Question Number: 23848

Character, Attitude and Control 8/29/2010

RE: U10 Rec Under 10

John Lubeck of Livermore, CA USA asks...

My first game as grade 9 CR in U10 Rec. with only parent linesmen, i.e. no ARs. Would appreciate feedback on a couple of questions.

First question: An attacker 'juked' several defenders and with the GK out of position had one defender to beat. The attacker pushed the ball past the defender. The defender moved 'ever so slightly' to impede the attacker from getting to the ball on the OGSO. The defender was facing the attacker, not the ball. As the ball was within short distance of the defender, I did not call any foul.

I believe this was the correct call. When would this (if ever) be considered impeding?

Question 2: As instructed, I attempted to run the 'diagonal' in order to keep the ply and the linesman / AR in view. As I could not predict at center field which direction the ball would end up going in, I sometimes did not cross over until it was too late. I would be behind the play, and miss the offside and / or miss the last touch past the goal line.

Can you give any suggestions?

Thanks,

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Referee Lubeck
Q1. What you have described here reads to me like a foul for impeding. This is what the ATR states "Impeding the progress of an opponent" means moving on the field so as to obstruct, interfere with, or block the path of an opponent. Impeding can include crossing directly in front of the opponent or running between the opponent and the ball so as to form an obstacle with the aim of delaying progress."
So if the defender makes no effort to play the ball by simply facing the opponent as in your case then that is not shielding but impeding or holding.The player has moved across into the path of an opponent when the ball is played past him with no intention of playing the ball even if the ball is close behind him at the point of contact. In fact he probably does not even know where the ball is so how can he play it plus unless the ball stops it is going to be beyond playing distance in an instant? If there is no contact it is an IDFK for impeding. If there is contact it is a holding foul and a direct free kick.
Q2
When a referee is on his own he must come off the diagonal more often and as the linemen rarely moves there is no need to keep them in view. When the ref has neutral assistants the AR can make calls in their 'vicinity'. That obviously does not happen with club linesmen so the ref has to be closer to play The key is angle of view so getting level with challenges is vital so that you are seeing them side on even from a distance. Also when you are on your own you have to get deeper into the penalty area to view the goal line. Clearly all of that requires a decent fitness level plus putting a bigger work rate. There is no magic formula except that anticipation and reading the game can help. Teams tend to repeat what they do in games so the ref has an idea of what is going to happen after the game has say gone 15 minutes. So as an example lets say throw ins are mainly up the touchline then the best position is level where the ball is expected to land.
Finally do not be a slave to the diagonal when you are on your own. Okay its a good habit for when you have to use assistants but on your own the best position is the one that the ref can see play, is out of the way of players and is well placed to move to the next position reasonably easily.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

1. Your decision sounds as if it could be correct in some aspects, or incorrect in others. Even if the defender is looking at the player and not going for the ball, there is no offense in getting between the player and the ball as long as it is within playing distance. But what does playing distance mean? The common measure is two strides at the current pace of the player. So for a full-out run, that might be several yards. In this case, since the player is facing the opponent and not the ball, he would have to have stayed so close to the ball that he could have turned and played it in one motion. I doubt a U10 player would be able to accomplish that, so impeding could probably have been called. Additionally, if contact has been made by the defender, you might consider if it was an unfair charge. Charging is only legal while attempting to play the ball.

2. Without AR's, it can be difficult to find the correct position to be. Since club lines seldom will move with play, it is not necessary to follow a diagonal pattern keeping the club line in view. I've found myself running up and down one side of the field for a period of time, as that was the best place to view play. Calling offside is another challenge. You can't physically move from one offside line to the other fast enough when play reverses direction. When we were writing our local recreational rule modifications, I noted that the offside law was enforced but it had to be obvious enough for the lone referee to see. You will learn to look quickly downfield when play switches direction to see who might be in an offside position, and then keep track of that player as play progresses.

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

John, when a player faces the opposite way from where the ball is and moves to impede the opponent, it is impeding, not shielding. It makes no difference where the ball is; he is not shielding the ball but playing the attacker.
The diagonal system is designed for one ref and two neutral A/Rs. When you have club A/Rs there is no diagonal system. Generally follow the ball in active play.
*On goal kicks try to be in the area where the ball is going to land.
*Corner kicks be on the side from where the kick is taken and if you are fit, you could even be at the goal line.
*On free kicks go to the second to the last defender to watch for offside.
*Try to stay out of the 'red zone' where most goals are scored from, in front of the goal, in the penalty area.
*Be present quickly at the scene of the crime for free kicks.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Well done. You correctly identified that because the ball was within playing distance, the defender's action was lawful (shielding).

As my colleagues have noted, the diagonal system works best with assistant referees. It is designed to keeps play between two sets of trained eyes. When you are the sole referee, the diagonal serves as the starting point from which you can adjust your position to be close to play.

Don't worry, for now, about being caught behind play. In the beginning, referees focus on where play is now and 9 years olds play a lot of kick and run. As referees gain experience, they begin to focus on where play is headed. As they develop, players learn how to work passes together. It becomes easier to anticipate play.

When you are behind play, hustle to find a good angle of view to see what is happening, and then move closer. Your goal should be to end up about 15 yards from play.

Have fun.