Referee Shortage

I always hear about how bad the referee was. How I can't believe he or she missed that call or the ref caused us the game. The parents complain, the players complain, the assignor complains (that they can't get enough referees) the coaches complain either that the ref is no good or they can't get referees. Is it any wonder that there is a shortage. How would you like a job where everybody is always complaining? Some coaches even acknowledge that they like to play the ref by yelling and complaining about a call early so they can maybe get a break later. (It doesn't generally work that way) If we want good referees we need to develop them as youth players and help them improve so that they will be ready for the bigger games. Coaches you want better referees how about laying off the U-9 referee who misses a call and letting your parents know not to scream at them. I wonder how many coaches could handle someone yelling at them everytime they didn't make a perfect substitution or coach a perfect game. I have a suggestion for every team, have someone record the parents and the coach during a game and play it back at a team dinner. That might quite the sidelines at least for a while and give us a chance to get in some new young referees.

Youth Soccer

As another H.S. soccer season ends and I look at the girls graduating it reminds me of when they started. My wife coached most of the senior girls (including my daughter) in club soccer when they were U-8 and several years after that. I remember parents being concerned that their little girl was not tough enough to play Division 1 soccer, a girl crying because her shoelaces were wet and several of them staring at the clouds, grass, etc. during the match. I remember all the lunches, trips, hotels, and travel with the teams, but what I remember most is the laughter and fun. What isn't a big deal are the losses which we thought were the end of the world, the coaching mistakes which "cost us the game", or that crazy referee "who cost us the game". After being a player, coach and referee I have learned (it took a while) that the best games are the ones where as a parent I listen to my ipod or talk with other parents and just enjoy the game. I was not be calmest coach or parent in the past, but looking back at those years, I realized it was a waste of time, energy and enjoyment of the game. It is sad to see the seniors leave, but fun to remember the past adventures, USA cup against the monster team from Canada, Embassy suites in Austin, lunches and naps in the car between tournament games. Oh and by the way the little girl who cried over her shoelaces being wet became one of the top forwards in the league, the parents who were not sure if their little girl was ready for Division 1 became an amazing defender and all of them became unbelievable young ladies. Thank you all for the fun years and memories.

Soccer a different perspective

This past week my brother, sister-in-law and nephew were in town and went to see my two daughters' matches. One was the semi final regional final and the other a Presidents Cup match. They are all baseball/football people and about the only time they have seen a soccer match is when they make the rare pilgrimage from West Texas to Sugar Land. It was interesting to hear their comments and gave me a new perspective and appreciation that I overlook. First they were amazed at how fast the game was without any time outs or breaks and how physical the play was. They said they were exhausted after the match from the tension and just watching them run. They also commented on the referees which was interesting in that they did not know the rules, but picked right up on the control of the game and ability. In one game it appeared that the ball went into the goal and hit the side netting and the keeper knocked it out. Their comment was that the AR (or that guy) was not even in a position to see it and shouldn't he be. In the other game they commented on how the referee controlled the game and seemed to know what he was doing. That despite he never said a word the entire match. Their final comments concerned the parents at the Presidents Cup match. They said it was rude of one of the parents from the other team to come down to our side and shout at the players. After the game my brother and sister-in-law went up to my daughter told her she played great and it was a fun game to watch. No why didn't you do this, etc. What a great concept, expect referees, parents, players and coaches to each do their respective jobs, enjoy the game and go home happy regardless of the outcome (both teams lost) because it was a great day and the kids played well. What a great perspective.

H.S. playoffs, fans and referees

Watching the playoff games recently reminds me why I generally wear headphones. The fans are screaming that every bump is a foul (unless it is on their player, then it is the worst call ever made), the other players all play dirty and the referees are blind, old, slow, fat, etc., etc. Is there a problem with some of the referees, yes. One problem is we don't have enough. That is why until we get to playoffs you rarely have a 3 man crew. A friend just told me about a great blog http://fortheintegrityofsoccer.blogs.com. The current discussion is (in part) where have all the refs gone. In my opinion, the reason we don't see great refs (some would argue even good) is because a good number of them get tired of being screamed at and abused by parents and coaches. I know several very good young referees who quit because of a coach yelling at them or parents berating them throughout a game. Should they have been better protected by a mentor or field marshal, certainly, but look around you at the next match (or even in the mirror) and think about if you would want to be on the receiving end of the barrage of noise pollution. If you want to have great refs, be great coaches and fans at the younger levels and it will pay off later.