The Ref Stop

Fines for u/18 u/16 games

Therealcjhill said:
I’m absolutely with you on this one and have taken some flak for voicing similar thoughts. I honestly think it’s disgusting to fine youth football. U16s should be cards only, miss games but no fines, it’s a money making exercise for local authorities.
A lot of refs are happy to issue red cards at any age group. Depends what type of person you want to be really. Lots Just say, Ref exactly to the laws, not your responsibility etc. it may not be but I know some of the kids I Ref might not have had breakfast that morning, might have just left a domestic violence situation. Of course this affects how they’re going to act and how I’m going to treat them.
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This is a little unfair, you cannot throw a comment out 'depends what type of person you want to be really'.

A youth player commits an act of violent conduct against another youth player, irrelevant of what his personal circumstances are, as a ref you have to send him off.

The skill is being able to identify those sort of players that could potentially commit a red card offence and manage them with effective communication throughout the game but if it's a red card offence you have to send them off.
 
The Ref Stop
There's a real bout of might-itus going round the forum at the moment!

Refereeing is already a hard job, expecting officials (and at youth games, often younger or less experienced officials) to determine why a player has just punched another is well beyond the scope of a) the job and b) what is actually possible.

Of course we do have safeguarding responsibilities and should act on actual problems when we do see them, but asking us to retract cards because of the possibility that there might have been a domestic violence situation is taking speculation too far. Players and their parents signed up to play football under certain rules, no one should be surprised by a fine.
 
Ori said:
What’s people view on the fine system for yellow card and red cards?

If I give 2 yellows to a player, his parents have to cough up £62 which is a lot of money.

I’ve reffed games where every car in the car park was a Range Rover and literally don’t care how much the parents get fined, but I’ve also been to matches in certain areas, where the economic outlook is very different. Dads not even there for their kids, no one to run the line, and I know that a red card or even a booking can cause hardship on the family.

I’m not going to lie, but it does affect me.
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Could I ask where you get your information for fines by caution/dismissal code? I can't find any.
 
GraemeS said:
There's a real bout of might-itus going round the forum at the moment!

Refereeing is already a hard job, expecting officials (and at youth games, often younger or less experienced officials) to determine why a player has just punched another is well beyond the scope of a) the job and b) what is actually possible.

Of course we do have safeguarding responsibilities and should act on actual problems when we do see them, but asking us to retract cards because of the possibility that there might have been a domestic violence situation is taking speculation too far. Players and their parents signed up to play football under certain rules, no one should be surprised by a fine.
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These are fair comments and I’m not really talking about the violent conduct, punching, fighting part of it. But some yellow cards are very soft and usually a chat is enough. In truth I have no real issue with cards and maybe a game ban. I don’t really like the fine system for youth football being the same as the professional game .
 
Gamespoiler said:
This is a little unfair, you cannot throw a comment out 'depends what type of person you want to be really'.

A youth player commits an act of violent conduct against another youth player, irrelevant of what his personal circumstances are, as a ref you have to send him off.

The skill is being able to identify those sort of players that could potentially commit a red card offence and manage them with effective communication throughout the game but if it's a red card offence you have to send them off.
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Totally agree. I ref a lot of youth U13-U18 mainly and there are normally signs a player is frustrated or mistiming a tackle or two. Speak to them, attempt to calm them down but if that fails / the offence is so bad then you have to take appropriate action.
 
Therealcjhill said:
These are fair comments and I’m not really talking about the violent conduct, punching, fighting part of it. But some yellow cards are very soft and usually a chat is enough. In truth I have no real issue with cards and maybe a game ban. I don’t really like the fine system for youth football being the same as the professional game .
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Certainly at the lower age groups, it's literally difficult for a player to exert a reckless or SFP-level of force, so cards are unlikely purely for that reason.

With one notable exception, I think most of the youth games I've ever done would average out at less than a yellow per game, vs an average between 3-4 a game at OA. But that's not because I'm moderating my cards due to concerns over the players home life, it's because players are generally less forceful, less cynical and more receptive to warnings regarding dissent and SPA when compared to adults.
 
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Gamespoiler said:
This is a little unfair, you cannot throw a comment out 'depends what type of person you want to be really'.

A youth player commits an act of violent conduct against another youth player, irrelevant of what his personal circumstances are, as a ref you have to send him off.

The skill is being able to identify those sort of players that could potentially commit a red card offence and manage them with effective communication throughout the game but if it's a red card offence you have to send them off.
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Agree. Any player at any age can have issues off the pitch. That's an impossible load the previous poster is putting on us there, if we are supposed to take in 'possible' off field reasons for any behaviour.

Surely, at any level, any player not physically or mentally fit to play shouldn't be playing. Anyone who starts we have to deem 'fit' to play, unless we see/hear direct evidence to contrary in the match - perhaps bullying behaviour from the side lines as an example?, and then, and only then, can we use the safeguarding tools we have been given.

It is also naive/wrong to assume only under 18s have off field problems that affect their behaviour - that's being a little naive I feel.
 
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