Question Number: 17589

Law 3 - Number of Players 10/29/2007

Olivia Blanton of Fairfield, Oh USA asks...

Can a ref. tell a parent he can't coach from the parents side of the field

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Yes. Tactical advice must come from the tecnical area. If a parent is coaching that parent then comes under the referees authority and can be expelled from the field for irresponsible behavior

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Why would a parent even want to coach? When doing so the parent usurps the true coach's authority. He does not know what the true coach is thinking. He doesn't know the coach's tactics. He bothers the way his child plays. And on and on and on. Oh, there's the has no clue what he is doing as well.

So is it possible for a referee to advise a parent he must leave? Not really -- a coach yes indeed -- and the parent is coaching. Can the referee asks just a parent being a royal pain in the arse to leave, no!! However the royal pain in the arse parent may be given the choice to leave instead of having the match be terminated and the referee leaving. That question is an easy question for all but the most royal pain in the arse parent, that one has to think about what he is doing! Some of those parents actually would rather stay.

What happens next is the match stops, the referee leaves and fills out his match report saying exactly what happened submits the report together with both sets of player passes and collects his match fee. THEN it hits the fan, there is a hearing at which the disciplinary committee tries to identify the royal pain in the arse parent. While they try the two teams have no player passes and they don't get to play. The royal pain in the arse parent is now a frigging famous royal pain in the arse parent.

See where I'm going with this, someone gets thrown out of the league, all because the frigging famous royal pain in the arse parent had to challenge the referee, usually a 14 or 15 year-old child who will never referee another match as long as he or she lives.

I hope, Olivia, you aren't a frigging famous royal pain in the arse parent.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

As a coach my parents had best not do that. They can cheer and they can assist in many ways but talking tactical to their kids is not something I could allow regardless of how knowledgeable they are or how well they play. It distracts the kids more than it helps plus it undermines the coach?s credibility. In training if a parent has skill that is where we use it to train. I have a Dad who is a former national player for his European country of origin, guess who demonstrates free kicks or shows us how to properly tie a soccer boot. When he juggles the ball or lifts the ball over his head with a heel flick at practice this is where those parents are huge in making sound impact technically. If they have ideas then we discuss away from the field and apply what we agree on the field. If they can be an assistant then have them in the technical area.
That said parents are what they are and annoying as some maybe they are not without value or love of their kids. I give parents who are inclined to help specific.*Tasks* that we can use to help the team as a whole. Parents love and support from the touchlines and behave in a reasonable manner. A referee has no authority to dismiss a spectator but he can tell the coach this match does not go forward until that person leaves or desists in the behavior. I have endured parents screaming at their kids for too long at times. In one match the screams to get there, do this were so negative if they failed, .really irritated me! Generally a parent /child relationship is not something a casual outsider wishes to step in between.. I could see how frustrated the kid was and the mom was simply way out of line. I stopped play in the middle of one of these rants and called the player over. I reached down and whispered in her ear subtly placed a yellow card in her hand. She looked at me questioningly but I smiled and said 100% go ahead! The young lady ran over to her mom and showed her the yellow card, and said, ?If you do not be quiet we have to go home!?
Not peep from her the rest of the match. Oh she was livid to be embarrassed and I was called up to explain but she eventually realized her antics were always embarrassing and it took someone to say enough was enough to get her to stop.
Generally the coach?s should have that influence unless god forbid those people are the coaches!
Cheers