U12 academy match
- Thread starter Rob123
- Start date
Justylove
RefChat Addict
Don't need to give anything to the teams. At that age group the captain is largely ceremonial so no point brining them in of you have a problem.
Obviously brief your assistants.
Key things are really about credibility and where you want them to come in and lead.
On throw ins, you'll often hear about working in 3rds, where in the AR's 3rd they are expected to lead, in your 3rd you will lead and in the middle good eye contact and get decision right between you.
On free kicks, similar, if it's right in front of them expectation is that they will give it, if it's 50 yards away from them and you are 10 yards away, then don't get involved unless it's clearly on your blind side.
Offsides are theirs, only time you overrule is if they are incorrect in law.
Penalties (minor variations on this by referee), but I'm saying it's one of 2 things. I'm in a position to make a decision and I'll live or die by it and I'm not looking for any input from you
OR
I am not in the best position to make the decision and I will be looking at you and expecting you to get involved (could be due to position on the pitch, something on my blind side etc). If this happens give me a big strong decision either way and I'll back you.
Main thing is that working as the leader of a team of 3 referees is a great experience and something that is very different to having club/parents running the line.
Obviously brief your assistants.
Key things are really about credibility and where you want them to come in and lead.
On throw ins, you'll often hear about working in 3rds, where in the AR's 3rd they are expected to lead, in your 3rd you will lead and in the middle good eye contact and get decision right between you.
On free kicks, similar, if it's right in front of them expectation is that they will give it, if it's 50 yards away from them and you are 10 yards away, then don't get involved unless it's clearly on your blind side.
Offsides are theirs, only time you overrule is if they are incorrect in law.
Penalties (minor variations on this by referee), but I'm saying it's one of 2 things. I'm in a position to make a decision and I'll live or die by it and I'm not looking for any input from you
OR
I am not in the best position to make the decision and I will be looking at you and expecting you to get involved (could be due to position on the pitch, something on my blind side etc). If this happens give me a big strong decision either way and I'll back you.
Main thing is that working as the leader of a team of 3 referees is a great experience and something that is very different to having club/parents running the line.
Yes I’m working with neutral assistants
Justylove
RefChat Addict
Yes I would, reasons being:
1) You are the referee and ultimately in charge. Unless you tell your AR's what you want, how are they supposed to know?
2) Its good practice to get into giving instructions when leading a team of 3
Arguably more so at U12 - there's a good chance your assistants are holding a flag for the first time, so may need some help understanding where their responsibilities extend to.
At OA level once you start going up the steps, you can sometimes skip some of the really standard stuff, particularly if you have assistants you've worked with before. But always default from the most detailed version and work backward.
That's 3 officials, for what are, by and large, trouble free matches and are generally quite uneventful.
Seems a waste of 2 officials running the line, the standard doesn't really warrant it imo. All the while grassroots games go without a qualified referee...
maybe it is but i suppose gives people a taste of running the line
Or since it's a midweek evening game, they might have all the senior games covered?
I would be very surprised if they gave 3 refs for the U12's on a Saturday unless it was first thing in the morning and all three could go to do seniors in the afternoon.
bester
RefChat Addict
Plenty of refs who only do academy football. Refs can pick the game they want, can't blame them for taking the easy life.
socal lurker
RefChat Addict
I actually wonder if you might help your referee shortages over there by having more games with three officials. It is much easier to do more than one game if only one is in the middle. And, IMO, it is much easier to get started (even at younger games) if you're not the only one out there. I'd think it would help reduce immediate attrition a lot if newbies didn't go out totally on their own. And its a lot more fun (IMO) to do a three man game, even if not truly needed for the level, than to be out there solo. I don't know I would have stuck out with what I do without the camaraderie and teamwork that goes with the three-man system. (I'm going to try doing scholastic soccer this year, which in the US often uses the dual referee (i.e. two refs with whistles system). Not a full team, but still a team--even if I agree with FIFA that the model is awful. But in the US, high school soccer is its own animal, and doesn't fall under FIFA/USSF.)
santa sangria
RefChat Addict
Slower, less eventful games are great for briefing assistants as he said.
In elite games like this if an AR drops a clanger it stands out a mile.
In elite games like this if an AR drops a clanger it stands out a mile.
RefJef
RefChat Addict
Agree with this completely
A few years ago, I started doing a midweek U18 league that had three officials. Most of the time I was on the line. I learned a lot from the experience, but more than that I really enjoyed being part of a team. It transformed my enjoyment of refereeing, even when I was then on my own on a Saturday or Sunday.
Funnily enough, given my current wavering about carrying on with the whistle, I have wondered about doing some team of three games again to try and re-kindle my love of the job.
Yeah, I think @socal lurker might well be on to something there.
When I was starting out, I alternated middles with running the line as a CAR for my brothers team for the first few months. Although not quite "working in a team of 3", it was a good way of getting used to the pace of park football, as well as picking up some tips from the more experienced officials in the middle. However you do have to see the appointment secretaries side of things too - as I said, with 21 games uncovered at the moment, you're not going to be thrilled if you're told that 5 of the games you thought were covered actually need to have the refs taken off so they can run a line for you instead. Short term pain for a possible long-term gain?
When I was starting out, I alternated middles with running the line as a CAR for my brothers team for the first few months. Although not quite "working in a team of 3", it was a good way of getting used to the pace of park football, as well as picking up some tips from the more experienced officials in the middle. However you do have to see the appointment secretaries side of things too - as I said, with 21 games uncovered at the moment, you're not going to be thrilled if you're told that 5 of the games you thought were covered actually need to have the refs taken off so they can run a line for you instead. Short term pain for a possible long-term gain?
My advice is to do it. I had much the same, found that I didn't enjoy being out there on my own but really loved being involved and challenging myself. For the past two years or so I have only done lines and I love it - all the best bits of officiating and much fewer of the aspects I didn't enjoy. I'm also working on higher leagues than I ever thought likely. Not for everyone I'm sure - and perhaps I'll want more middles as time goes on - but definitely worth a go.
Maybe so but there are plenty of opportunities to run the line across the season in county cups etc. I don't really see what benefit running line in u12s does.
True. But running a line on an u12 shouldn't be an option available.
It's just not required at that level.
You'll find if it's a 3 on a midweek that's the same on a weekend, all the while mini soccer and grassroots youth games go without a qualified referee.
Must be a new thing as I recall it I did u12 academy back when I did youth but it was on my own and managers doing the ball out of play as was customary for that area. I just feel its a waste of resource when there are games going without referees