SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Refs

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.

This site is an easy forum to pontificate and moralize a position. As far as opinions, we all know the old saying .... The real question becomes why is soccer one of the few under officiatied sports in high school? Because it is a contact sport, why don't our advocates push for proper certification and the three official system? The answer is obvious and it goes back to the SCHSL and their priorities. Governing the tempo of the match and safety of the players is the foremost concerns. Watch a professional or college match. Officials completely ignore the spectators and focus completely on the match. The SCHSL is an obtuse organiztion that only changes when they cannot forestall legal action.

Fan of sports
"Anyone have any other options for increasing the knowledge of parent/spectators of soccer matches?"
One thing that I do in the 5-15 year old ages, when I ref is communicate. I go to the touchline and introduce myself. I explain safety/fun first. What is advantage/play-on,offsides. It takes a few minutes and the parents like the connection. At the half I walk over again and ask if there are any questions. I have had some and crazy as it sounds a few times they have given me a poweraid "I check to make sure it is still sealed".
Granted this is grassroots and may not be allowed at HS level. But do it enough down there and we all will be informed.

Governing the tempo of the match and safety of the players "are" the foremost concerns. If you're going to invest in high-dollar words like "pontificate" and "obtuse," don't forget the simple things that keep them sounding impressive...like subject-verb agreement...

I think you need to check your command of the language.

I think it's in pretty good shape...that's why they call me "English teacher" in my other life. Sorry, didn't mean to step on your toes while you were showcasing that shiny vocabulary...

Address your Strunk and White on the area of compound subjects. Other than a piddling response to show your degree, do you have anything substantive to add?

Did I mention degree? Degrees are unimportant. Knowledge, wisdom, and judgement have nothing to do with holding degrees.

The good news is, you've made quite the impressive display of vocabulary, and the allusion to Strunk and White certainly lends a flavor of authenticity to your argument.

The bad news is, sadly...you're still wrong.

Sorry—

"Governing. . .is. . .concern." That would be correct. "Governing" is the subject, which has a compound within its phrase (this is a gerund phrase serving as the subject of a sentence), but "governing" is singular; thus the verb and "concern" must be singular also (not "concerns"). This is essential parallelism.

HOWEVER, if the writer intended "Governing the tempo of the match" and "safety of the players" as TWO separate things, the verb would be "are," and "concerns" would be parallel. Yet, that compound subject would be unparallel; thus, "Governing the tempo of the match and MONITORING THE safety of the players" would be standard, with the verb and "concerns" remaining plural.

Strunk and White is interesting, but I suggest STYLE, by Joseph Williams—as S&W has errors and contradictions within its "commands."

Let's agree to disagree and accept that knowledge wisdom and judgement are gained through diverse experience and age. If you teach English as you proclaim, then you must be professing a degree? C'est Oui? The question remains; do you have anything substantive to add?