Question Number: 26963

Mechanics 11/1/2012

RE: Play rec league, coach daughter in AYSO U-12's Under 13

Bobby Medders of Knoxville, TN US asks...

Statement, then a question. First, after two seasons of reffing youth soccer, I love it! I also love running the field, and I tend to try to be everywhere, using my diagonal positioning. Granted, a quick change of posession and I'm scrambling to catch up, but I don't mind. I've found that I rarely get second guessed on out of bounds calls or anything really, because I'm usually right on top of it. My question is this...Is there any reason I should NOT do this, and just jog between the 18's like the other refs I see. (Not that I'm saying they're lazy, or not doing their job, by any means) I just don't want to offend the spirit of the game or anything, if that makes sense. Note: I run all over whether I have ARs or not, though I try to stay off their side of the field.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bobby
Do what ever works for you and you are certainly not offending the spirit of the game in fact the contrary.
The best position is the one from which the referee can make the right decision
If the referee is positioned so that
a. He can clearly see play with a good angle of view
b. He can see the area where play is going
c. He is not taking up player space
d. He can see his lead assistant referee
e. He is close enough so as to add credibility to the call yet not compromising c.
then he is well positioned.
As play unfolds it has a way of putting the referee in a poor position. The trick is to minimize those times within a game. The test is when a call is required and the referee is not best positioned to call it then he needs to look again at positioning.
Continue to enjoy it.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Bobby and glad to hear you're enjoying refereeing!!You sound a lot like me when I first started. I was also running marathons and was in fantastic shape and was able to sprint all over the field so as to be wherever the ball and action were.
What I discovered over time was I was getting too close to play and missing a lot that went on around me. By the time I started working U16 Select and above games, I had to totally rethink my positioning and make myself stay further away from the ball in order to see everything I needed to.
I suspect you likewise will find this to be true as you become more experienced