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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,256 Likes: 2
Coach
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Coach
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,256 Likes: 2 |
Fortunately there are those who do their best to do right by the players while ensuring the integrity and safety of the game. One official in a recent HS match made a point in the pre-game talk of telling coaches and captains, "If you see me pulling a player aside, don't think they are necessarily getting a card. I like to talk to the players as things happen and make sure they know what they are doing right or wrong."
Now, I don't know or really care how FIFA or USSF evaluators would feel about that. What I do know is that at the HS level, good feedback is beneficial to the players, especially immediate feedback. I also know that what we saw was a good, well-paced and pretty clean game, with nobody frustrated and nobody on the field or sideline questioning the calls. My players were very respectful of and complimentary toward the referee, even when the calls did not go their way.
Isn't that what we want?
I've got good news and bad news...
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062
brace
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062 |
on Friday night, I saw/heard a referee (several times) tell players "I don't give a [censored]," what you think. Now, I'm no prude. But how do you card kids for language and dissent when you treat them that way?
Good officials in all sports understand that the game belongs to the players, unless and until they demonstrate that they can't handle the responsibility.
Poor officials carry chips on BOTH shoulders.
Ongoing, systematic peer and coach evaluation of officials is a MUST, with a mentoring system in place to foster improvement, and a discipline code when issues arise.
Too many officials and their apologists adopt the attitude, "Why don't YOU officiate?", when the real question is, "Why don't you guys get together and weed out the bad guys FOR THE GOOD OF THE GAME?"
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659
world cup
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world cup
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659 |
Backscreen,
I agree with you 100%. Step 1 sounds great, we're all for it!
Now tell me about Step 2. After we "weed out", where do all the new officials come from? How many "soccer dads" do we lose each year? Guys whose last child has now turned 18? How many coaches burn out every year? These guys have been watching/coaching youth soccer for 10+ years. How do you recruit them to become your new referees? What incentives can be offered to get these guys to take the course?
Supply and demand. We don't have enough officials today. If you are going to run 25% - 50% of them out of the business, how do you back-fill?
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1
bench
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bench
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1 |
Quote:
on Friday night, I saw/heard a referee (several times) tell players "I don't give a [censored]," what you think. Now, I'm no prude. But how do you card kids for language and dissent when you treat them that way?
Good officials in all sports understand that the game belongs to the players, unless and until they demonstrate that they can't handle the responsibility.
Poor officials carry chips on BOTH shoulders.
Ongoing, systematic peer and coach evaluation of officials is a MUST, with a mentoring system in place to foster improvement, and a discipline code when issues arise.
Too many officials and their apologists adopt the attitude, "Why don't YOU officiate?", when the real question is, "Why don't you guys get together and weed out the bad guys FOR THE GOOD OF THE GAME?"
Sounds like good ol' Fred Beaver to me.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 315
corner kick
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corner kick
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 315 |
I have had a referee this year..pat his back pocket at me after I questioned a call...so I preceded to tell him not to threaten me by patting his pocket and if he wanted to give me the card just go ahead and pull it but don't threaten me! He then proceeded to come over and get in my face asking me if I wanted it and I told him if you want to give it to me then give it to me. He never did give me a card. Some officials just like to abuse their power and think they have all the power and nothing can be done to them.
I also had a referee tell my players this year that if he held a gun to their head, would that make him crazy???
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062 |
Hurst:
Great questions. I understand the shortage issue. That said, you don't RETAIN lousy officials because of a shortage. You evaluate, mentor, certify, disciple, etc. Then, you cut out the bad ones who refuse, or are incapable of, improvement.
A few weeks back, I asked referee backers here to name 10 good ones in our state. They responded, sort of. And that's good.
Now I ask, if we all know the good ones, don't we also know the "bad" ones ... the serial lousy refs? Why don't we find something else for THEM to do?
It's kind of like balancing a budget. You don't just tax, OR cut spending. You do BOTH. With referees, you identify, reward and retain the best, and weed out the very worst. You go for the proverbial low-hanging fruit.
That's a start.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 478
Goal
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Goal
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 478 |
Quote:
I have had a referee this year..pat his back pocket at me after I questioned a call...so I preceded to tell him not to threaten me by patting his pocket and if he wanted to give me the card just go ahead and pull it but don't threaten me! He then proceeded to come over and get in my face asking me if I wanted it and I told him if you want to give it to me then give it to me. He never did give me a card. Some officials just like to abuse their power and think they have all the power and nothing can be done to them.
I also had a referee tell my players this year that if he held a gun to their head, would that make him crazy???
Ummm...WOW
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659
world cup
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world cup
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659 |
Quote:
Hurst:
Great questions. I understand the shortage issue. That said, you don't RETAIN lousy officials because of a shortage. You evaluate, mentor, certify, disciple, etc. Then, you cut out the bad ones who refuse, or are incapable of, improvement.
A few weeks back, I asked referee backers here to name 10 good ones in our state. They responded, sort of. And that's good.
Now I ask, if we all know the good ones, don't we also know the "bad" ones ... the serial lousy refs? Why don't we find something else for THEM to do?
It's kind of like balancing a budget. You don't just tax, OR cut spending. You do BOTH. With referees, you identify, reward and retain the best, and weed out the very worst. You go for the proverbial low-hanging fruit.
That's a start.
Backscreen,
We both realize we have a referee shortage. We can eliminate the bad ones through evaluation. We can improve the mediocre/average ones through training (takes a little time an money).
We still haven't figured out how to recruit new ones to cover an even greater shortage?
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062
brace
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,062 |
1) Let's start at the individual school level. Each school that fields a team in the high school league should be encouraged to identify and recommend 1 prospective official every 3-4 years to the SCHSL for inclusion in a recruitment/training pool.
2) The SCHSL should proactively approach PE faculties at the state's colleges, with an eye toward identifying young people who can pick up some extra money by officiating 1-2 nights a week.
3) Ditto, the state's various recreation departments.
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659
world cup
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world cup
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,659 |
Those are very good ideas. Of course, in order for them to work, the SCHSL would need to show that they actually have a sincere interest in the advancement of high school soccer.
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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