Question Number: 29291

Mechanics 4/6/2015

RE: Intermediate Under 13

Phil of Tarzana, CA United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 29287

I have a follow-up to something that Jason Wright said. I know, both from this site & from more experienced referees that have been mentors, that it's always best to keep the ball between yourself & your AR.

In professional games that I've watched, when the ball is kicked down the left touchline, I always see the referee with his back to the AR...not that he hasn't looked over... but when play is near the left side (as the referee faces the near goal), his back stays to the AR.

In fact, in order to keep the ball between yourself & your AR, you'd have to be inhumanly fast & you'd be off the field. There are times in U10 that I've actually gone outside the touchline, but in games with larger fields that's impractical.

I guess my question is, how do you manage to keep the ball between you & your AR when it's kicked quite a distance down one side of the field? And would you move to that position, rather than being behind, when the ball is within 5 yards or so of the left touchline?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Phil
The essence of good positioning is to be in a position to see what is happening, not be in the way of players and to then anticipate what will happen next so to be in position for that movement.
There will be times in the game that it is not possible to have the lead AR in view all the time. However the good CR will constantly look across at the AR to ensure that all is well with no raised flag. The best way to achieve that is for the referee to not have his back to the AR except perhaps for a brief second in some transition of play
Now in last years World Cup the FIFA Referee Committee led by Massimo Busacca requested that referees be ahead of the ball in midfield and to come off the diagonal to a very narrow position. Some refs struggled with that advice. Personally I did not like that advice as it brought the referee into traffic a coming off the diagonal in front of goal outside the penalty area nd also made it more difficult to get an angle of view plus it was running patterns that referees were not familiar with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHZ_DWI02e8
Missed flags generally happen as a result of poor concentration and by the referee not anticipating what is likely to happen.
Also the best view of any contact is side on so the referee should concentrate on finding that position. I would also say that as play is say down the left hand side it is best that the referee concentrates on watching play not the ball only.
The question I would pose to referees is that when some incident is missed to ask why and was it a result of poor positioning.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Phil,

Always good to see when a response generates more thought, and it's a good question.
I was probably being a bit conservative with my words - you've highlighted how it's definitely not always possible to maintain that Ref - ball - AR line. In those cases it's generally preferable to try to maintain a triangle, rather than have the AR directly behind your back. If you do that then hopefully the AR will be 'over your shoulder'. While you may still have to turn away from play a bit to see him, this should hopefully minimise just how far - and it may even allow you to keep him in your peripheral vision.
Keeping a side-on view of play is most important, so you probably want to be at a bit of an angle behind play, on the inside of the players, with the AR over your right shoulder.
Basically, you're trying to minimise the time you need to look away from play to check for a signal - and if that's minimised, then you're more likely to see a signal thus less likely to miss anything.
Bear in mind professional referees also use buzzer flags and radio communications, so I'd imagine the chance of missing a signal would be virtually zero no matter where they're looking, but it's still preferable to have that visual communication happening.
Finally, bear in mind that positioning is only ever a recommendation - if you believe that a situation requires you to be somewhere else for the best view of play, then go there instead!

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Phil.
positional and situational awareness is a reflection of the need to be where you can make an accurate assessment of play. It is a preferred position to trap play in-between an AR looking across and you looking in but at times, as you have noted, it is not possible as the reality of play dictates your reaction.

Try to anticipate play, to be fair this is easier at the higher level than the lower levels as the skill and knowledge of developing play is more intuitive . I try to stay ahead of the play instead of following it. When you chase play you need to run straighter lines to catch play rather than following along diagonally unless you are faster than the players.

Remember that looking into that left corner if there is a need to be there as referee your back could be facing the near AR , the FAR AR looking down the left touchline at you. If there is a challenge going on you need to be close to see, if it is simply a developing cross you fade out and away trapping play in-between the near AR and you as the ball is likely delivered into the middle.

Referees who follow the ball flight are wasting time running the same path. We need to look for those shortcuts that get us to where that ball is going to faster. It is the same for a beaten defender when he turns to pursue heads for the centre of goal rather than try to track the diagonal ball off to the side hoping his straight path will result in an interception of angles.

For instance on the start of play a referee will take that position well off to the left across from the AR anticipating the team at kick off to advance the ball up field. The ball may go back initially but usually a ball is flighted forward to promote the attack . The opposing team is not generally challenging for the ball until this time hence the referee has anticipated and with luck will be in good position to pass judgement as to fair or foul. As the ball is advanced up field you will be wide left looking across at the near AR and can slide near the left touchline easier as play is coming to you.

General rules are to stay out of the middle, avoid the passing lanes, stay ahead of play. Easily said, however, circumstances do not always comply to our best of intentions. I often referee as a single referee so I tend to stay off to one side and dart in and out taking into account who is dominating play , weather position of the sun, wind or rain direction, condition of the field. When you have the full compliment of ARs and a 4th appositionally it is much easier because you have 3 reliable sets of eyes for help if things go astray.

Referees may not understand that a good angle of view is not from being close to play but where you need to see it from. In fact, being too close, you can lose the ball in the feet while the fouling goes on above. You are not there to interfere, only observe, albeit a quiet or stern word or warning can alleviate players' concerns or perhaps remind them you are nearby and in fact have seen what is going on.

Now no matter your best intuition or training the ball or players will at times not do what you except! Thus being caught out you will have to recover. Remember straight lines cover direct distance, then move closer in, following diagonally or zig zag you run and run rarely catching up.

I have found that a good referee will evaluate his abilities to stay with play. At the u ten I can still chase them, at the u21 I better anticipate like crazy. I draw my examples from my mentors, Esse from the USA , who was always about integrity and remaining calm and Collina from Italy, who was most often in the right place waiting for the players to arrive. Running smart is better than simply running around chasing play.

I have found that many training seminars lay claim to know it all when it comes to positioning but even the guideline's state a good referee is in the position where he needs to be to see play. Some teams have idiosyncrasies that will have you in a position not normal to preferred play so you do what you need to stay aware. I had the long throw into the middle and a very new AR who was very uncertain so I placed myself exactly where you are referring to low left corner about 8 to ten yards from the touchline, about 6 or 8 yards from goal line looking across mess of players waiting for this long throw.
I was ridiculed such a position was not good and that I should be 5 or so yards outside the PA at the left corner. Yet Upon the throw in release that was the position I rotated into while the ball was in flight got a good look at both my ARs and caught lots of holding and pushing from this angle including critical match incidents obscured from being outside the PA .
Cheers