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The Whistle Blower |
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February 2004 |
Volume 1, Number 2 Serving the JCYSL Officiating Community |
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In This Issue…. · Spring Referee Meeting Set · Referee Training Classes Set · Referee Recognition · AYSO PRO Program to Begin at JCYSL · Consistency on the Field · On-line Game Book Sign-up a Success · JCYSL Referee Mentoring Program Grows · AYSO Referee Certification Level Requirements · Referee Resources Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring
In order for a player to be sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, four elements must be present (the 4D’s): 1. Number of Defenders – not more than one defender between the foul and the goal, not counting the defender who committed the foul. 2. Distance to the goal – the closer the foul is to the goal, the more likely it is an obvious goal scoring opportunity. 3. Distance to the ball – the attacker must have been closed enough to the ball at the time of the foul to have continued playing the ball. 4. Direction of play – the attacker must have been moving toward the goal at the time the foul was committed. 5.
If any element is missing, there can be
no send-off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. All of these
elements must be present and obvious in order for the send-off to be
appropriate under Law 12. |
Spring Referee Meeting Set The Spring referee meeting has been scheduled! Date: Tuesday, March 30 Time: Time: Location:
Updates to the mentoring program will be announced. We will also discuss how to consistently apply the laws regarding shin guards and slide tackling. Bring your questions and concerns from the Fall so everyone can discuss any issues. You will also learn about our new AYSO PRO program to increase youth player participation and retention as referees. A lot of what this program has to offer will be driven by our player referees. I know for sure that we will hold a season-ending social function. The venue is up to you, our youth referees to decide. Referee Training Classes Set The dates for the Spring referee training have been set. Invite a friend to attend. Contact Steve Kubik if you would like to sign-up for either class. We need more refs! Other Area and Section training events are listed as well. I encourage all of you to consider attending one of these sessions to upgrade your certification. Several current referees, including Michelle Taylor, Dan Cogswell, and myself attended training at the last Section Super Camp. We all thought it was fantastic. U-8 Referee Course and Referee Safe Haven Date: Saturday, March 13 Time: Location:
Basic Referee Course (Regional Referee) and Referee Safe Haven Date: Saturday, March 13 Time: Location:
Lunch provided Intermediate Referee Course (Both sessions
must be attended) Date: Friday, March 12 Time: Location:
Date: Saturday, March 13 Time: Location:
Lunch provided East Coast Section (3, 5, 13, 14) Meeting Date: Location:
Section Web Site: www.aysosection13.org Section 13 Super Camp Date: Location:
Courses: National Referee, Advanced Referee, Assessor’s Referee Recognition This section is to recognize the continued efforts of our referee volunteers. Please submit any recognition notices to Steve Kubik. Incentive Program Awards The JCYSL Referee Incentive Program is designed to recognize our top producers on the field. Referees are awarded points for each game officiated as either a center or assistant referee. Points are scaled with the higher division games weighted more than lower division games. The program recognizes our top 3 adult and top 3 youth referees for each of the Fall and Spring seasons. Congratulations to our award recipients for Fall 2003. I will have a gift for you at the March referee meeting. Adult Michelle Taylor, 31 games,
287.5 points Dan Cogswell, 21 games, 232.5 points Youth Kyra Fox, 19 games, 102
points Celio Maya, 17 games, 89.5
points Katelyn Stoneberger, 11 games, 86.5 points Outstanding Volunteer Award When you see Brian on the field, please take a moment to stop by and say thank you, great job! AYSO PRO Program to Begin JCYSL is implementing the AYSO
PRO (Player Referee Organization) program for our
youth referees. The program will be headed by Jim Bloodsworth, our new
Regional PRO Coordinator, reporting to the Regional Referee Administrator.
All current player (youth) referees will be part of this
organization. Our goals of the program are to increase the number of players participating as referees for JCYSL, to increase the retention of our youth referees and to add some youth-oriented fun and activities to the program. There will be opportunity for our more experienced youth referees to act as mentors for our new and less experienced player referees, to become referee instructors, to help plan award and retention programs for our youth referees and to help plan a year-end event for all of our player referees. As a current youth referee, you play a big role in helping us recruit more player referees. We encourage all of you, our current youth referees, to talk about your refereeing experiences with your friends and fellow players. Encourage them to become apart of AYSO PRO in JCYSL by attending one of our upcoming referee training classes on Saturday, March 13th. Additional details on the classes being offered can be found in this newsletter under “Referee Training Classes Set.” Please contact either Jim Bloodsworth or Steve Kubik if you have any questions about this wonderful new program. Contact information can be found at the bottom of this newsletter. Consistency on the Field We need to continue to strive for a consistent application of the rules, particularly concerning slide tackling and shinguards. Without consistency from all we make it confusing for the coaches, parents and players. Put yourself in the shoes of the next referee who has to center a match for a coach who the prior week was told that it’s okay “just this once” to bend the rules. It is not much fun. Remember, our goals are to provide Safe, Fair and Fun environment for our players. Improper shoes or shinguards are not providing a Safe environment. Inconsistent application of these rules does not provide a Fair environment. Without a Safe and Fair environment we will never have a Fun environment. Slide Tackling Our definition of slide tackling is: an attempt by a defender to take the ball away from a ball carrier by sliding on the ground feet-first into the ball. Our region does not allow slide tackling at any level. If you see this behavior it should be called as a dangerous play and award an indirect kick from the spot of the foul to the opposing team. If a slide tackle is performed, you may need to call a more serious foul depending on the circumstances. Shinguards Law 4 requires all players to wear shinguards which
are covered entirely by the socks. Per the US Soccer Referee Position
Paper dated During your pre-game inspection, be meticulous about shinguards and proper shoes. The coaches have been given the same USSF Position Paper on the proper wearing of shinguards. There should be no exceptions to these rules. Unsafe shoes and improper shinguard placement are not allowed and the player should sit out the match. Corner Flags It is the coaches’ responsibility, not yours, to ensure that the corner flags are on the field prior to beginning the match. If you want to bring the corner flags on your way to the fields, I’m sure the coaches will welcome the help. Please check during your pre-game field inspection for these items. If they are not present, inform the coaches that they need to have someone get the flags from the shed and have them placed correctly at the field corners. Uniforms Send the message to coaches, parents and your fellow
referees that you are a professional and take pride in officiating for
JCYSL. Your first impression is vital to that effort. Your uniform, if
worn properly, communicates that message for you. Tuck in your shirt tale,
pull up your socks, and leave that bandana and sunglasses in your
bag. I guarantee that if you walk on the field with your shirt tail hanging out, socks around your ankles or wearing that bandana, you will not be communicating the message you want to coaches, parents and players. This is especially important for our youth referees. Many parents and coaches will question whether you know what you’re doing out there. If you show up looking disheveled you will be playing into their hands. Give yourself an advantage and wear that uniform properly, with pride. Youth referees, if you need to exchange your uniform shirt for a larger size please see me. I usually have most sizes with me at all times. If I don’t have the size you need I’ll order it for you. On-line Game Sign Up a Success Game Book Sign-up to Use Referee Certification
Level The enormous amount of positive feedback I have received regarding our new on-line Game Book is very encouraging. I want to thank Dan Cogswell for all of his hard work in getting the system up and running for our Fall season. Dan continues to make enhancements to the system as needed. If you have any suggestions on how to improve the system please feel free to send Dan a note. One noticeable change in the system for the Spring season will be that you will only be allowed to sign-up on-line to center games that meet your certification level. Due to the fact that we have few upper level referees, Intermediate Referees will be allowed to sign-up for U14 games although that certification level does not specifically meet the requirements for those games. Any referee who has years of experience with other programs but has not yet reached the appropriate AYSO certification level will also be given access to the upper level games via the on-line Game Book. I encourage anyone wanting to center referee U14 games to take the Advanced training course being offered at the Section Super Camp in March. If no one has signed up for a game on game-day, you may sign-up for that game in the game book if you feel qualified to center referee in that division. If this is your first time centering in a division, I strongly recommend that you find an experienced center referee in that division to serve as your AR or mentor. The certification levels and allowable games are: Certification Level Division U8 Official U-8, U-6 Regional Referee U-10, U-8, U-6 Intermediate Referee and Above U-14, U-12 Those who have taken an upgrade class but have not yet completed the certification for that level will be allowed to sign-up on-line to center the games necessary to complete the upgrade requirements. If you have recently upgraded your certification or attended a class to upgrade your certification, please contact me so I can update your certification level in the on-line game book system. JCYSL Referee
Mentoring Grows Beginning this Spring, the JCYSL mentoring program kicks into high gear. Remember, the goals of this program are (1) to increase our consistency and experience level as a referee team, (2) to provide you with additional resources that can offer unbiased feedback about your performance and tips to improve your game, and (3) to aid our new referees with that first game anxiety. We will continue to have mentors available for anyone who would like an honest opinion of their officiating style and for those who would just like some pointers. We are also going to use our referee mentors to ensure that referees are ready to move up to the next division. Now don’t panic! The mentoring process is not at all intimidating. Several referees took advantage of this opportunity last season and I believe they all benefited greatly from the experience. Our referee mentors are experienced, seasoned referees who can give you some valuable insight into the art of officiating. Notice, I did say art. There are a set of rules, Laws, that you can memorize and know without question. It is an art to know how to apply these Laws for the good of the game. A mentoring session will be required in the following instances: · Moving up from U8 to center a U10 match. · Moving up from U10 to center a U12 match. · Moving up from U12 to center a U14 match. I would also like each of our new referees from last Fall who started to referee U10 by the end of the season to arrange a mentoring session with a referee mentor within the first two weeks of the Spring season. You may contact a referee mentor directly or contact me either by phone or e-mail and I’ll arrange for a mentor to contact you. It is important that a mentoring worksheet be completed for each mentoring session. This will fulfill the requirement for the referee being mentored and allow me to track service points for the mentors that can be used towards certification upgrades. Mentoring forms will be available in the game book at the referee table. At the end of the mentoring session, both referees should sign and date the form. The mentor should ensure that the form is returned to the game book so I may record the session. For your records, I will provide in the game book a copy of the mentoring worksheet for both referees the week following the mentoring session. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please contact me so that I can provide you with our guidelines. AYSO Referee Requirements U-8 Official Age: Minimum of 10. No. of Games: No minimum number of games required. Training: Complete the U-8 Official Course including Safe Haven. Testing: Take the U-8 Official Exam. Assessment: Not required. Fitness Test: Not required. Service: Not required. Regional Referee Age: Minimum of 12. No. of Games: No minimum number of games required. Training: Complete Basic Referee Course including Safe Haven. Testing: 75% or better on the Regional Referee Exam. Assessment: Not required. Fitness Test: Not required. Service: Not required. Intermediate Referee Age: Minimum of 14. No. of Games: 25 as referee with at least 5 in U-12 matches. Training: Complete Intermediate Referee Course. Testing: 90% or better on the Intermediate Referee Exam. Assessment: Mentored by a Referee Mentor (or assessor) and recommended for upgrade by the Regional Referee Administrator. At least one observation as a referee is required, and one as an assistant referee is recommended. Fitness Test: Not required. Service: Not required. Advanced Referee Age: Minimum of 16. No. of Games: 50 as a referee (10 in U-14) and 5 as an assistant referee (in U-14). Training: Complete Advanced Referee Course. Testing: 90% or better on the Advanced Referee Exam. Assessment: One as a referee and one as an assistant in a U-14 match. Fitness Test: Complete the AYSO Physical Fitness Test for this level. Service: Do a minimum of five service units. See note 4 and 5 below. National Referee Age: Minimum of 18. No. of Games: 100 as a referee with at least 30 in U-16 and U-19 matches of which at least 15 must be in U-19, if available, and 25 as Assistant Referee with at least 10 in U-19, if available. The Section Referee Administrator may authorize substitution of U-16 for U-19, if U-19 matches are not available. Training: Complete National Referee Course. A pre-requisite game count of at least 80 matches as referee prior to attending the National Referee Course is required. Testing: 90% or better on the Regional Referee Exam. Assessment: Two assessments as referee in U-16 or U-19 with at least one in U-19, if available, and one as assistant referee in a U-19 match, if available. The Section Referee Administrator may authorize substitution of U-16 for U-19, if U-19 matches are not available. Fitness Test: Complete the AYSO Physical Fitness Test for this level. Service: Do an additional five service units. See note 4 below. Notes 1. Field assessments for level upgrades must be done in a typical AYSO match in the age group specified, using the Diagonal System of Control. Matches used for upgrade assessments must be of the duration specified for that particular age group in the AYSO National Rules and Regulations except that U-16 and U-19 matches shortened by no more than 5 minutes per half are acceptable. 2. If requested by the referee being assessed, a higher division match or a non-AYSO match of the equivalent age division (or higher) may be used for the assessment. 3. Applicants for the Intermediate Referee level must be mentored by a Referee Mentor (or assessor) and recommended for upgrade by the Regional Referee Administrator. At least one observation as a referee is required, and one as an assistant referee is recommended. 4. Service units consist of: · Observer-Friend observations · Mentoring of new referees for development or upgrade · Serving as a Referee Administrator, Director of Referee Instruction or as a Director of Referee Assessment · Instructing Assistant Referees and U-8 Official Training Courses · Instructing Referee Assessor Training Courses · Assessing candidates for upgrade in referee level, if qualified No more than two (2) service units may be credited by an applicant for mentoring/observing an individual referee, or one (1) service unit per instruction course or one (1) service unit per year for administrative function. 5. The requirement for performing service units is waived in the case of candidates who are under 18 years old. · Entry may be at Assistant Referee, U-8 Official or Regional Referee level but, in addition to the requirements noted above, candidates for upgrade to the National Referee must have one year (min.) experience as an Advanced Referee. |
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Jim
Bloodsworth JCYSL Regional
PRO
Coordinator Phone: (304)
725-7811 E-mail: Steve
Kubik JCYSL Regional Referee
Administrator Phone: (304)
728-8110 vthokie86@adelphia.net We’re on the
Web! |
Referee
Resources Great information for the referee. There are several links that contain great information including position papers, instructional & training materials, and ask a soccer referee. This site contains official rule interpretations that
bear the approval of the US Soccer Federation. Referee Magazine A great resource for officials of all sports. I have found it to be very informative. Referee magazine contains a section on all major sports including soccer. A typical month has information regarding major topics such as “Putting the AR and Referee on the Same Page” and “Chalk Talk: Complexities That Can Arise During Corner Kicks”. There are also case plays, rule quizzes and various articles on topics like game control. American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) The JCYSL parent organization, AYSO. Information about AYSO can be found at this site including information for the referee. Books Smart Soccer
Officiating by
Carl P. Schwartz A
great book and a quick, easy read. This book including chapters on
“Mastering Restarts”, “Four Critical Decisions for Game Control”, “Are You
a Cheat?”, “Seven Myths About the Game”, “No Harm, No
Foul”. For The Good Of The
Game by
Robert Evans and Edward Bellion An absolutely fantastic book. Every soccer referee
should read this book. Evans and Bellion impart a lot of knowledge of the
game using examples from their officiating experiences. They explain the
role of the referee so that it can be accomplished for the “good of the
game”. Learn what advantage is and how to apply it. Learn how to recognize
fouls and misconduct. Learn tactics for game control and preventive
refereeing. Soccer Officials
Guidebook For a Crew of Three
Officials, Diagonal System of Control by
Carl P. Schwartz A
practical guide to the diagonal system of control. The book includes many
illustrated examples of each official’s responsibilities using this
officiating method. Learn game management techniques, how to analyze
corner kick positioning: which players to key on, when assistant referees
should offer help with a foul, and many more. |