Robbo_6
RefChat Addict
I was the senior AR on an FA Vase game today and faced a situation which I have never come across before. The travelling away fans had brought a large portable speaker with them for which they used intermittently throughout the game.
They would mainly use it to start chants amongst themselves but at times would leave it playing so it was loud enough to be heard around the whole ground whilst play was going on.
The home team were complaining to me and the ref about it as it was quite loud and wanted it turned off. The ref stopped the game and spoke to the away dugout and asked them to tell the fans to turn it off as he needed to hear the players. The away coaches refused and said that they play with music on every week and have never been told to turn it off before. They said that it wasn’t against the rules and was no different than singing/chanting or banging a drum, which their fans also did throughout the game.
We had a look in the good book as well as the tournament rules at half-time but there is nothing about amplified music being played during the match.
Someone must have spoken to them at half-time and thankfully they turned it off second half, apart from playing goal music when they scored.
I find it surprising that they said they do it every week and have never been told to turn it off. Has anyone had any experience with this before? Are there any rules saying amplified music can’t be played during play?
They would mainly use it to start chants amongst themselves but at times would leave it playing so it was loud enough to be heard around the whole ground whilst play was going on.
The home team were complaining to me and the ref about it as it was quite loud and wanted it turned off. The ref stopped the game and spoke to the away dugout and asked them to tell the fans to turn it off as he needed to hear the players. The away coaches refused and said that they play with music on every week and have never been told to turn it off before. They said that it wasn’t against the rules and was no different than singing/chanting or banging a drum, which their fans also did throughout the game.
We had a look in the good book as well as the tournament rules at half-time but there is nothing about amplified music being played during the match.
Someone must have spoken to them at half-time and thankfully they turned it off second half, apart from playing goal music when they scored.
I find it surprising that they said they do it every week and have never been told to turn it off. Has anyone had any experience with this before? Are there any rules saying amplified music can’t be played during play?
