Question Number: 22192

Character, Attitude and Control 10/9/2009

RE: rec Under 11

Angela of magalia, ca usa asks...

Our head ref is requiering all coaches to be on the same side line, with only a 10ft coaching line from the center of the field to the goals. In our particular situation, this means in a 20ft x 10ft aerea there are 6 subs, and 8 coaches, equipment, ect... We have two fields right next to eachother. The reason for this is to seperate the players from the parents. Is our head ref allowed to make these rules? It causes a lot of miscommunication to the players, congestion for all the coaches and players, the probabality of triping over equipment, and all the parents on the other side 'side coaching'. My players do not know where directions are comming from.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Most Leagues and sometime States maintain that parents are on one side and coaches and teams on the other. I think this is wise and players don't listen to parents coaching anyway. Coaches are to stay in their technical area and the referee may delineate this area if the boundaries are not lined by the competition authority

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Angela
What you have described here is the normal technical area. In Europe this is the situation that prevails in most organised games with coaches and substitutes located in a technical area. The size of the technical area though is not limited under the laws and I'm sure some leeway can be negotiated there. I would also suspect that the referee has not made this decision of his own accord but through consultation with the League.
The benefits are
1. Players and coaches are more easily controlled in one location with rules set down as per the Laws
2. Substitutions take place on one side of the field of play.
3. It is easier to determine if there is shouting/calling from the technical area rather than from the spectators.
4. It is in line with the Laws which is universal. Any step up by teams or players will necessitate the use of this system anyway.
With any change it takes some time for it to become accepted and understood. Players will soon adjust to the direction of the coaching and in my opinion will probably benefit from it as they will tune into the direction of the team coaching rather than parental advice that came from the same area.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

It sounds like a league decision. I haven't heard of a referee unilaterally deciding where the spectators must be.

We have some leagues and tournaments that are requiring the teams to be on one side and the spectators on the other. Most coaches like the separation that has coaches giving instruction on one side, and parents screaming at least 50 yards away. It still unclear whether parents will behave more responsibly if they are separated from their children.

In a field marked in accordance with the laws of the game, a technical area would be set for both teams to be located along the same touchline. The 'norm' under TLOG is not each team on 'its' side. But a marked technical area is very is rare for amateur games. Usually, each team is required to stay within their half of the center circle, a length of 10 yards.

YMMV.

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