Question Number: 23272

Law 1- The Field 5/6/2010

RE: Select Under 15

Erik of Waukesha, WI USA asks...

if i brought my own spikes to anchor a goal, would i be liable if the spikes failed?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Why would you want to do that? The referee's job is to inspect the team/club/groundkeeper's work of securely fastening the goal. If it wasn't done properly, you don't play the game. That gets their attention very quickly.

Besides, there's enough varations of goals out there that you'd have to stock a lot of different kinds of attachments. If you want to schlep around a couple hundred pounds of stakes, feel free. Not for me.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Erik, I think it is counterproductive to bring anchors for the goal. The last sentence in Law 1 says the goals must be anchored. If they are not anchored just don't play the match. It is important for the teams or league to understand that they must anchor the goals.
In Nelson BC the portable posts were not anchored and all the referees ignored it. When I came along they were flabbergasted that without anchors I would not ref. I could have put in anchors but it would have been a band aid solution. The following weekend the same problem would arise. It was amazing how fast they found some rebar - less than 5 minutes. But the following week they remembered.
At that park, as an assessor, I chastised referees for not ensuring that portable goals were anchored. Today, they are accustomed to automatically doing it.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Erik
My advice is that if you have any concerns about the safety of the goalposts then do not play the game. Ask the club to sort it out and unless they anchor the goalposts to your complete satisfaction then the game does not get played. That will soon sort any problem you will have with particular goalposts.
If the referee brings his own anchors for the goalposts and he takes on the task then IMO if anything untoward should happen the referee could be a 'party' to any legal action. There is a subtle difference between 'inspecting' and 'preparing' and in my opinion the referee should only be inspecting to a standard that a resonable person would expect. The club and the goalpost manufacturers have a duty of care and installation instructions to adhere to. That is the club's responsibility not the referee's. Even if you did fix the problem for your match, do you take away the anchors and its a problem for the next game that you are not involved in.
If it is a general problem in your Leagues bring it to the attention of the League's Executive and ask them to deal with it and do not play the games until it is sorted.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

USSF has been extremely clear on the issue of goalposts. If the goalposts aren't anchored, the game isn't played. The referee is not responsible for making this happen, and more importantly, the referee should not assume this responsibility.

The referee's job is to inspect the goalposts and the field, not fix it. We all forget how far to take this sometimes, taking tape and zip ties with us for nets, and paint for lines and even carrying corner flags. Generally, those are items that assist the referees - seeing the line helps with calls for in and out, goal or no goal, and nets and flags facilitate the same - NONE are safety issues.

Assuming the responsibility of staking the goals may assume a great deal more responsibility than one might want to take on. Leave that to the teams, club and facilities owners.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The liability of a referee for their actions varies in every state, province and nation. But, if anything is certain it is this: if the referee allows a match to be played with an un-anchored goal and someone is injured, the referee should be sued. Our number one duty is to not allow a match to be played unless the goals have been checked and are anchored.

Our duties do not require us to provide anchors. In many states, the referee would not be liable simply for providing the anchors recommended by the goal manufacturer for that purpose. Liability usually requires negligence - the referee failed to exercise the care that a reasonable person would use. Negligence, however, depends on the facts and circumstances, and rarely is a simple answer.

While the number of lawsuits against sports officials is very small, the exposure can be very high - - particularly when an improperly anchored goal can lead to death or serious injury. Fortunately, USSF referees doing matches affiliated with USSF are automatically covered by USSF liability insurance ( as are AYSO referees doing AYSO matches). There are other options available for unaffiliated matches ( I am also a member of NASO, which provides insurance coverage).

Some referees carry a huge amount of stuff in their referee bag, and some carry spare anchors. I don't. But, I do carry insurance.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Our attorney referee speaks eloquently and we should heed his advice.

Personally, I would not dream of carrying anchors. When I get to a field and the goals are not properly anchored, I give the teams (or authorities if available) 15-20 minutes to securely anchor the goals (tire irons actually work well). After they are finished I hang from the crossbar after pushing and pulling the posts. If I'm satisfied they are safe, we play. If not, we don't

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 23324