Category: Uncategorized
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Ref Life: Regional Futsal Tournament January 2025.
It is winter in the Northeastern United States. Outdoor soccer does not happen unless your club has access to an indoor field or bubble. When I was growing up we either played on a basketball court (futsal/five-a-side) or inside hockey dasher boards (indoor soccer). I have been playing a form of indoor soccer, five-a-side since…
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Ref Life: Has the soccer gotten any better?
After a long weekend of officiating a lot of games from U12 to open men, I have my answer. The question I have for you is what do you think?. . . Has American Soccer Improved? I’m not a kickball fan. When I played my teammates and I kicked around on our own, played 2v2…
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Ref Life: Basic Game Report
If you’ve ever officiated in a recreational league, you may know that it can be the most challenging soccer to referee. The skill level can vary greatly along with the knowledge of the rules. The trickiest part for a referee is most teams don’t wear perfectly matching kits with numbers. The games do not have…
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Ref Life: Coaches licensed by US Soccer- Teaching skill development and the Spirit of the Game.
This is part 4 of a 5 part series. After recertifying for US Soccer officiating in 2022, 2023 and 2024 the US Soccer Referee Program has placed emphasis on handling situations before they become situations. I have seen members of the coaching community turn a blind eye to these points of coaching emphasis. I’m publishing…
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Ref Life: Coaching- United Soccer Coaches with the Seven Cornerstones to development.
This is part 5 of a 5 part series. After recertifying for US Soccer officiating in 2022, 2023 and 2024 the US Soccer Referee Program has placed emphasis on handling situations before they become situations. I have seen members of the coaching community turn a blind eye to these points of emphasis.
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Ref Life: Recert for US Soccer- handling bench personnel and dissent vs when to use soft skills.
Here is a thought I had before US Soccer released their updated policy for abuse of officials that starts this month. I began this post over a year ago. I realize after 15 years of officiating many of these situations, I can avoid by using humor and soft skills. However whenever the actions or words…
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Ref Life: Reducing Clutter: Mental, Physical, at home, scheduling.
On the pitch: No room for dissent. No room for abuse. Make decisions that will benefit the development of new and learning referees. Continued reflection after each match and after working with new team members. On the physical front: Remove boundaries that impact my overall health. Practice saying no to more games. Practice only scheduling…
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Ref Life: Homophobic slurs in a U9 game?
Football is supposed to unite. Football is supposed to be for everybody. Football is the universal game that reminds us we are all on this same planet together. In Lancaster this past winter my ears heard it from one of the parents in a U9 pool play game. Luckily the little GK didn’t speak Spanish…
FCArmstrong 