Question Number: 24606

Law 5 - The Referee 2/21/2011

RE: AYSO Rec Under 14

Mike of Chino Hills, CA USA asks...

Is it okay to use a cone to mark off a deep, muddy gopher hole on the field when dirt is not available to fill it? Also, given the frequency of gophers, how big a deal is a gopher hole or two on the field?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mike
Any sizeable hole on the field of play poses a serious danger to players. It is a serious safety matter and the game should not be played until it is sorted to the satisfaction of the referee.
If the referee chose to mark the hole not every player may be aware of the reason for the cone or in fact may simple not see it until it is too late. Rarely do players have the chance to avoid parts of the field during active play.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

In general, this is a bad idea. You have announced to the world that the field is unsafe yet have allowed the game to commence. should someone get hurt, I'd not want to have to explain why I allowed the game to be played on an unsafe field

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The law book answer is straightforward: if the referee believes the field is unsafe, the match may not be played.

Real life is less straight. Most games are played on school fields and public parks that have far from perfect playing conditions. We can safely play a U10 match with field conditions that would never be permitted for a professional match. Leagues have too many games and too few fields. They are forced to make concessions.

Gopher holes, patches of hard dirt, and uneven playing surfaces are common. They do not present a risk of serious injury (though my ankles protest as I type for they recall the sprains from stepping in a gopher hole). I've been involved in matches in which we filled a hole only to watch a gopher make its replacement ten minutes later. Placing a cone over a gopher hole may be a practical solution to an imperfect site. Make sure, however, that you report to the league the situation whether you allow play or not.

Unfortunately, it often comes down to the opinion of the referee. The referee must always trust a gut reaction that it is unsafe to play. In the end, we are usually involved in a game played by kids for fun. If your gut says it is unsafe, it is.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

While I'm not a lawyer, I wonder if marking out a hole with a witches hat could potentially leave yourself (or the referee's association) open to a lawsuit. I would imagine it could be argued that the witches hat demonstrates that you've acknowledged the field is dangerous but still played the game.

Such an action would be quite negligent by the referee. Also, the laws simply do not permit the referee to place 'out of bounds' areas on the field - nor to place foreign objects on the field that could interfere with play.

Referees have been brought before the courts for less, in certain countries. Don't do anything which may potentially be seen as a breach of your duty of care, or potentially endangers the players by ignoring the laws of the game. Saying you think the field is safe when it may not be is one thing; saying it's unsafe but playing the game anyway is a whole other kettle of fish.

Furthermore, the witches hat itself will be a hazard if a player, watching the ball, runs into it.

As to how dangerous a gopher hole is - that's up to the referee's discretion. If you truly believe it's dangerous, then don't play. It may seem like a problem if there's no dirt, but I've found that grounds official have a remarkable knack for magically finding dirt once you inform them that the game won't go ahead due to an unsafe field.

Fortunately, living in the land down under I've never had to deal with gophers!