Question Number: 26126

Law 5 - The Referee 4/1/2012

RE: Adult

Referee of Sydney, NSW Australia asks...

I find it frustrating to referee girls from 12 and up when they don't want to just play football (even when its a high level) , they complain about little trifling fouls and things you wouldn't see if your not the players involved or men etc ( the tend to act precious and whinge). And they always complain of 'in the back ref'. Should i just call little fouls ?

When I referee men i have no problems in fact i get compliments ..

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
We must adjust our game to take account of the skill level and what the teams expect. In these situations the referee must consider whether the challenges are fouls or not. If it is a foul and players expect the free kick to be awarded then the referee has to decide whether to play advantage or halt play.
If advantage is being played the referee should announce his decision with the proper signal and call.
Players will then perhaps adapt to the fact that the referee has seen the foul and he has decided it is more advantageous to the fouled against team for play to continue.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

There are usually only two problems with refereeing the women's game. The referee and the players.

The referee who sees the women's game as no different than the men's game is missing a good match. The styles of play are different. What the players will tolerate are different. The clues about what players will accept or tolerate are very different.

The women's game in general is about possession and probing for attacks. (Think FC Barcelona). This requires that the referee's position be wider and further behind the ball to stay out of passing lanes and to watch for many fouls that will be off the ball. The men's game in general is about defending and counterattack. (Think Inter Milan). The referee is always thinking about how to observe the fouls on the breakaways and runs into the penalty area.

Men have greater upper body strength and will tolerate lots of pushing and shoving above the waist. They go balllistic at anything aimed at the legs and knees They aren't little fouls to them. Women have great balance from a lower center of gravity, and are more comfortable with challenges below the waist and most hip checks. They tend to lack upper body strength and will not tolerate the pushes and grabs above the waist. They aren't little fouls to them.

Men will provide immediate clues about what they won't tolerate. Within seconds they will be vocal and impulsive in retaliation. If nothing happens within 30 seconds, the incident is probably forgotten. Retaliation by women may be planned, postponed, and deadly. Moreover, the retaliation may come from any teammate, not just an enforcer. The referee probably won't hear the word said very privately among the two opponents, but may catch the non-verbal clues: often, a strong glare.
Moreover, the referee has to monitor potential issues for the balance of the match. (Better yet, to know all of the history between these teams -- retaliation can come years later.)

And, frankly, there are some referees who think the women's game is beneath them. These referees send off lots of nonverbal signals that the players observe. Usually, these referees don't have the focus and endurance required to meet the challenges of a high level women's match. But, unknown referees may need to prove by their hustle and professional attitude that they aren't one of the jerks.

So, assuming that your goal is to get better, search the web for articles by FIFA referees Sandra Hunt and Sandra Serafini on the differences between the two games.
Better yet, go an watch the women's professional game. Note the referee's position and patrol patterns. If you adopt those to your game, you may see the fouls that, when not called, can lead to the kinds of issues you may have in your matches as well.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Sounds like you are ignoring the fact that women and men play soccer differently. It also sounds as if you have a condescending attitude towards female soccer players of all ages. If you find refereeing soccer matches played by females distasteful, maybe you should simply decline any of those assignments and just work matches played by males.

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

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