SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Should Refs Reserach Teams They Are Officiating

Lol, so be it...

I think Belligerent picked up on the intent of my original question quite well...with no other information, is it fair to assume that the official's comment had any kind of racist intent? Or (as Belligerent did indeed take it a step farther), what does it really say when we ASSUME a comment like that was racist?

IF the school was known for its basketball success but had struggled in other sports, the comment may have been intended to be complimentary and encouraging toward a growing program. My school has been known as a "football school." I distinctly remember an official in the recent past making a comment along the lines of, "so it looks like y'all play something other than football here now!" It was meant as a compliment and I took it as such.

People do have to be cautious with their comments, though; it's not just about how a message is intended, but also about how it is received. It's challenging sometimes to keep in mind the different ways a simple comment may be perceived by the listener, and I think it's unfortunate that people are often predisposed to listen for the insult rather than the compliment in a statement. Maybe if the official had gone on to comment on his observation of the successful basketball program and say that he was impressed to see other sports taking a hold at that school, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Or, maybe he meant "y'all" just the way it was taken. I have no basis for judging without context.

Just for kicks, let's flip the situation around. For the sake of argument, let's say Wando is having an outstanding basketball season. While leaving the court after a big region win, an official comments to a Wando player, "so, y'all are good at something other than soccer, huh?"

Do we have a racist issue that needs to be addressed?

Need clarification on situation seen this week in which both times calls were differant.Player tries to throw ball in down the line, ball does not ever make it into play. Ball in the air goes straight down line never comes in play. One ref early in the week gave ball to the defense team. Last night same play happened. But this time player throwing got ball back for another throw in. Which call is correct?

Ok then refs were 50-50 on this one . Thanks

as a coach, player and ref....i have hated players, refs and coaches in my day.
In reference to having a ref research the team they are coaching, i think it depends on the level of the match. If the game is high leve, then yes the ref should know more about the type of game each plays so he can be prepared for the pace of the match. I do not think the refs should build opinions of players based on the research though, as that could lead into prejiduce in his decisions during the match.

Refs need to come into a game with a clean slate. No preconceived notions about anyone. Dirty players will show themselves pretty quickly as will whiners. If a ref does games at a high level in a particular league he will know all the personalities anyway.

I'm a USSF ref, HS ref, and club coach (sometimes coaching two teams per season)....That being said, I'm on a soccer field usually 6+ days/nights per week. How would you suggest I research a team(s) before reffing their game? I'm not asking this with a smart-aleck attitude, but would like a serious suggestion(s). Other than seeing them from previous matches (IF I happen to have had them in a match), HOW would I go about this? WHEN would I go about this? And, yes, I do work a demanding full time job as well...

I personally think it's unrealistic at any level we have to play/ref in SC, to expect an official to be able to research the teams he/she is going to ref. I think the best that you can ask for/hope for/expect is to have a knowledgeable referee that has a) played the game before at a fairly high level, b) understands the game, c) understands the players' and coach's perspectives, and d) is fit enough to keep up with the game so that he's in position to make correct calls as often as is possible.

So, here's the challenge...we need more of these type referees all over SC so that the level of officiating can continue to improve. It's also important to start as young as possible, so that by the time that ref is able to officiate a HS match, he/she has sufficient experience (as a player and ref) to perform the job at a high level, as all players and coaches expect...

Just my $0.02...