SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums SCHSSCA Two or three officials. Girls vs Boys

Westwood vs Dutch Fork varsity doubleheader last night. Why did girls game have two officials and boys have three?

Might have been requested. I know more often than not, it's a 2 man system unless, 1 it's going to be a quick intense game that 2 wouldn't be able to keep up or it was requested. Just a thought.

What/Who determines 2 or 3 for girls games?

In Charleston, it's often determined by which school is hosting. For example, Wando will ask for three, while some smaller schools only opt for two. I definitely prefer three as two just cannot keep up with the play, particularly at the top levels.

Is it a supply issue? Isn't it time to mandate three at all games? How is having two acceptable to anyone?

There aren't enough to mandate a 3-Man system at every game. Some schools probably wouldn't be able to afford it any way. There was a Region Game last night, that was not able to be played because ZERO refs were available or signed up.

That first sentence also covers the usual rant about the Quality of Official. There just aren't enough for 3-Man and not enough signing up to help the shortage.

We typically have three for region and rivalry matches. Some times we end up with two because not enough supply

Can't 'qualified' volunteers or asst coaches run lines?
Are there hard rules preventing this?

I'd suggest there are many in the stands at most games that know (or are qualified) to do it if needed.

Growing up in England, we'd be lucky to get one ref at most games and fill in as needed.

I'm not 100% sure about the School Ball, but I do know with Club officials will sometimes use parents or asst. coaches to help call if the ball is out of bounds and on who.

The High School League mandates that all games use officials that are certified by the League office. I can see the point...with nobody really regulating who is a "qualified" volunteer, who is to say that all officials at the game are making knowledgeable, unbiased decisions? And every member of the officiating crew--even someone volunteering to run lines--is responsible for making some decisions; otherwise they wouldn't need to be there in the first place.

As much as I prefer a three-man system whenever possible, in a match that can determine playoff eligibility--or even the average match in which player safety is always a concern--I would rather have two trained, certified, and unbiased officials with no connection to either team, than to have an uncertain quantity pulled from someone's fan base making decisions on the field.