A&H

U11s questions

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lucy707

New Member
I have been asked to ref an U11s academy match at the weekend and i have a few questions about the age group as it's been around 5 years since i played at their age:

1. Is it 7, 9 or 11 a side?
2. Is there any off sides, and if not, do i still need to get the parents to run the line so they can tell me who's throw in it is?
3. This isn't really to do with U11 but can a player be offside from a goal kick on the floor and out of the keepers hands?

Thanks
 
The Referee Store
Hopefully, I can help you out here - as I regularly do EFL Cat3 Academy and my son plays for U10's Academy.
1. Home team will decide this - Usually 8-a-side. Although squad size will decide this, its possible with a large squad that they will divvy up the team - but this depends also on the size of the opposition academy.
2. Check with the whoever is in charge of the academy that day (managers are usually busy as players will be arriving 1 hr before). Usually, you will play blatant offsides. BUT ensure when you bring the captains you explain this to them.
2.b. You will NEVER get to referee a game where both sets of fans are mutually respectful to you and the players! Literally all children are on the same playing level and there is no parents involvement EXCEPT for positive encouragement. The players are there for the coaches to develop.
2.c. Good god NO! - parents never run the line at academy matches, you will usually find at older age group - The County FA will appoint assistants and if you get the chance, get involved in these too!
3. LOTG!!! - A player cannot be offside from a goal kick (placed) and a throw-on... "here endeth the lesson!"

Look forward to hearing all about it.
 
lucy707 said:
I have been asked to ref an U11s academy match at the weekend and i have a few questions about the age group as it's been around 5 years since i played at their age:

1. Is it 7, 9 or 11 a side?
2. Is there any off sides, and if not, do i still need to get the parents to run the line so they can tell me who's throw in it is?
3. This isn't really to do with U11 but can a player be offside from a goal kick on the floor and out of the keepers hands?

Thanks
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One other thing...
Players are encouraged to 'ride' any tackle and find a way out - this encourages the player not to fall to the floor every 5 seconds - they make them into men early! - just be mindful, as coaches will often tell you not to be so sharp on the whistle... but a foul - is still a foul!! Perhaps, this will also make you an expert in calling advantage in time (?)
 
@lucy707 - this is from my sons EFL academy website - Our U9s and U10s play five-on-five and eight-on-eight matches, while our U11s have nine versus nine games. Play normally lasts 60 or 80 minutes, broken into three or four periods. From U12s up to U14s it moves to smaller size 11 versus 11 pitches, while at U15/U16 level, full-sized pitches are used and two halves played.
 
spuddy1878 said:
If you want to get invited back remember to be very biased to the home team.
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No no no! Not biased, but mindful and aware of the expectations at this level, at the place you are in. In simple terms, you are there to facilitate a game of football to supposedly more advanced players. You are expected and in fact asked to apply the LOTG, but use common sense and loads of it.
 
Andrew.Rainsbury said:
Possible, but not in my experience, of academy football though.
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yeah thats acadamy football ive never done acadamy football so cant comment but in my leagues at kids grassroots all teams have a ref that are (ever so) slightly biased to their team that they use week in week out i myself help an entire club out on weekends i do their U12 and 2 U13 teams on a saturday and on a sunday i do their U15 and U16 games and when these teams arent all at home ill get asked by their younger ages. In my opinion getting involved with one club and regularly reffing for them is best IMO
 
JoeMaloney5 said:
yeah thats acadamy football ive never done acadamy football so cant comment but in my leagues at kids grassroots all teams have a ref that are (ever so) slightly biased to their team that they use week in week out i myself help an entire club out on weekends i do their U12 and 2 U13 teams on a saturday and on a sunday i do their U15 and U16 games and when these teams arent all at home ill get asked by their younger ages. In my opinion getting involved with one club and regularly reffing for them is best IMO
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ohh but im not biased that much to this club just want to point that out
 
JoeMaloney5 said:
In my opinion getting involved with one club and regularly reffing for them is best IMO
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Sorry I have to disagree with this point. If you are reffing primarily for one club you will see the same players over and over again and there will be a familarity which would be more than just reffing different teams. As a ref you need to ref as many different teams as possible home and away, as there will be more challenges. You need that what I am going to face today feeling as it will make you a better ref.
 
Tino Best said:
Sorry I have to disagree with this point. If you are reffing primarily for one club you will see the same players over and over again and there will be a familarity which would be more than just reffing different teams. As a ref you need to ref as many different teams as possible home and away, as there will be more challenges. You need that what I am going to face today feeling as it will make you a better ref.
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Yeah i completely get what your saying mate suppose we enjoy things differently
 
Tino Best said:
Sorry I have to disagree with this point. If you are reffing primarily for one club you will see the same players over and over again and there will be a familarity which would be more than just reffing different teams. As a ref you need to ref as many different teams as possible home and away, as there will be more challenges. You need that what I am going to face today feeling as it will make you a better ref.
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I completely agree that you should experience as many different league's, teams etc as possible however, the local Saturday morning league in our area doesn't have a referee secretary and puts the emphasis on the home teams to source their own refs. This obviously leads to teams using the same one or two refs for the whole season! It also makes it a very difficult league for new refs to get games in. But I understand why they do it as sourcing and assigning refs must be incredibly time consuming and probably not worth the effort for a Saturday morning amateur league
 
Ben448844 said:
I completely agree that you should experience as many different league's, teams etc as possible however, the local Saturday morning league in our area doesn't have a referee secretary and puts the emphasis on the home teams to source their own refs. This obviously leads to teams using the same one or two refs for the whole season! It also makes it a very difficult league for new refs to get games in. But I understand why they do it as sourcing and assigning refs must be incredibly time consuming and probably not worth the effort for a Saturday morning amateur league
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In my area only U18 and up get refs assigned all younger ages teams have to source themselves
 
Do try and do as many teams as possible it may be good for the development of the players having the same ref but for you to develop you need to encounter the little herberts and their managers!
 
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