Question Number: 15774

League Specific 6/13/2007

RE: Competive High School

JAB of Palatine, IL USA asks...

What options do referees have when it comes to parents or spectators "coaching" from the sidelines? Many of our leagues games are held at parks where the spectators are within a few feet of the field. It would be difficult for a referee to control a parent who yells "Tom move up" to his son, but what about someone who constantly walks back and forth calling out instructions as to when to cross, when to move up, etc? In certain games this can give a team an advantage as there is another set of eyes telling the players who is offside, if there is someone at his back, who is open for a pass, etc.

And since we are in a city league this can occur in a multitude of languages. I have seen players speak to referees about this, but the reply seems to be that as long as they don’t consult with the coach there is nothing to be done. I realize that in a normal field with stands this is not an issue, but I was wondering if anything could be done.

Thank you for this column, it is very informative.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Jab,
it is very difficult if there are not well lined technical areas and good seating arrangements such as bleachers and stands. The league itself must take a proactive stand on touchline behavior as to a code of conduct or standard those in attendance must abide by.
I have taken liberties by spraying yellow dotted lines or placing yellow flat cones that ran parallel to the touchlines but followed the back edge of the technical area. I made the technical area 4 yards wide and 1 yard from the edge of the touchline so the yellow spectator line was 5 yards from the touchline. While it was encroached upon it did seem to allow the ARs enough room to operate up and doen effectively most of the time.

I have stopped matches when the crowd forces or muscles itself too close even onto the field in some cases to get a look. I have requested the coaches assist me in keeping the touch lines clear as well as addressing the spectators directly to reminded them the ARS need to see properly and they are interfering with the match!

Failure to respect the space required for the ARS to work in and I would stop play and request those responsible desist or leave or be forced to abandon a match. Never had to abandon a match for spectator encroachment but have called police and removed drunk and unruly people to allow matches to continue! Coaches generally work with you more often than not!

I advocate informational meetings between parents, players coaches referees etc in the pre season and informally during the regular season to work out the method by which arbitration and discipline are administered. I recommend codes of conduct be part of the registration process where parents and player and coaches must sign and understand their responsibilities and duties. Issues that arise during the season must have WORKABLE fix it statues in place and monitoring to ensure their successes!

Confrontational situations require preplanning to avoid in MOST cases. I think the catch phrase goes something like, if you fail to plan to succeed; you have successfully planned to fail!

You get my drift! Having things to work out requires planning , innovation and leadership, three idealistic enterprises that are often missing in the character of those in appointed or even self-inflicted tasks. Wishing blows out candles on cake and not much else, if the dream to make things better is only comprised of what we want! It is what we do that sets us apart!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Express your concerns to the league. See what they say. It is hard for the referee to control this during the game, but an option that the referee does have is to talk to the coaches and have them control their spectators. Might be worth a try.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This really is a coaching issue, not a refereeing issue. If the coach doesn't like the instructions the spectators are shouting to his team, it is the coach's job to make it stop.

The referee would get involved with spectator behavior or words only if it has a negative influence on the game. For example, if a spectator was encouraging the players to foul or injure their opponents, that spectator should be removed from the field area. The mechanism for doing that will vary per local league rules. Generally the referee will tell the coach that unless the troublesome spectator leaves, the game will be terminated. Some leagues may give the referee direct control of the spectators, so in essence they can be "dismissed" by the referee. (Hopefully without requiring the red card to be shown.)

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Parents invariably yell incorrect instructions and are generally ignored by players. Other than chuckling to myself, I ignore parents "coaching" unless they are somehow interferring with the players. I have on occassion told coaches at halftime some of the nonsense the parents are spouting and the coach will usually reprimand them. Once I had a parent yell "he's not offside" and the coach scream back "yes he is. I told him to be!!" Was great fun.

Answer provided by Referee Debbie Hoelscher

I'm not about to get in the way of spectators coaching their players. That's not up to me. If I were the coach, I'd deal with it. As the coach, I would not want spectators messing with my players after a week's worth of practises to train them to do certain things. As the referee, the only time I would step in is if the spectators' comments are negatively impacting the players.