SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Soccer Refs

As a ref, a father of HS players, and a father of kids that ref, it should be mandatory that all parents and coaches ref a game before they comment. The refs do get assessed during games, and, in the majority, most do it for the love of the sport and to the best of their ability. There is a continual shortage of refs, so sign up and come aboard. And I agree with the earlier comment, the crap that my kids have put up when reffing, especially from parents who do not know all or any of the rules, or know what the refs have been instructed, is pretty harsh and out of line.

I agree with BoR, chapindad, and gitg. Parents should limit their comments to cheering on their teams in a positive manner. Complaining to the ref as a parent could have a negative impact on your team, I have seen it happen. I believe this parent problem could also be quelled if ref's (including young ones) would not take such abuse from parents. It is definitely a ref's perogative to ask a parent to leave a game for such offenses. I believ if it happened more often it would stop some loud mouth parents. I also agree that parents should attend a ref course to better understand the game that most have never played. The only problem is that we have the wrong audience on this site most of the comments I have seen are completly harmless compared to some of the rants I have heard on the field.

I have noticed that soccer ref’s seem to be more sensitive about comments from the crowd than refs from other sports. I wonder why that is? I have attended over a 100 high school basketball games, and I hear the crowd yelling and booing about a bad call all the time. The basketball refs ignore the crowd and continue to officiate the game the way they see fit. Never have I seen a parent threatened with being thrown out of a game for this type of behavior. However, if a coach or player gets out line than a technical foul is called.
On Saturday, some parents were making general comments among themselves about a bad call. They were not yelling or addressing the ref in any way. The sideline ref overheard some of the comments and threatened a parent with being kicked out. He took his attention from the game to get involved in conversation. I believe the soccer refs are officiating the game to the best of their abilities, but as a paid ref they should expect to hear a crowd express displeasure with calls some of the time.

Let me also express my gratitude to those willing to ref. THANK YOU – I know it is not easy.

Let me just say as a player at the highest level for many years and now as a Coach that it does not matter how good or bad a referee is, there is always going to be someone that is not happy or think they know more than the ref. Well I say to u go get certified and become a referee, if not shut up and watch the game!!!!!!

I imagine that if an official took time away from the game to address a parent/fan about their comments, chances are the "general comments" were a bit overboard. I can't imagine a ref halting play or confronting someone for stating "You know Bill, I believe the quality of game management is lacking in the center official's decisions tonight." More than likely a "You suck!" or "What are you doing!?!?!" Were the culprits. I wasn't there, but why address something that wasn't a big deal.

I don't believe that because it is tolerated in basketball, we should do the same in soccer. People speak up when they want their displeasure voiced. If you want to say your piece, find a different way to express it. Simple cheers and boos would suffice, but never a direct statement.

Refs can drastically affect the outcome of a game. A player trips over their feet in the box... a foul is called, a PK is scored, and the opponent wins the game 1-0. A ref must keep the game under control and keep the players safe. When players go cleats up on opposing players, the ref should be more strict with the calls he/she makes. However, as the level of play increases and the teams get better, a little elbow to the ribs, or a tiny push of the back shouldn't be called. It's not going to HURT anyone, it's just a display of the athlete's competitive nature. I am a player, and used to yell at refs any chance I got. I have matured, and have learned to keep my mouth shut. If a ref makes a terrible call... get over it and win the ball back. If the game is officiated by the worst ref you've ever seen... at half-time, walk into the locker room and scream at the top of your lungs but keep your mouth shut to the refs. Especially players... your yelling at refs encourages your parents to yell at refs not to mention you screw your team over by putting your team on his/her bad side. And how about the parents who scream "What kind of a call was that?" All some of these adults want is for all calls to be beneficial to their kid's team. Relax, and teach your child to overcome crappy calls and play better to make up for it. Parents should be an example to their children, and you yelling encourages them to yell, and vise versa. I'm not a ref, so I don't know the difficulty in making the right calls... but I do know that there are some absolutely horrible refs out there... but guess what... too bad, because the teams are BOTH stuck with that ref. Get over it, and play harder so that the terrible calls dont take you out of your game and keep you from winning.

Elbows to the ribs don't hurt?

Ah, I don't mean like jabbing your elbow in someone's ribs.. yes that definitely hurts i just mean a little bit of competitive pushing never hurts.. unless of course, it hurts.

I see

Referees in SC do not get evaluated in High School soccer. That only occurs, occasionally, in USSF. I agree that there should be more evaluation of referees because it can only help the game.

As for the 3-man crew, it is a money issue as well as a numbers (number of referees) issue. The ADs at the High Schools do not want to pay for 3 referees. I think the High School League should step in and do what they did before the 3-man crew became the norm in basketball. If it was a high level game or a really intense match (ie Dutch Fork/Irmo) they would assign a three man crew. They could do that for soccer starting next season. Not every game needs three referees, ie Dutch Fork/Lower Richland. If you want to help with the numbers issue be a referee. You can be part of the problem or part of the solution. Step up and be part of the solution.

Yes many referees need to develop a "deaf ear" when it comes to fans yelling. Yes coaches need to set the example for their players. One year when I was coaching U12 girls I had a parent that was terrible. He yelled about every thing the referee did. The next match I brought him several Blow Pops to put in his mouth, he got the message.