Junior/Youth Red/Yellow cards, what age do I start giving them?

[Jam]

I‘ve refereed my brothers team for the past year now and have just done my course last weekend, However as I do youth football and am going to be doing a mix of matches each week with different age groups I don’t know where to start giving yellow and reds where necessary. I asked this on the course and was told around U13s but just wanted another opinion on this so any help appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Ge0rge]

From my understanding the general consensus is situational. If an U13 uses offensive, insulting or abusive language towards you, then why would you not send them off? I tend to be more lenient in terms of tackles with younger age groups, but if I a tackle goes in which I would sanction with a red at U18, for example, then I would do the same at U13.

There is no perfect answer but for me, until U14, be lenient but not so lenient that you don't enforce the laws of the game. Above U14, its the same as I would do for an open age game. By the age of 14, you know what you are doing and know the rules well enough to be subjected to the sanctions of the game.

Hope that helps - but I promise you that there is no golden rule

 

[Jam]

From my understanding the general consensus is situational. If an U13 uses offensive, insulting or abusive language towards you, then why would you not send them off? I tend to be more lenient in terms of tackles with younger age groups, but if I a tackle goes in which I would sanction with a red at U18, for example, then I would do the same at U13.

There is no perfect answer but for me, until U14, be lenient but not so lenient that you don't enforce the laws of the game. Above U14, its the same as I would do for an open age game. By the age of 14, you know what you are doing and know the rules well enough to be subjected to the sanctions of the game.

Hope that helps - but I promise you that there is no golden rule

Ok thank you!

 

[Anubis]

I‘ve refereed my brothers team for the past year now and have just done my course last weekend, However as I do youth football and am going to be doing a mix of matches each week with different age groups I don’t know where to start giving yellow and reds where necessary. I asked this on the course and was told around U13s but just wanted another opinion on this so any help appreciated!

Thanks!

The lotg tell you what can be amended for ages

Time, size of ball, size of field etc

Where I am, boys u13 is full sized 11 a side game, so lotg apply. Threshold and context comes into play.

A red for me is a red.
a yellow might be managable.

small sided, small park games, dogso might be diff but vc, foul abusive, sfp etc should be the same

in all my years I have given 1 red at small side, for vc, and no yellows

 

[Kes]

From my understanding the general consensus is situational. If an U13 uses offensive, insulting or abusive language towards you, then why would you not send them off? I tend to be more lenient in terms of tackles with younger age groups, but if I a tackle goes in which I would sanction with a red at U18, for example, then I would do the same at U13.

There is no perfect answer but for me, until U14, be lenient but not so lenient that you don't enforce the laws of the game. Above U14, its the same as I would do for an open age game. By the age of 14, you know what you are doing and know the rules well enough to be subjected to the sanctions of the game.

Hope that helps - but I promise you that there is no golden rule

No easy answer to that one (as others have already stated).

In my (fairly limited) experience of kid's matches, the red card issue is nailed on - certainly for VC or OFFINABUS.

As regards yellow cards, more often than not, certainly at ages 11, 12 and 13, the question of whether or not a challenge/tackle is reckless often comes down to the physicality/development of the players at that age. I'm sure you understand what I mean by that. Most young teams have one or two - the player that is only 11/12 but, unlike most of the others on the park, has the physique of a 14/15 year old. These sorts of players and their challenges are what can raise the question and make it difficult for you, especially when parents and coaches are present and are seeing their smaller kiddie knocked/kicked/barged off the ball by a larger framed player who has only the same amount of skill and bodily coordination.
It's these scenarios where you have to sometimes have your wits about you and be seen to warn the player to be careful before (if it comes to that) issuing a caution. Nothing worse than having a big lad/lass going flying in on smaller ones with their arms/legs flailing about and causing injury and tears whilst those watching are expecting you to do something about it.

Outside of that, so long as you keep match control and operate within the framework of the LOTG, it's up to you.

 

[GraemeS]

It's literally difficult for a 12 year old to exert "Excessive Force" even if they tried. And DOGSO relies on a likelihood of the goal being scored, which is going to be a pretty high bar to clear for most young footballers, even if the GK has wandered off!

Having said that, if you do see something that is excessive force, or a defender pulls down an attacker on the line with an open goal, you might occasionally have to go red. And for non-sporting incidents such as VC or OFFINABUS - I think you would apply the same as in any other match, just expect them to generally be rarer.

Yellows are trickier, but again you can apply the same principal and argue that tackles are just more likely to meet the definition of careless than they are reckless at that age.

 

[RefJef]

Had a game a few years ago, U14s (I think) low standard.

(Weak) Shot some cross, probably heading in. Defender on line instinctively catches it (in his defence, he was in goal for first half, they swapped at half time.)

Realising what he’s done, frozen on the spot, he looks at me in horror. I look back at him thinking “oh no, what am I going to do here? Has to be a pen, should really also be a red, but do I want to give it …?”

He drops the ball like a hot potato, alert striker swoops in and nets from one metre. Everyone’s happy!!

As you can see, I still think about it years later. still not sure what I have would have done. Am so grateful for that switched on striker.

 

[Justylove]

I'd echo the points here.

Foul Tackles are unlikely to be reckless or with excessive force at the younger age groups. The vast majority of players are trying to do their best and haven't yet developed the cynicism required to deliberately take out an opponent.

DOGSO - the threshold is higher, just because of the OBVIOUS nature of the opportunity - players have less skills and less power at that age, so generally this needs to be much closer to goal.

VC or OFFINABUS - You want to be walking them for this, they need to learn early that there is no tolerance in the game for it.

Dissent - likewise you want to nip this in the bud. I found a firm talking to in earshot of the coach would normally do the trick and the decent coaches would sub the player off, if they don't then you can always go sin-bin at the next sign of it.

Generally the younger the age groups the more you want to be looking at a bit of coaching, things like a keeper picking up a backpass explain to them that they can't do it the first time, then penalise the second time, or foul throws "have another go at that and keep that back foot on the ground this time" (don't forget the positive encouragement when they do it right as well). At older age groups they should know better, so far less coaching and much more enforcing.