BRCL Referee Liaison's "DEAR REFEREE" emails and Replies

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2006/October - Serious injury in soccer games

Parents, players, coaches -- AND REFEREES -- all need to understand very clearly how seriously players can be hurt at times in the contact sport of soccer. How seriously? The following is a true story as told by the father of a teenager from western Virginia. The family is involved with the Blue Ridge Classic League. I have omitted names and a couple other identifying details for confidentiality purposes. I thank this player's family for allowing me to post this actual incident -- from a previous season -- here on the BRCL website for all to read and reflect on as spectators and officials. (Gary Grant, BRCL Referee Liaison.)

I have a heightened awareness of contact in soccer and how fine the line is between usual rough play and something worse. Our son had the soccer passion and played from kindergarten on. He started playing travel soccer as an elementary student and became a great defender, playing marking back, sweeper, and stopper at various times. He played for his high school and also for a U-19 premier team.

His junior year, his team was playing in an out-of-state tournament late in the fall. In the first game, our son leaped high for a header. The opposing player, seeing he couldn't play the ball "took out" our son by hitting him from his blind side while he was still in the air. There was no call on the foul. The center referee was being assessed that day, we learned later. It wasn't long before our son signaled to be taken out of the game.

He sat on the bench across the field from the parents and behind the coach (our assistant coach wasn't able to attend the tournament). One parent, a nurse, went to check on him because something about the way he was sitting didn't look right to her. She walked him to the other side of the field and told us he needed to go to the hospital.

We checked him in at the emergency room, where they did a quick x-ray, and ruled out a rib injury. Lucky for us the doctor was alert and picked up that our son had a pain under his left shoulder. The doctor rushed him in for a CAT scan and discovered that our son had a ruptured spleen. Our son was promptly moved to intensive care for close monitoring. It was "touch and go" for a few days (the surgeon who stepped in was good and didn't want to operate unless it was critically necessary).

Two days later, another CAT scan showed that our son also had a lacerated liver and had lost a considerable amount of blood through internal bleeding. After a week in the hospital, our son was declared well enough to travel, so he and his mom were able to return home. Before leaving, the doctor told our son that he might not be able to play soccer again for six months.

Our son's recovery throughout the winter months was very slow. His injuries also had a major impact on his education with him having to receive homebound instruction for a while. In the spring, our family physician ordered a follow-up CAT scan that showed that our son had finally recovered enough to once again play soccer. However, he had to play his first two months that spring wearing a flak jacket.

Because of one dirty play that nearly ended our son's soccer career, I'm more mindful of contact on the soccer field. There is a difference, in my opinion, between fair physical play and violent conduct with intent to injure. There are times, I believe, that referees could and should whistle players for "going too far." Some officials, however, don't do so -- for whatever reasons -- and there are players who learn that they can push the limit a little further, get away with a little more, and advance with rougher play instead of true soccer finesse.

Our son's injury was something that didn't have to happen. No other players -- or parents -- should end up at hospitals because referees with total "let 'em play" attitudes are too timid to deal with play that does get out of hand.

2006/October-Referee fitness

Here's a few notes about referee fitness, according to the book For the Good of the Game, (Copyright 2000, Youth Sports Publishing, Inc.) by Robert Evans and Edward Bellion, former FIFA international referees.

• The average distance covered by a Center Referee [in an adult professional match] is approximately six miles.
• Jogging accounts for about 48% of a referee's match activity. Walking: 20-30%. Sprinting/Striding: 18%. Backwards movement: about 18%.
• "The average heartbeat of the referee was in the region of 160-165 beats/minute throughout each half of the match with occasional values over 180 being reached, similar to what was found for players."

"It is not fair to the players when a referee operates in less-than-optimum physical condition, either because of lack of training or because of the inevitable effects of fatigue." -- Robert Evans and Edward Bellion

2006/October-Complaints against referees

Q: "I am finding myself in a club that has consistently had the outcomes of its games decided by the questionable calls of one particular referee. This has gone on for two fall sessions, and it is across the board with all our teams -- boys, girls, and all age groups. This one referee does ride our club teams mighty hard, and the threats to our players and coaches is over the top. What do you recommend for me to do to help the club resolve this situation? What are our options?"

A: If you have specific, documented complaints against a particular referee, and you feel you want these complaints presented somewhere and considered by someone, you might prefer to try the following:

(1) Send all your written notes with dates, times, games, and detailed observations to brclrefcomm@yahoo.com adding permission to forward all your specifics to the particular referee's assignor. By "detailed," I mean lists of matches for which you have refereeing concerns, the times in these matches when these concerns occurred, the location on the field, the location of the referee and his/her ARs at the time of the alleged "questionable" calls, a description of what was happening, which players (not by name) were involved and in what way(s), whether or not your team won or lost the game, the exact statements or "threats" the referee allegedly made (in quotes with exact wording), etc., etc. Document as if you were planning to fire an employee. Document as if you were preparing to testify in court. Have the courage to include your name and the names of all other "complainants," at least by first name and last initial or by first initial and last name -- your choice. Include the name of the team each complainant supports. Identifying yourselves by team titles or assignments such as coach, manager, club officer, etc. is not necessary.

(2) As of 10/20/2006, all BRCL Referee Assignors names and contact information are listed on the League website at: http://www.brclsoccer.org/contacts.html. Anyone is free to communicate directly with them. Remember, though, neither assignors nor referees are under any obligation to respond, explain, justify, or defend any of their actions or decisions to anyone.

(3) You can also go to http://www.brclsoccer.org/referees/other.html and find some e-mail addresses for officials with the state referee office to whom you can send your information.

(SPECIAL NOTE:) There is also a need for more referees all over Virginia and in the BRCL. Consider becoming a certified referee yourself, and encourage your friends to do the same. There is information about the process of certifying as a referee at http://www.vadcsoccerref.com/.

2006/October - Reporting alleged referee "bias"

Q: Where can I report biased referees?

A: Here are four places where you can express your opinions about referees:

1. The "Dear Referee" button on the BRCL website. Your comments and questions will be sent to the League's volunteer Referee Liaison. You will receive a reply by return e-mail. Your e-mail (without you being identified) and the Referee Liaison's reply will be sent to the BRCL president, League administrator, the pertinent referee assignor, and to the volunteer members of the BRCL Referee Liaison's Advisory Committee.
2. Virginia's State Referee Administrator Scott Meyer at skmeyer@strllc.com.
3. Virginia's State Youth Referee Administrator Alan Liotta at vabandit@aol.com.
4. Virginia's State Referee Association at mdcvasrp@erols.com.

2005/October - club linesman duties

Q: While serving as a volunteer sideline referee at an Away game for our team in the BRCL, I was over-ruled by the Center Referee on a ball knocked over the touchline by a player from the Home team who had her back to the Center Referee. There was "no way" he could have seen the play.

A: As I understand the situation, you were functioning in the capacity of a "club linesman." Anyone serving as a "club linesman," under the guidelines of the USSF's "Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game," actually has only one duty: raising the flag vertically whenever the whole of the ball is completely over the touchline or goal line. The Center Referee then makes the official call. "Club linesman" do not have the authority to decide direction of throw-ins, call fouls, determine offside, or signal whether a restart should be a goal kick or a corner kick.

The Blue Ridge Classic League's current policy (as of 9-7-2006) on the use of "club linesmen" appears to be somewhat more liberal than that of the USSF. It states:

'It is the intent of the League that no "Acting Club Assistant Referee(s)" will call penal fouls on field players unless they are a currently registered USSF referee. In the case where a currently registered Center Referee is working with "Acting Club Assistant Referee(s)," the Registered Center Referee will delegate and specify the appropriate duties to the "Acting Club Assistant Referee(s)."'

The Center Referee, even under BRCL policy, still determines and communicates what a volunteer linesman's duties will be for a particular match. Ultimately, though, whether under FIFA, USSF, or BRCL rules and/or Laws, all actions taken by assistants to help the Center Referee are always subordinate to the final decision(s) of the Center Referee.