Monthly Newsletter (February 2001) - Bill G. Hoppes, Editor

Here are a few reminders on mechanics for Assistant Referees:

Signal for corner kicks is diagonally down – NOT pointing to the flag. Give the signal quickly – it’s not necessary to run to the goal line.

For offsides, DON”T rush to flag raise the flag – take the extra time to be sure of attacker involvement. However, err on the side of goalkeeper safety when there is a 1-on-1 attacker vs. goalkeeper. Don’t insist on precise positioning of the ball for the restarts deep in the defensive third.

On throw-ins, never signal direction for restarts on the other side of midfield unless asked to do so during pregame.

For quick out-and-in across the goal line: First raise the flag, then wait for the whistle, then indicate restart (flag signal for goal or corner kick, sprint upfield for goal). Rushing your restart indication when the referee doesn’t know that the ball crossed the goal line can cause confusion all around.

Those of you who attended this discussion know how much Bob Martinez has to offer – thank him again next time you see him. For those that missed it, watch those who made it when they AR – they’re all better for it. Stay tuned for an upcoming session with Bob – he promised to help us with offside next time!

Soccer losing referees because they just can't take it anymore

From the following Feb. 2, 2001, article you will see that we, as Livermore referees, are not alone in having challenges in dealing with sideline spectators, coaches and parents, and dealing with referee turnover and retention, especially youth referees. Submitted by Bob Dashner.

By Shannon Ryan

PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF

B.J. Baitinger learned the toughest part of refereeing not on the field, but in a parking lot. After badgering Baitinger throughout a youth soccer game around Upper Darby, a father was so fired up, he chased Baitinger to her car. When he raised his hands to shake her, she stood her ground, yelled, "Don't touch me," and sped off. "It can be frightening," Baitinger said, recalling the incident. "My mother tells me I must be a masochist."

Scenarios less horrifying than the one Baitinger recounted have scared many officials away from soccer. So many, in fact, that an estimated 22 to 40 percent of soccer referees do not reregister after their first year on the field. About 800 did not reregister for the 1999-2000 season, according to Frank Giancroce, the administrator of referees for the Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Association (EPSA). In a survey he conducted, Giancroce found that 37 percent listed abuse from parents and coaches as their main reason for calling it quits. Thirty-three percent cited miscommunication with game assignors as another.

The result has been a decrease in qualified referees and an increase in cancelled games, a problem affecting the soccer scene throughout the United States. Another factor contributing to the shortage is that the sport is growing faster than the EPSA can retain referees. The ones who remain are often overworked, covering perhaps four or five club games in a weekend throughout the region. The intercounty league alone - consisting of teams in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Northeast Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley and stretching as far west as Phoenixville - has about 450 teams and between 7,000 and 8,000 registered club players.

In Eastern Pennsylvania, about 130,000 youth players and 3,500 adult players are registered in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania. Paul Stilley, an EPSA delegate, was forced to cancel a week of games for an adult division in September because he could not round up enough referees. "The fall is almost impossible," Stilley said. "Guys are doing high schools three, four days a week. They're not all that anxious to go out on a Sunday and do [a club] game." The high schools have not seen a dip in the number of referees, Stilley said. "I guess it's possible, but they don't seem to have any problems," he said. "The schools pay a little more, and there are no problems with parents and officials."

Baitinger kept her pinstripes pressed even after her run-in with the angry father - in part, she said, because she had "moved up the ranks." Officials can become officials as young as 14 after taking about 18 hours of training classes. Most novice referees start off working youth games, such as under-9 boys' games, at Grade 8. They can work their way through the levels through state, national and international qualification to Grade 1. Only one official oversees the youth games and does not need extensive knowledge of the rules. After officiating at the younger level and testing, referees can then work adult games. To do so, they must take advance training courses - at least four hours' worth each year. Baitinger took her certification classes in Delaware County.

The youth games are sometimes the most trying to officiate. And all for as little as $20."Unfortunately, you have to start at the youth level," said Baitinger, who began officiating in 1993. "Here you are, brand-new, and you're thrown to the wolves. I started when I was 30, and it was intimidating. I can't imagine being 18 and having to do it." Many teenagers quit before they get the experience to work the calmer, adult leagues. There, most of the griping adults are on the playing field, not yelling from the sidelines. If one gets out of hand, officials can deal with him by pulling out a yellow card. But when it comes to outraged parents, Giancroce said, "unfortunately, we don't have much control." Too soon, officials say, young refs are chased away by volatile coaches and parents. The young ones are also less likely to include incidents of harassment in the reports they file after each game.

Brandon Hector, a sophomore at Cheltenham High, had enough after two months of officiating in the fall of 1999. "The abuse isn't worth it," said Hector, 16, who plays soccer for his school. Hector's first assignment was a disaster. He officiated a game for club players around his own age. When a player got hurt, a parent went out on the field, asked for Hector's phone number, and threatened to sue him. Only two of the 10 games Hector officiated were marked by a relaxed atmosphere, he said. Most of the time, parents were doing the complaining. Often, that spurred the coaches and players to follow suit. "Sometimes they're totally outraged," said Hector, who made about $24 per game officiating in Philadelphia, Abington and Southampton, among other areas. "They'd yell at me for not making a call. Even if I made a call, they'd still yell at me. I wouldn't do it again."

With people like Hector driven from the job before they develop into quality referees, there is an inadequate number of officials qualified to cover senior games. "The shortage of experience is a big problem," Stilley said. "The numbers simply aren't there. When you get to the senior level, you can't just take anyone." Joe Levan, assistant director for leagues and tournaments at the United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, understands that. "We haven't had a shortage of referees," said Levan, also an official since 1989. "But we haven't been able to get the higher-level referees for every game." Most complaints, he said, are made by parents upset that their child's teams are losing. "We defend our referees within reason," Levan said. "Some parents complain, but they mostly come from a losing team. The best is when they realize all they are is spectators."

Soccer officials around the country are trying to come up with new techniques to quell tempers. Taking action against overly critical coaches is one. Last year, between six and 12 coaches were brought before Pennsylvania's officials' board because of their sideline behavior, according to Giancroce. Some were suspended. When it comes to cooling parents' tempers, Baitinger likes a strategy she saw while coaching a lacrosse game: Parents were asked to keep cheering positive, while one parent "policed" the others. "That was a nice environment," Baitinger said.

Vincent Mauro, an instructor for Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which governs soccer around the world, liked seminars that he witnessed in Massachusetts. The classes taught coaches, players, fans and potential referees the rules of the game. "There is a lack of understanding the rules," Mauro said. "In America - not to be critical of the system - we're used to screaming at the referee in baseball, basketball, football, and they think they can do the same thing in soccer. They try to intimidate the young and inexperienced referee. They try to get them to make calls in their favor. We're losing referees left and right."

Now when Hector is on the field playing, he has greater respect for the referees. "When you're in a game playing, you don't notice the abuse," he said. "I give them a lot more respect." Sometimes even a parent or coach can make a referee's day. "Occasionally, I'll hear, 'Good call,' " Baitinger said. "It floors me."

Despite all you read, there is sportsmanship out there

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, Nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, Not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back........ every one of them. One girl with bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked Together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. Submitted by Ken Mitchell