle, the CEO of North Carolina’s largest soccer league, Capital Area Soccer League (CASL), has a soccer radio show that is broadcast every Saturday morning at 7AM called Back of the Net. His most recent show looks into what is required to become a soccer referee and how far you can go.
Tackling From Behind
I love responding to comments from readers – it’s part of what makes writing a blog fun. But occasionally I find a comment and/or the response warrant a full blown post, so don’t be surprised if you ask an intriguing question and it ends up on Page 1
Recently a parent posted a comment on [...]
Reason #367 Not To Heckle Referees
They may start drinking.
I know, I know – I shouldn’t joke around because if a drunk ref showed up at my kid’s match I’d be a bit upset. But still, I found it hilarious the kids (at least they look like older kids) continued to [...]
How Accurate Is Ball Flight Technology?
The use of technology in soccer for things like goal line calls, offside, and more has always been experimental, and even then has been controversial. While arguing over a referee’s call is often a soccer fan’s favorite pastime, few fans or officials support its use in the beautiful game. However, more often than not the debate is about technology’s impact on the flow of the game, not accuracy. Yet as technology is evaluated for use in soccer, we cannot overlook the fact the technology is imperfect and subject to errors.
Out Of Bounds Player and Offside
Anyone watching the Netherlands v Italy match in Euro 2008 saw a Netherland’s goal allowed that seemed to be offside – except there was an Italian defender out of bounds behind the end line. So many wondered if that player factored into any offside decision. The answer is Yes. The question was did he leave [...]
Will High Gas Prices Worsen The Ref Shortage?
With gas prices near $4/gallon in many places, the cost of driving even short distances is starting to be measured in dollars, not cents. Just driving to and from practices can start to add up for many coaches and families. But one other group is starting to feel the pinch – referees. With gas prices [...]
Halftime LOTG Quiz
ÂÂÂÂYou’ve all been at a match like this. The kids are playing, trying their best, and a parent or two are stalking up and down the touchline, shouting instructions to their children constantly. Sometimes their kids ignore them, other times they are distracted by it. Their coach seems indifferent to it. You want to say [...]
Changes to the Laws Of The Game
Over at the ÂNC-Soccer Forum, Wreave shares an old April Fool’s gag they pulled a few years ago, complete with a dummy website. Anyone who has been involved in youth soccer for a while will appreciate the humor in what he wrote. My favorite?
One minor but important change is that the Law 11 offense formerly [...]
Tell Your Parents (and Coaches) About The PIG
It wouldn’t be the weekend without another uproar over a (supposedly) missed offside call. So the head of the organization that oversees officiating for the English Premiere League, Keith Hackett, penned an article in support of offside and why the recent refinements requiring active play have made a positive impact on the beautiful game. His [...]
Easing Up On Youth Referees
Over at The RefBlog, The Ref has been doing a ‘best of 2007′ series and he highlighted an excellent post he did last year about how the worst behavior exhibited towards referees seems to come from youth matches, not adult now professional matches:
The only thing that really caught my attention to the article was at [...]
