SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Referees

Agreed. Though any evaluation system would HAVE to be 100% confidential. Why?
Because many H.S. coaches are afraid to evaluate an official honestly, for fear that his/her colleagues will exact retribution. If soccer is anything like basketball, coaches can blackball an official or two. Most basketball coaches DON'T use the blackball for precisely that reason.
I personally find it more offensive when an assigner/evaluator stands on the sidelines during a game involving his coach/son's team.

I talked to an adult AR this past Saturday who said he is selective about what games he will ref. He commented that parents from some clubs are worse than other clubs so he just won't ref certain games. Not sure if the same applies to high school games.

When referees decide who they will/will not officiate, there's a problem. That should be purely up to the assigner.

I am not a referee but a coach and a player. Parents, coaches, and players should SHUT their mouths. It's a game, nothing more. If you think you can do a better job, sign up for a referee clinic and get involved. Bickering on a message board about the quality of the referees does NOTHING to help the situation.

Lurker: Practically speaking, competent assigners are aware of any (real or perceived) conflict of interest an official may have, and therefore don't compromise an official by putting him or her on a "conflict" game. In the real world, officials should tell the assigner of any conflict beforehand.
To my way of thinking, not "liking" a particular coach or set of parents is not an acceptable conflict. Admitting as much calls into question one's ability to officiate ANY game; not just those in question.
There are legitimate reasons to blackball an official. In nearly 20 years at various high schools I supported ONE blackball -- when it became apparent to me that a specific individual was openly cheering for a team whose games he periodically officiated. Found out he had a personal relationship with that team's coach.
I also suggested that the official in question not work ANY games involving teams in his GF's conference, because he could impact outcomes of OTHER games that would affect league standings, state seedings, etc. And the assigner quietly accepted that suggestion.
I'd also point out that there's a big difference between coaching and officiating. A coach is SUPPOSED to have, and manifest, a vested interest in his/her team. And parents/fans are just that. An official is SUPPOSED to be unbiased. Officials should EXPECT reasonable bias, emotion and heat from coaches and fans. Coaches should EXPECT a fair shake from officials.

Backscreen17 let start out with this. If you have a concern about the quality of a referee then be a part of the solution and don't bash but help the referee get better. I work a full time regular job getting up at 4am during the week getting off around 5pm then off to do a HS match or weekday club match getting home late around 10pm. Makes for a long day and I give it my all every time I step out on the pitch. I don't get every call right and I do miss calls but I care enough about the match to do my very best and try to learn with every match I am involved in so that I get better. I attend matches that I don't get paid for and mentor fellow referee's to help them and glad to do this for this is the only way to get better is to have help. Yes there are good referee's in every area of our state and some that if helped could also be just as good. I will end with this I would like to invite you to attend one of our certification clinics and get certified and help our referee's get better.

I agree that, we as parents, need to keep our mouths shut. But, all I ask is that the referees, especially at high school matches, do their best to maintain control. I am sure most refs do, but others don't at all, and their inability or unwillingness to make the calls increase the possibility of injury to these players.

Mr. Shealy, I appreciate all that you do. I understand that you've worked hard and are now doing your best to ref a high school game. You are, no doubt, giving your best and probably still have to take abuse from players and parents. On the flip side, the players have been in school all day. They may have played two or three matches in that week and then have tests to study for once they get home. They too are tired, and all they ask for is some control on the field. The problem is two sided. Parents and players do way too much yelling at the ref, but refs fail to control the match or fail to call it equally. Once they do this it becomes more dangerous for the player, and there is no excuse for a player getting hurt in a game that the ref has allowed to get out of control.

It's a two sided problem and typically it's the parents not the players who are doing most of the yelling. I would ask that the refs never take out their frustration with the parents on the players. Parents need to recognize when they are the problem, but refs need to do the same.

With that said, I will not be attending any certification clinics. I have no desire to be a ref. What I will do is control my mouth.

Hi Michael. I sympathize with your plight and appreciate your effort. Doesn't change a thing I've said. I would point out several things that you, as a certified official, probably already know:
1) You should ignore parents/fans, unless they are clearly endangering you, or (more importantly) player participants, or are WAY over-the-top racist, sexist or profane. Anyone who CAN'T do this shouldn't officiate.
2) Good officials don't get any worse when harassed; patently bad ones don't get any better when ignored or praised.
3) There should ABSOLUTELY be a fitness standard for high school officials and THAT should be a core component of certification.
4) As pointed out above, I have listened in on certification classes and been shocked by what I heard. And DIDN'T hear. As in, "How can I take your comments seriously when you're CLEARLY unfit?" How can a veteran official expect young up-and-comers to stay in the game, when HE'S more critical of them than the fans EVER get?
5) It doesn't take a certification badge to recognize lack of physical fitness, lack of effort, poor judgment or misinterpretation of rules.
6) If I were evaluating a high school official's work, I'd be a rare duck indeed. I have been to well over 100 high school matches over the last four years and can count on one hand the number of times I recognized an "evaluator" in the stands.