Soccer
Touchline Tackle
There is a lot happening in this play requiring the referee and near assistant referee to work together. The location on the field near...
Communication on Cue Is Key
Appropriate communications (ignore, body language, non-verbal signals including whistle and general accepted hand signals and verbal) are used to match level and skill of...
Not All Throw-Ins Are Created Equally
T
he throw-in, a common restart at all levels of soccer, presents a number of challenges to the officiating team — some of which must...
Make the Basics Second Nature
When teaching the entry-level referee course, I often noted to students that, although they needed to know that persistent infringement was one of the...
Penalize Careless, Reckless, Excessive Tackling
There seems to have grown a notion that the Laws of the Game forgives almost anything if you just get the ball.
Not surprisingly, there...
Pre-match Recon
It is common practice that you should closely watch player behavior during a match in order to be prepared for what comes next, to adjust and modify your...
Filter Player Comments
“C’mon, ref! Open your eyes! He’s fouling me!” We’ve all heard that and similar phrases from frustrated players. Dealing quickly and appropriately with their frustrations and complaints is essential if...
5 Minutes With Margaret Domka
Margaret Domka is on the FIFA International Panel of Referees. She is one of a select few officials to ever go onto the FIFA list...
Soccer Sideline Management Simplified
Depending on your level of training and experience as a referee, communication may not seem to be a top priority for officiating games. However,...
Offside Doesn’t have to be Complicated
Many spectators, most radio/TV commentators, a surprisingly large proportion of coaches and many players simply do not understand Law 11 (Offside). When they think...
Big Match Support
Your assigner calls — you got the championship match. Your mentor calls — you just got picked for State Cup. The State Referee Administrator...
Cell Phones Away or Pregame Meeting Goes Astray
M ost experienced officials have worked with a teammate who has been completely disengaged or distracted during the pregame meeting. We’ve all seen it;...
“Active Inaction” – Say That Again?
The title isn’t a contradiction of terms, at least not if understood correctly. No matter what kind of game you are officiating, there are...
Six Key Factors Assessors Focus On
There are many myths and legends about assessors and their roles and responsibilities. Some officials do not want to be assessed because they do not understand how an...
6 Tips To Better See The Point
Proper positioning is being where you have to be, to see what must be seen, to make the correct decision. That includes seeing the point.
During dynamic...
Handling Dissent
A few years ago, U.S. Soccer made available to all referees a very small clip titled, “Ask, Tell, Dismiss.” Michael Kennedy, former FIFA referee,...
Get Down on the Basics
There are details contained in some individual Laws that are also found in other Laws. While it is important to understand each Law by...
Dismissing a Coach, Assistant or Trainer
The Laws of the Game allow for the dismissal of a team official (e.g., coach, assistant coach or athletic trainer) if that person’s behavior...
Show the Red and Yellow Cards when the Players Deserve it
I have always maintained that you had to be smart to play and referee soccer. A player shook this belief a bit by jumping...
Tactical Restart Response
Restart management is difficult enough without considering the various ways that defenders could seek to play psychological tricks on both their opponents and the referee. Given that defenders are...
Gripes Coming From Winning Team?
If you were officiating a soccer match and the score got to 6-0, you might expect a little dissent, right? But would you expect it from the winning...
Refereeing Gives Skills For Your Lifetime
Through the 27 years and 2,300 games of my officiating career, I've accumulated insights, notions and generalizations I didn’t have before which I can trace back...
Permission to Leave the Field
One might think that leaving the field is such a simple, straightforward and obvious act as to not need anything further said about it....
How to read a game
Once a referee reaches the point where he/she knows the Laws of the Game well and has learned effective mechanics, what comes next to improve his/her game and advance...
