SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer High School Officiating - Is It Getting Worse?

After one particularly bad match, I saw a coach pick up a cell phone and run over to the official who was packing up to leave. The coach handed him the phone and said "Hey, this must be yours" The official smirked and asked "what makes you think that's my phone?" "Easy" the coach replied, "It says you have ten missed calls!"

In the Myrtle Beach area I've heard that we are limited in numbers. I think around 25-30. And most games only have 2 refs. I don't think we have played a local match with 3. I hear there are teams in the area that always have 3. When you don't have 3 it puts teams at a disadvantage by not having the head in the middle. No high school match should be played without 3, and esp. a ref should not be allowed to do so when he has ties to a team, rather it be a child playing in the same region or some other ties to a school. And I know the arguement will be made that refs are not to show any bias toward any team, but soccer is an emotional game and it happens. So what is the answer? I think in this area we need more people that have a love for the game and no ties to a team to come out and be refs. I guess that is easier said than done. This area definitely needs some help maybe a overhaul. Don't get me wrong there are a few in this area that are very good and consistant with their calls.

The Myrtle Beach area is third only to Columbia and Rock Hill areas for incompetent officiating! I know that there is a lot of "in-breeding" amongst officials in the Rock Hill and Grand Strand area as well and lots of former players from those respective schools now officiating and still harboring obvious hate for certain rivals and even "out of area" teams. It's a travesty to be sure!

I agree that three officials should be mandatory!

Most of the time the "head ref" in a game is the one with the "most experience". There is never going to be any improvement until this mindset changes. My husband refs-has for 6 years, but because he is oftentimes the one there with the "least experience" he is overlooked on calls. He calls some of the better games in our area-and-god forbid- will admit if he misses a call. Perhaps the ones with the most experience need to be the ones whose competence should be checked most often. Perhaps their years=bad eyesight or lethargy?????

I've been hearing for several years how there simply are not enough ref's around and both in club ball and high schools have to take basically what they can get. From what I've seen this must be true because I see the same 8 or 10 ref's over and over in club and high school ball.

Well in the spring in SC high school ball should get refs first.

I was at the PC finals who was the clown with pink on his adidas shoes?

I went to the finals as well to watch Spring Valley. They are good!

We laughed at the linesman with the pink shoes. What a douche!

I saw pinky. I believe his name is Jeremy Brooks. I typed up his name in google and here was the first image that came up.

Strange.

Same old, same old. It's a good ol' boys club. Those that have been here for years, get the games. Look at the girls 4A state final last year. The forth official (the assignor and assesors) sho only has to control the coaching boxes and count subs, allowed wando to play with 12 players for somewhere between 3 - 7 of the last 12 minutes of a 1 - 0 game. You coule be a great ref who just moved in from out of state an only get lines. It's a joke!!!!
And yes, 3 refs should be mandatory. Of course, then the refs in a 2 man system couldn't blame each other for the bad calls.

As a coach, I constantly teach my kids the importance of not blaming the refs. When we do that, we give them reasons other than themselves for why they lost the game. In my many years of coaching, I have never had a ref cost me a game. In fact, last year we lost in the playoffs 2-1. The goal was scored on a breakaway in which the kid was 5-10 feet offsides. The ref missed it and it cost us the game. However, we had ample opporunities in the game to score other goals. Was I upset about the call, yes. Did that one moment cost us the game, NO.
Refs are people too that make mistakes. When you get a chance, count the number of missed traps, bad passes, bad shots, missed shots, poor choices, etc... your players, kids, or yourself make during the course of a game. Compare that to the number of mistakes a ref makes. I hope you all see what I am saying.
Do we have some refs who need rediscover the rules and love for the game? Yes.
Do we have some refs that really need to retire? Yes.
Do we need to continually bash these people that provide a service to your school? No.
Instead of focusing on their mistakes, start telling them it was a good call even if it is against your team. I guarantee your opinion of them will get better. They may even end up being a better official.
Most people prefer sugar to vinegar.