Question Number: 24356

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 11/21/2010

RE: Rec Under 13

DougB of Irvine, Ca USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 24301

A few questions regarding this.

At what age is this expected to be known/taught? I would imagine at U10 or U12?

In a good easy to ref world, if the defender is 2-4 yards away (obvious), maybe the ref uses this as a chance to 'publicly' announce that 10 yards is required, and does not need to be requested.

In which situations is it common that the attacker would (or should) ask for 10 yards? Does this usually happen when there are 1 or more defenders building a wall around the 8 or 9 yard distance (probably unintentionally close)? And the attacker just wants to ensure he has proper distance?

In a situation like that, you usually would not consider a caution for the defenders for failing to respect the distance, right?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Doug
Referees should try to manage these situations without the need to caution. Many young players have been taught to 'build' a wall and in many situations in the scoring zone it is best to manage these as a ceremonial free kick. I ask the kicker does he want 10 yards. If he does not then he accepts the outcome of his kick. If he does then it is on the whistle when the wall is set 10 yards away and everyone is ready including the ref. The only time I would caution is if a player trying to take a quick free kick is prevented from doing so by an opponent. That rarely happens though.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

USSF is now instructing referees not to intervene at a free kick unless it is absolutely necessary. This includes not saying anything to either the attacking team or the defending team, because once you do, the thinking is you have now inserted yourself into the situation, and the restart will have to take place on your whistle.

If a team wants you to give them the full 10 yards, they will indicate it either by word or action, and then the referee should comply. If they don't, don't verbally ask (giving them a questioning look is fine). Manage with your presence and not your voice or whistle in these situations.

Remember, the defending team has only one right at a free kick, and that is to NOT BE CONFUSED by anything the referee is doing. If the kicking team wants/needs your help, all they have to do is ask. Use common sense in the younger or less experienced ages, but do try to remember not to automatically insert the referee into the process, or they won't learn how to do it any other way.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

The first thing to remember as a referee at a free kick is to NEVER do anything to prevent the kicking team from taking a quick kick which is their right. As a caveat, if a coach has instructed his/her players to have someone run and stand directly in front of the ball preventing a quick kick (I've seen this from U10 to U19) a yellow card is going to fly out of my pocket first time, no warning, no discussion. Why? Because invariably, these coaches absolutely do not believe their players are not allowed to do that. I used to give a warning and have a discussion but always ended up cautioning a player before the behavior would stop.

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

See Question: 26993

See Question: 27093