Question Number: 20692

Mechanics 12/23/2008

RE: U12-Rec Under 12

Bert Bell of Palo Alto, CA USA asks...

A question about positioning, should I watch the action at the ball versus maintaining a sight line with my AR. I was CR recently. I was following an attacker in the center of the field on a break between 2 defenders. The attacker made a move around one defender and then went shoulder to shoulder (well shoulder to elbow as the defender was a head taller than the attacker) with the defender as they entered the penalty area and were moving to the right as you face the goal. I saw another attacker sprinting down field on the right for a possible pass so I started shifting to my left (away from being directly behind the action on the ball) to get my AR in sight. As I passed behind the second defender the attacker went down with many complaints from the attacker's team's sideline. I was screened at the wrong moment, I was able to instantly see my AR who kept the flag down.

This is my first full year as a ref. So would you stay with the play on the ball in this case and only look and move if a pass is made?

Thanks for this resource.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Here is what the latest LOTG say about referee positioning while the ball is in play.
Positioning with ball in play
Recommendations
? The play should be between the referee and the lead assistant
referee
? The lead assistant referee should be within the referee's fi eld of
vision. The referee should use a wide diagonal system
? Staying towards the outside of the play makes it easier to keep play
and the lead assistant referee within the referee's fi eld of vision
? The referee should be close enough to see play without interfering
with play
? "What needs to be seen" is not always in the vicinity of the ball.
The referee should also pay attention to:
? aggressive individual player confrontations off the ball
? possible offences in the area towards which play is heading
? offences occurring after the ball is played away

Of course, there are always going to be times when you are screened from seeing play. That's one of the many times your AR will come in handy

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

There are times when you can't keep play between you and the AR. For example, with the AR on your right as you face the goal, the play moves down near the 'coffin corner' of the left corner flag. You would have to go off the field near the goal line to keep that play between you and the AR; that may or may not be desirable.

When two players are contesting each other for the ball, it is often good to be directly behind them to see the interactions between them. Else as you have discovered, one of the players may screen the other from your view. In such a situation, you will temporarily have your AR in your peripheral view. When the immediate challenge resolves itself, you can reposition to better see the next phase of play. No rest for the weary!