A&H

Dodgy lines

JamesLapthorn

JamesLapthorn

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Turned up to a Wednesday night U14 game for my local league this evening only to find there were no lines marked on the pitch. Just 2 goal posts and that’s it.

There was a rounders and 9 a side pitch horizontally across where my pitch was meant to be.

A young lad (11-12) had a white spray paint can and had a good go at drawing on some lines but the rest had to be done with cones.

This is what I was working with for the edge of the 18 yard box.


https://imgur.com/a/s5Qtkqx

(Wouldn’t let me upload image into my text so have had to improvise)
 
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I mist be missing something obvious, but looks to me like there were lines, just in blue / green rather than white?
 
RustyRef said:
I mist be missing something obvious, but looks to me like there were lines, just in blue / green rather than white?
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This was part of the 9 a side pitch which was positioned horizontally across the 11 a side one. None of the lines fitted with where the goals were positioned so didn’t help us at all.
 
The white line is definitely worth zooming in and following off into the distance! 🤣
 
JamesLapthorn said:
This was part of the 9 a side pitch which was positioned horizontally across the 11 a side one. None of the lines fitted with where the goals were positioned so didn’t help us at all.
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I was going on the fact that the person you said was trying to help with his spray paint can drew his line straight down following the blue line. If the blue line wasn't in the right place what help was this exactly?
 
Afraid we're just not playing this game. Only outcome, really. Unless someone comes and can mark out a pitch properly and we have enough light to play will this game get played.
 
RustyRef said:
I was going on the fact that the person you said was trying to help with his spray paint can drew his line straight down following the blue line. If the blue line wasn't in the right place what help was this exactly?
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He was a young guy (managers son I think) didn’t quite know what he was doing. In hindsight I probably should’ve painted the lines myself as the 18 yard box was more like a 25 yard box

https://imgur.com/a/1g54RrO

Here’s an Ariel view of the pitch (with lines) and the blue lines are where the smaller pitches were
 
JamesL said:
Based on the pic maybe stick to reffing 😉

But more to reiterate this game simply should not have gone ahead!!
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At what level? The purist answer is fine and dandy once you get to a certain level, but at lower levels just play the game. OP says U14, so unless awfully competitive level just play.

My most egregious example was a 14U game, not at a high level. Rainy year (which Souther Califo rica doesn’t deal with well), and a pitch with a large mush mud area. One coach wanted to just play on it, but after stepping into it, I said no way. But we were either going to play that day or the game would never be played and the kids would just lose the game. So we shortened the field, moved the goals, used cones, and agreed to no punting. Obviously wouldn’t do any of that in a competitive setting, but it was the right choice for that day.
 
Plenty of U9s-U12s games played across a half a 4G marked out with just flat discs. Not great but far from unplayable.
The goallines are the 11 a side pitch touchlines so that helps a lot.
 
socal lurker said:
At what level? The purist answer is fine and dandy once you get to a certain level, but at lower levels just play the game. OP says U14, so unless awfully competitive level just play.

My most egregious example was a 14U game, not at a high level. Rainy year (which Souther Califo rica doesn’t deal with well), and a pitch with a large mush mud area. One coach wanted to just play on it, but after stepping into it, I said no way. But we were either going to play that day or the game would never be played and the kids would just lose the game. So we shortened the field, moved the goals, used cones, and agreed to no punting. Obviously wouldn’t do any of that in a competitive setting, but it was the right choice for that day.
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You could play the game if the lines are feint or broken, but struggling to see how you would do it if they are non-existent as was the case here.
 
U14s. Bunch of 12/13 year old kids have turned up.

The fact they had a can of white spray shows that by hook or by crook they wanted the game to go ahead.

Speak with both managers before kick off and gauge how much they both want the game to go ahead, as long as one of them isn't going to turn feral on you if their team starts losing then I would try and play the game.

Law 18 and all that.

I would report it to the league though, just so they get told to sort it out moving forward.
 
I regularly ref youth games throughout the winter on 3G pitches where the only pitch marked out is 11v11 so cones are in use. I always make sure to use lines that are there as much as possible, so goals go on the 6 yard line and pace the area cones out myself, even if the that means exact pitch dimension requirements aren't quite met as long as both coaches are happy. But 11 v 11 with no lines? If both sides are happy it can go ahead but as ONR says I'm emailing the league afterwards.
 
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