Question Number: 16463

Mechanics 8/28/2007

RE: Competitive Adult

Ryan of Flower Mound, Texas USA asks...

Dear Referee Panel,

Pesonally, when I do a middle missing one or more assistants at the adult and competitive levels I do not use club lines anymore. Even when you tell players what the limits of the club lines are they still expect the flag to go up for offside and for he club line to call fouls. Additionally, I have had too many incidents where club lines over step their limits and try to interject into the game. These incidents have made me, as a center, look foolish and incompetent having to deal with club lines in the middle of a match. I would rather do the extra sprinting than rely on a club line. Now with that in mind I would like to ask a question in regards to officiating a match without an AR2.

What are the mechanics for a penalty kick on the half of the field without an AR? Should my AR1 move down the touchline to observe the penalty kick and recover to his position in the diagnol? Should I switch the diagnol I run so the AR can assist me with the penalty kick? Or should I leave the AR where he is and manage the penalty kick by myself? Thank you for your advice and time.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

What an interesting question! If I were you, I would handle the PK by myself. It's much too much to ask your AR to come all the way down the field and then try to recover to his own position if the kick is unsuccessful. You'll simply have to adjust your position a bit at the PK to be able to judge the goal line, and be prepared to sprint like a jack rabbit if the ball doesn't go in the goal. Good luck!

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Good decision to forgo the club lino. Funny how much better things go without the extra controversy that comes with one. I like the idea of tending to a penalty kick by myself. Also, during the prematch conference I would make sure the remaining assistant knew to cover my back a lot more than usual. The easiest way to do this is revise his position to the first attacker instead of the last but one defender. He still sees offside and he is closer to the center of the field on an attack in the other end. This is a good place to be.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

I have genrerally had good experiences with club lines. Perhaps that's because our association stresses that the club line is to help with ball out of play, and nothing else. They really are of benefit when the ball is rolling nearly parallel to the line, and the line is faded or goes into a dip in the grass so you can't see it well from center. In fact, when recruiting club lines, we emphasize this as an incentive to them, that the job is so easy they can do it. Often when doing youth games, I recruit siblings of the players. If they do a good job, I encourage them to get their certification and then they can get paid. One time I heard a girl after the game say, "Mom, he said I should take the course!" And sure enough, the next year she was out there in uniform.

Working with one AR and one club line is a different sort of game for a referee. I've done it enough that I can't understand why anyone thinks a 2-whistle system without AR's is an adequate way to manage a game. The referee is always out of position. In order to cover offside calls at her end of the field, she must be far away from play. Or else she can be near the main body of play and not be able to clearly see an offside situation.

The neutral AR, when in a trail situation, can often "cheat up" on his position to better cover the referee's back. If all defenders have moved up to the half line, maybe he could move 10-15 yards up the "wrong" half of the field. The same when a penalty kick or corner kick is taking place at the far end of the field. That means the AR must be able to run back all the faster when play reverses course!