Question Number: 22215

Law 5 - The Referee 10/12/2009

RE: Rec, Travel, High School Under 19

Bob Ayers of Richmond, VA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22192

I think that maybe the referee wanted to contain EIGHT coaches. U11 Rec, don't you think thats a little over the top, maybe thats why the players don't know who to listen to.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Bob, according to the post, there were two fields adjacent to one another. The coaches and players were apparently between the two fields, so it was 2 coaches per team.

If it is as crowded as he said, perhaps some adjustment to the length would be prudent, but it would also help if all the equipment was not right in the same space. The space he indicated was for coaches - who tend to wander from halfway line to the penalty area line, which tends to interfere with the AR - run into too many of them myself when turning to dash up or down the line. Containing them is a good idea. It would seem the players should be near that space but not necessarily contained within it.

Having parents and coaches on separate sides has worked well here, 90% of the time. Especially with recreational and lower division advanced play, if the players can sort out where the instructions are coming from, it is easier to focus on ignoring one touchline and listening to the other.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Ayers
This question refers to 22192
Usually the competion rules will limited the number of technical staff. In the absence of a local competition rule the number will revert to the national rule for the body under whose auspices the game is run. The ref is there to manage the game according to the rules of the competition and he/she doesn't want to get embroiled in debate about the number of coaching staff.