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Slide Tackles in Youth Football

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Member
Level 7 Referee
Had an incident at the weekend. U16 game Blue v White. Blue player telegraphs a slide tackle and the white player easily avoids any contact. Blue player cleanly puts the ball out of play for a throw just inside his own half. The coach is screaming at me that "someone is going to get hurt , these are only kids" and if that happens he will personally sue me!
So after asking him politely to leave the vicinity for inappropriate behaviour it got me thinking just how controversial these challenges are in Youth football. So I'm interested in your ideas. Should sliding tackles be part of the game or treated as dangerous play? Thoughts please guys...
 
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I 100% believe they should be part of the game. One of the best spectacles of football is a brilliant sliding tackle. As long as its controlled then nothings wrong at all.

Of course, as soon as it becomes out of control then we have the tools to deal with it.
 
Coach was/is a muppet.

The approach I tend to take with youth players whose ambition outweighs their ability when it comes to slide tackles is to have a quiet word after the first one that misses everything (player and ball) and then progress from there.
It’s normally quite obvious when you have a player who wants to go flying into every challenge....so just manage them appropriately.

Obviously if it’s reckless or dangerous, then do what has to be done.
 
Thanks guys. Pretty much echoing my own views. Can't see anything wrong with a slide tackle myself as long as it's not a foul challenge!!
 
From my experience, U16s are quite competitive and would rather be treated as adults, not kids. So no idea where the coach is going with this one
 
I usually include this as part of my prematch talk when doing games - inform all players you're happy enough for slide tackles (and describe other physical contact you're happy with) however also reiterate that any tackles deemed to be careless, reckless or dangerous will be penalised accordingly. I find this is the easiest way for me and I've never had any complaints (besides the usual 5 seconds of "aw wit") when penalising a poor slide tackle.
 
Is there anything else applied here outside the lotg?

The lotg clearly allows a tackle (slide tackle is a kind of tackle) if its not careless/reckless or excessive force.

On a side note, the competition regulations in our local district does not allow slide tackles in O35 and above (which I am against because its an unauthorised mod to the lotg). Teaching how to apply this regulation has been a nightmare.
 
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I can almost understand the thinking behind wanting to ban slide tackles for some of the very youngest age groups but surely not at U16. They're virtually adults by that point and probably even more athletic than many players at the full adult level anyway so very possibly more able to both carry out and deal with slide tackles than some older players.
 
Peter Grove said:
I can almost understand the thinking behind wanting to ban slide tackles for some of the very youngest age groups but surely not at U16. They're virtually adults by that point and probably even more athletic than many players at the full adult level anyway so very possibly more able to both carry out and deal with slide tackles than some older players.
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I completely agree. However I would consider banning slide tackles at 9v9, but once they start at 11 a side then that's big boy football IMO.
 
You say 'telegraph the slide tackle' 'and the white player easily avoided contact'
Was this one of those tackles where the defender would easily have collected the attacker with his body on the follow through, or where the slide had such force that it ended up well past the opponent? because if so then these would be a good case for a foul.
But yeah, slide tackles at this age are certainly permitted. As to how strict you are on the force involved and showing of studs, you take your cue from how physical the players want to play. But U/16 often want a pretty decent, physical contest.
 
No not dangerous in any way. Almost a slow motion challenge nowhere near the opposing player and as I said took the ball cleanly. No appeals or comments from any player, just the coach having a rush of blood!
 
So, no slide tackles. Then there's the call for no headers. Perhaps we shouldn't allow shielding of the ball, or shoulder to shoulder easing a player off the ball. Perhaps we should require additional safety equipment - full body armour? It's football. It's played globally by people from as young as they can walk/run through to OAP's playing walking football. It's played by the blind and by those in wheelchairs. It's played in backstreet alleys up to international stadiums. The joy of football is, at its basic level, its pure simplicity, and outside of the sanctioned world of organised football, kids will always be doing slide tackles. As referees, we can help ensure those self same kids come to recognise what is safe, and what is not (as I would hope coaches are doing). At 9v9 and above, that very much comes through the use of the sanctions that we hold in our pockets (and at mini-soccer by ensuring that little Johnny's mum doesn't come running on to the pitch whenever her little angel hits the ground, but that is more a coaches thing as I doubt other than at tournaments many of us actually ever do a mini-soccer game at those age groups).
 
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If an adult can be slide tackled by another adult why can't a 9 year old be slide tackled by another 9 year old? Surly the speed, force, etc is all proportional to age and risk of injury all the same.
 
one said:
If an adult can be slide tackled by another adult why can't a 9 year old be slide tackled by another 9 year old? Surly the speed, force, etc is all proportional to age and risk of injury all the same.
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I very much like your reasoning here. Removes any doubt from my mind that sliding tackles are very much an important part of the game.
 
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Imo in todays game, and certainly at public park level, slide tackle is a dying art, of course mainly due to the amount of games we officiate on astro etc, again only my opinion but from my exp of being involved in, or watching, there are very few old skool slides on astro, one, an underlying fear of a burn from the tackler, and two, on astro the first touch/control touch tends to be bouncier, giving the opponent more chance to tackle whilst on feet, or as often the case on astro, the attempt to control takes two touches, or lands a few yards in front.
A sliding tackle done correctly is welcome in my game
As above says, proportion wise, if we are talking youths, the force etc 9 times out of 10 wont be far different

Slightly offtrack but even at top level, its rare to see slide tackle, I suppose the players have a fear of being booked even when winning the ball. It used to be case of putting ball and man into row Z would get a cheer like the winning goal, today it woukd run risk of a red card
 
Padfoot said:
I’ll bite....what other physical contact do you tell them you are happy with?
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I let players know I'm happy with shoulder tackles as long as excessive force isn't used and blocking the ball in the corner - I also let them know that I'll be quick to the cards and I don't have much problems managing tackles as most players understand what I'm looking for.
 
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