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.