Mini Soccer per se is not the issue. Using a qualified referee on a game involving 7-year-old's, on a day when older age groups in Mini Soccer (e. g. U-10, U-9, U-8) do not have a referee is not sensible IMHO.
As has been said above, the games may be covered because clubs have put a referee through their course.
Apart from keep time & restarts, what does a referee actually do in an u7 match?
You could say that about any age group. You’d just end up defining a referees roles & responsibilities
But as you said, 9 v 9 there's offsides and the occasional foul to consider. I genuinely fail to see why a qualified referee is needed at u7s. How many a side is that age group?
If you’re interested you can look it up.
I haven't looked down on referees and I wouldn't do that. This is nothing to do with any referee who chooses to do u7 football. If you offered 3 v 3, u5s then some would want to start there before moving to u7s. My issue is that it's even an option (unless other age groups are fully covered. This is a place to debate, and I'm offering my view. I'm fully aware of the difficulties in referee coverage, I've alluded to that several times already.
By saying you have an issue with it being an option would suggest you look down on people for doing it………
That's nonsense. I mentor and coach several referees who are starting their journey in 9v9 football. I've nothing but praise for anyone who starts. I simply don't believe 6 year olds playing uncompetitive 5aside requires a referee when older age groups are going without
And that’s your opinion. Doesn’t mean it is correct.
It’s not necessarily about seeing what a referee brings to a game. It’s what they’re comfortable with.
I'm not judging referees based on anything, I'm just saying that I would appoint from the older age groups down. If I had a referee that said he was only comfortable with U7 games I guess I'd have to take that into account, but I'd be surprised if that was the case unless it was a brand new referee learning his trade. Realistically a referee of a u7 game does very, very little, and I would argue it isn't really helping the referee to progress.
Not all referees want to progress. Some just want an easy bit of money.
There is nothing wrong with refereeing just for some easy money. The pyramid needs us all. But just because referees want to referee a game where they do pretty much nothing for easy money, that doesn't mean they should be offered it. 9 v 9 is usually easy money too in that respect.
It’s why we get the big bucks!Let the coaches run that
I didn't say they did, but equally if I'm appointing referees they don't get to tell me what specific games they will only do, that would be the tail wagging the dog. I'd have been elected by the clubs and would therefore be responsible for making the appointments in an optimal way as possible. If I have 30 games and only 20 referees it would be the younger age groups that would either have to find their own referee or have a coach referee it.
