Lots of debate about "calling a tight game" and "letting them play." In my opinion, it is a responsibility of the officials to prevent dangerous play (high kicks, hacking at ankles, tackling from behind, just to name a few) that would increase the likelihood of injury. For someone to say they can't call a foul "unless someone falls down" is ridiculous. Still, soccer is a contact sport, and a certain amount of fair and legal contact should be expected. Shoulder checks while playing the ball are part of the game, and most girls I've coached don't want to be treated like they're fragile. When one official told my captains, "play hard, play the ball, and if you get knocked down, get back up and play harder," you could see the eyes light up and the grins start to spread. Calling the game TOO tightly really interferes with the flow of the game itself; if every incidental contact gets called, soon players get too afraid to play hard for the ball. It's hard to teach them "play hard to win the 50/50 balls" when you have to add, "but whatever you do, don't bump into the other girl who's also playing hard to win the 50/50 ball!" I say call the true fouls, keep the game safe, use the cards when necessary, but treat the players like the athletes they are, and respect them enough to let them go hard for the game they love rather than treating them like china dolls.
