Question Number: 17273

Law 13 - Free Kicks 10/12/2007

RE: U14 Rec

Steve of Stockton, CA USA asks...

This question is a follow up to question 16069

Recently I centered a match where I awarded a DFK about 25 yards out from goal, and almost directly in front of it. The defending team immediately set a wall about 8 yards off the ball, and the attacking team's coach (a very earnest and well-intentioned father who knows little about the game) began hollering to his kicker, "ASK FOR 10 FEET! ASK FOR 10 FEET!" The kid looks at the ball, looks at the wall, gets a puzzled look on his face, looks at the coach (who is still insisting he ask for 10 feet), then proceeds to take the kick (high and wide, if you're interested). All this time, I was standing off to one side, ready to blow my whistle and step in if the kicker were to ask for the required distance, and I am positive the kicker was thinking, "they're WAY more than 10 feet away, I'm gonna have a go at it."

I'm generally loathe to stop a match unless it's necessary, and in this instance, the kicker obviously didn't feel that the wall was unduly close (perhaps misled by his coach). I also think the defenders in the wall believed they *were* respecting the required distance (they're boys, so they have that age old problem measuring distance/lengths).

Should I have intervened WRT distance? I knew what the coach meant, even if his player didn't, so did I miss a teaching opportunity for both player and coach? (I understand that's not really my role when I've got the whistle, but we're talking about rec, where I have always thought that we should take advantage of teaching opportunities as much as possible.)

Also, what else would members of the esteemed panel do WRT the coach? I've centered several of his team's matches, and he is everything we want a youth coach to be in terms of attitude - firm, fair, enthusiastic, supportive, and respectful of the game. I had intended to have a friendly chat after the match with him to advise him on the distance thing, but that opportunity never materialized (he had urgent parent business right after the match, and I need to get to another match).

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Feet, yards, furlongs, parsecs - ehh, what do units matter?

If the opponents line up at least 8 yards by themselves, there is likely no need for the referee to intervene unless the player asks. If you have an opportunity - such as when the player kicks the ball wide and high for a goal kick - you might remind the players that they are to go to 10, and you would appreciate if they got a little closer next time. Those estimating skills were probably honed by many referees who can't tell the difference between 6, 8 and 10 yards.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

We can't be responsible for all the coaches who don't understand what they are saying, we can only deal with those not conducting themselves responsibly. Given defenders at 8 yards I tend to think most players awarded a free kick would be appreciative of their respect of the distance even though not entirely proper. What concerns me is most referees gauge 10 yards as about 6-7 yards until they have gotten in their back garden and trained themselves to know where 10 yards is within about a foot or so. A ball and your Mark I Model zero eyeball can be checked with 30 feet of string. If you can tell where exactly 30 feet is I will believe you, every time, in estimating an 8 yard distance. Can you get to a distance of 30 feet + or - a foot every time? In not, that is something to work on.

Regards,