Ask a Ref Question

Please send your questions and concerns to the referee coordinator, Mike Seeger, 563-2078, seegerm@nku.edu, or the referee trainer, John Slaboch, 232-5294 (john.slaboch@whihotels.com) for resolution. To have questions and answers posted on this web page, send them to Ray Owens at SayEastWeb@aol.com.

To report unacceptable behavior on the part of anyone associated with the Cincinnati East SAY program (coach, referee, player, spectator, etc.), please notify the referee coordinator, your district representative, and your referee assigner. Responsibility to resolve such problems and act on complaints of this nature resides with the vice president for ethics, Marc Basius (559-0880; basiusm@aol.com) and, ultimately with the Board of Directors of Cincinnati East SAY.

If you went through referee training for Wings last year, do you need to go again this year to ref now?

If you have been to Wings/above training, no refresher is needed unless you are interested reffing at the National or State level. If you have been to Passers level only, you can ref Passers again without training the next season. We want passer refs to move up after 1 year. (from the SAY East referee trainer, John Slaboch)

Is it OK to ref games if you have a brother or sister or cousin on one of the teams?

No, it's generally not a good idea to ref a game with a relative on a team. It's your responsibility to not schedule yourself for such games, and you should never do so without approval of the scheduler. John Slaboch, the SAY East Referee Trainer has said: "Even if I'm alone, if someone has a brother or sister on a team, I won't let a non-adult ref help on a game, even if the other team agrees. To me it's common sense/fairness that you don't ref a game with relatives in it--that includes cousins etc."

If a player on a goal kick tries several times to get the ball out of the penalty area but is unsuccessful, can the ref just give a direct, indirect, or corner kick to the other team?

If one team is having trouble with a goal kick, you should not award any kind of kick to other team. While we do turn over the ball on a bad throw-in, we do not do that if the ball doesn't enter the field of play, and for goal kicks, the ball is not playable until it leaves the penalty area. Sometimes our fields have tall grass or standing water, and sometimes our Wings players just get tired, and this can lead to difficulty with goal kicks. First of all, be patient. It's no big deal if it takes four or five tries to get a good goal kick. If after several tries a player is not succeeding with the goal kick, the ref may suggest, in a friendly manner, that perhaps a teammate should have a turn to try. If the unsuccessful player (or that player's coach) insists on trying again and again, and there is no sign of success on the horizon, the ref may "spot" the ball somewhat closer to the side and forward edge of the area, perhaps citing field conditions, to help ensure success. While not strictly legal, this is well within the spirit of the game, especially at the instructional level with 8 and 9 year old players.

At the Wings level, can the goalie pick up a ball passed back by a teammate?

Yes. If the goalie is inside the penalty area, the goalie can pick up the ball anytime.

The goalie at Wings level can take any number of steps and is not limited to six seconds to clear the ball. Of course, intentional time wasting or unsporting behavior can earn an indirect kick for the other team.

What about playing in bad weather?

Our primary concern is player safety. We play in rain or snow, unless it gets dangerous. If you hear thunder or see lightning, you should clear the field and get everyone to safety and wait 20 minutes. If you get more thunder or lightning, you need to start the 20 minute clock again. If it looks like it will keep storming, call the game off. Also, if you are playing in rain or snow and the field becomes unsafe, call the game off. (Note: This advice is patterned on the Ohio High School rule.)

What is the general SAY East policy on referee pay after rainouts?

If, upon arriving at the field, the referees decide that the safety of the players is at risk, or if during the game there is a safety risk (lightning, adverse field conditions, etc.), the Referees are paid for the cancelled game. It is the responsibility of the referees to check the SAY East Hotline to monitor field conditions and cancellations or moved games. Referees are not paid for games that have been cancelled when the notice is on the Hotline. Normally, if the coaches cancel the game, they should send someone to pay the refs and stay with the refs until the next game's teams (or the refs rides home) arrive. If no one has been sent to pay the ref, the ref should contact the scheduler who can arrange for the league to pay the ref; the league then goes after the coach(es) that caused the cancellation to get the money and to advise the coaches not to abandon refs on fields.

What do we do if the games get off schedule? ?

This is from Referee Trainer John Slaboch:
In the Spring, or anytime games do not count in standings, you can shorten game by playing one less quarter: this saves time changing time. Also, if the game is a blow out, you can reduce the time in the other quarters. In the Fall, or if the games count in standings, we need to play the full game (unless it's a blow out and the coaches agree to reduce the time) and let the other games fall behind. The key is that the first game has to start on time, not 5 or 10 minutes late, and the refs have to keeping the games moving. You need to meet the teams 5-7 minutes before the games (when a new set of refs arrive, if the games are behind, do the pre-game on the sidelines while the other game is in progress and start immediately after the other game is over). When schedules are tight, tell the coaches to take only 1 minute between quarters and just three minutes between 2nd and 3rd quarter. Keep the coaches off the field and make sure they get their teams to clear the sidelines promptly after a game, to be considerate of the later games. Don't make it a regular practice to go to 12 minutes unless the games are more than 15 minutes behind.

And this from Referee Coordinator Melanie Bates:
Injury time outs are the biggest time killer and the most difficult thing for youth referees to handle.
When a player is down, I've observed that most youth referees allow the coaches on the field before the referee even assesses whether the player is actually hurt. That's a good five minutes, several times a game! The referees are responsible for safety, and the coaches are not allowed on the field unless they are invited. If the player is crying, a coach should be called. If a player is sitting down on the field, the referee inquiring whether he or she wishes to be removed from play usually causes the player to resume play. Also note that the majority of the "injuries" occur in the final quarter -- usually because the player is tired and needs a breather, not because of a true injury situation. We need to work with referees on handling injuries. Simply advising coaches that time will not be stopped unless the injury is serious will keep the game moving and coaches off the field in the majority of situations. Stopping time for an injury as an exception rather than a rule should be employed.

What do I do if a coach repeatedly yells "that's OK," or "bad luck" or "good job" when a player is called for intentional fouls?

At the break, ask to speak to the coach and point out that it is not helpful to have your calls challenged in this way. Point out that you are attempting to support player safety and that if the coach won't correct players who are too rough and take illegal shots, it hurts the game. If the coach doesn't seem to get the message, contact the ref. assigner for followup.

What do I do if I'm at my scheduled field and neither team shows up?

Let's say you are one of the younger refs (under 16) and you are scheduled to ref a field outside your own neighborhood. You get a ride with someone and you arrive at an empty field. Ask your driver to stay until one of the coaches from your game shows up. If your first game ends and there is no sign of anyone from your second game, ask one of the coaches from your first game to stay until someone shows up. If nobody shows up from either team, ask the coach that stayed to wait with you for your ride or help you arrange to be picked up. DO NOT let yourselves be abandoned at a soccer field. After you get home, call or email the referee assigner so the adults involved can be made aware of their error.

How can I tell if I'm in the right field position?

Well, if you find yourself walking the sidelines, standing still in the middle, or running parallel with the other ref, you are probably out of position most of the time. Talk to the other ref before the game and make sure you are each clear who has which side of the field and who has which end of the field. Then you know who should be watching for offsides and goal at either end of the field. (Both referees watch for throwins, of course.) Then, which every way the ball is going, the lead referee is the one who has the ball in his or her end of the field. The lead referee is watching out for fouls, offsides and for goals, corner kicks, and goal kicks. The trail referee is watching out for fouls and throwins, and is prepared to become the lead referee at a moment's notice, if the direction of play changes (keep an eye on the defenders on your end so you can get back quickly to watch for offsides). Both referees should keep asking themselves "Am I where I'm supposed to be?"

Why is it so hard to blow the whistle loud?

That's one of the mysteries of soccer...it's like public speaking, there's really nothing to it, but most people find it hard to get started. Happily, once you get used to managing a game, blowing the whistle loudly and with authority gets very easy. You'll find that you start out barely able to keep time in a game, then you'll get ok calling at throw ins, then you'll start calling pushes and trips. Be sure to read your rule book so you know the right remedy for every event. Many of the coaches and parents know some of the rules, and some of them are experienced refs, too, so they will know how hard it is, but you want to know what you are doing out there. Try to get in enough games and enough study so you come up to speed fairly quickly. Know the calls, know the resart for each call, and know the signals. When you have that, you can manage a game and help the kids play safely and have fun.

What do I do if I'm the only ref?

This happens. Sometimes the other ref can't find the field or has to cancel at the last minute and nobody else is available. Don't worry. Collect the ref fee from both coaches and tell them that, if the other ref doesn't arrive by game time, you would like each coach to have a responsible parent help you by calling the out of bounds. Put one of these volunteers on either touch line and tell them to just call the throw ins and to point the direction for you. You'll have to run a bit more to call the rest of the game, and sometimes an offsides might get by you, but if you are in shape you'll be fine.