FCArmstrong

I’m reaching the midway point of the high school soccer season in the Pittsburgh region. As a referee this is a crazy time of year with games available 7 days a week between USSF, PIAA and adult soccer. The coach in me does not like the approach of 2 games and 3 training days per week. However for the last 40 years western Pennsylvania has followed a really condensed season into 8 weeks with games for girls on Monday and Wednesday—boys on Tuesday and Thursday.

I’ve been trying my USSF training tool out with some of my referee partners this year to help them slow down their whistles in the dual and double dual systems. This spring I spent weekends coaching young high school aged referees on youth games in Plum and Freeport to help them with positioning and reading the game. I started using basic coms to make sure we were all on the same page in real time. I’m a big fan on being flexible if the game allows me to be but I realize a lot of people forget how to wait and see when you give them a whistle. The coms have helped through my first few games once I incorporated how to use them in my pregame.

Speaking of pregame do you have one?

• I have a slow whistle if you see something please Wait and See (Wait, Wait, Wait)
• If I’m in the middle of a 3 whistle please give me the first look at everything, I may have a better angle or a possible advantage.
• Talk to the players, your voice in their area will often make them smarter
• If you see a possible foul but want to let the players work through it say (Smart, Smart, Smart)
• If it hits a hand and isn’t intentionally batted out of the air give it a second to see if the hand provides an advantage. Sometimes the hand will be negligible, the player didn’t have the time or space to react or in the case of girls they may go up unintentionally for protection. If it was going to hit the chest anyway let it play out.
• Player extends hand or is unnatural it likely is a handball. (Hand, hand, hand)
• I will let good fair arm-battles happen, same with shoulders. If you hear me say POC it means point of contact. if I see something that isn’t fair I’ll have you the POC. (Trip, trip, trip)
• If in doubt over the goal line – goal kick.
• Possible injuries stop the ball with the keeper when possible.
• Deflections wipe your shirt, thigh. (Deflect, deflect, deflect)
• Yellow is in the front right pocket. (Yellow, yellow, yellow)
• Red is in the back pocket. (Roja, roja, roja)
• Any Violent conduct stop ASAP, approach but stay safely away.

If you’ve used voice activated coms you get the repeat three times statements.

Lastly if you want to know how much I will come up and help you, here are typical game maps.

Oh yes about the signals for foul types. That is so 1970s and none of the players these days understand any of them so could we please go back to USSF and NFHS signals.