Hello again. I know it has been a long time since my last post and for that I apologize. Part of it is that I just haven't had much to write about; there is no club soccer in the spring in South Carolina, save U-13 and U-14.
Recently, however, I have made some decisions on some reffing related trips. The first is Memorial Day Weekend. Last year my wife and I decided to travel North for the holiday to her parent's place. The main reason I suggested the trip was for me to referee a large tournament - The Dayton Warrior Classic. She would get to see her parents (and I didn't have too - just kidding honey!) and I would get to ref and get paid for the trip.
It was such a good experience we decided to do it again. It's about an 8 hour trip by car but I think it will be well worth it. The tournament is well run from a referee perspective. The games were on time, they worked in games off (I was on a 4-man rotating crew both days), there were plenty of cold beverages to re-hydrate, lots of food, marshals who actually help, and the money was brought to you in cash via envelope before every game in denominations easily divisible between the crew.
Last year I got to work with three state referees from Ohio North. I did 6 U-16 boys games on Saturday and 3 U-17 boys games on Sunday with them. Sunday night I had the middle on the U-18 final, originally scheduled as the semi-final but somehow turned into a final.
I'm very excited to be working this tournament again and will hopefully have a similar experience to last year. The second decision was much harder to make. Having recently had a child I was thinking that I probably would not go to regionals this year, in an effort to help out my wife. However, she gave me the 'ok' to sign up and now it looks like I'm off to Tennessee for my second regionals experience.
This is a huge honor for me, one for which I am very grateful. Last year was a great event in Baton Rouge, LA. It was a great learning experience and a chance to rub shoulders with some great referees. I am also excited for this year's trip. The games are going to be good, for sure, the instruction will be top class and the times spent with other referees will be memorable.
While preparing for both of these events I am focusing on my fitness and my knowledge of the Advice to Referees handbook. I have long loathed running; if there is not a ball involved I do not care to run. I'm glad my wife likes to run with me so that we can train together. We've been running lately and my goal is to be able to run 8 miles straight by mid-June, around regionals. We're running just about every day with longer runs on the weekend. Also, I just came across a workout in Muscle and Fitness magazine called the "Metabolic workout", also referred to as EPOC. The theory is to do different tasks in quick succession creating a lack of oxygen so that your body goes into your fat stores for the oxygen it needs. Hopefully I can shed few lbs by the time regionals rolls around: I am shooting for about 10 total.
I'm also reading through Advice to Referees currently, highliter in hand. My goal is to make it through that twice in the next month.
Here's to two good tournaments and that I can physically and mentally survive both!
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Handball or ballhand
Recently in the Manchester United vs. Arsenal match there was a penalty kick given for handball. I saw this live on Monday afternoon (the 13th) and thought it harsh then. I was able to find a video of the game, unfortunately not one of just the incident, and it is located here: http://www.footytube.com/video/manchester-united-arsenal-dec13-67803.
At 12:30 in the video Howard Webb has played a wonderful advantage. Park had been cut down but the ball bounced right into the path of Anderson, who plays it to Nani. Nani takes on Clichy and beats him to the end line, only for Clichy to slip on the wet turf and fall. As Clichy is falling the ball is played by Nani but goes directly into the extended arm of Clichy.
Here is where we must decipher what Clichy is trying to do. According to the laws of the game a handball must be deliberate. The guidelines from USSF say deliberate is intentionally handling the ball, i.e. slapping the ball, or making oneself bigger. From what I can see here Clichy does neither. His arm is extended not to make himself bigger but to balance himself in an effort to stand back up and defend, something that ANY player would do, meaning it is a normal playing position. He clearly did not intentionally handle the ball as he made no clear attempt to touch the ball with his hand.
The AR called the penalty, not the referee. Immediately after being recognized by Webb the AR motions his arm indicating to Webb, the center, that Clichy deliberately moved his arm to handle the ball. From the replay this is flat out wrong.
I don't want to just throw the AR under the bus as I realize this game is a very high level and is moving extremely fast, but to make that call in the box is harsh. This call could have completely changed the game, putting Man United up 2-0 and really putting the game out of reach. We as referees must be able to slow the game down in our minds and instantaneously replay the events that just occurred. In this case, we need to immediately be asking ourselves whether the hand played the ball or the ball played the hand. Clearly the ball was played into the hand, which was in a normal position. Therefore, there is no penalty for me.
One last point about this situation. Howard Webb does well to protect his AR after the call has been made. I always tell my ARs that I will sell there calls, unless I see something 100% different. If I'm Webb and I give the penalty I will also protect my ARs and Webb does that well here. Nasri and Clichy, particularly Nasri, are moving towards the AR and screaming at him. Webb comes in, gets in between the players and the AR and moves them back, even giving Nasri a caution. Excellent teamwork here.
At 12:30 in the video Howard Webb has played a wonderful advantage. Park had been cut down but the ball bounced right into the path of Anderson, who plays it to Nani. Nani takes on Clichy and beats him to the end line, only for Clichy to slip on the wet turf and fall. As Clichy is falling the ball is played by Nani but goes directly into the extended arm of Clichy.
Here is where we must decipher what Clichy is trying to do. According to the laws of the game a handball must be deliberate. The guidelines from USSF say deliberate is intentionally handling the ball, i.e. slapping the ball, or making oneself bigger. From what I can see here Clichy does neither. His arm is extended not to make himself bigger but to balance himself in an effort to stand back up and defend, something that ANY player would do, meaning it is a normal playing position. He clearly did not intentionally handle the ball as he made no clear attempt to touch the ball with his hand.
The AR called the penalty, not the referee. Immediately after being recognized by Webb the AR motions his arm indicating to Webb, the center, that Clichy deliberately moved his arm to handle the ball. From the replay this is flat out wrong.
I don't want to just throw the AR under the bus as I realize this game is a very high level and is moving extremely fast, but to make that call in the box is harsh. This call could have completely changed the game, putting Man United up 2-0 and really putting the game out of reach. We as referees must be able to slow the game down in our minds and instantaneously replay the events that just occurred. In this case, we need to immediately be asking ourselves whether the hand played the ball or the ball played the hand. Clearly the ball was played into the hand, which was in a normal position. Therefore, there is no penalty for me.
One last point about this situation. Howard Webb does well to protect his AR after the call has been made. I always tell my ARs that I will sell there calls, unless I see something 100% different. If I'm Webb and I give the penalty I will also protect my ARs and Webb does that well here. Nasri and Clichy, particularly Nasri, are moving towards the AR and screaming at him. Webb comes in, gets in between the players and the AR and moves them back, even giving Nasri a caution. Excellent teamwork here.
Friday, December 10, 2010
State Cup games
Sorry it's taken me so long to write another post. Life is not the same with a newborn, that's for sure.
Tomorrow I have the opportunity to work two games, both semi-finals in the club state challenge cup. The first game I am the 4th for a U15 girls game. I'm not been a 4th before but I did get to witness a few games this summer at Regionals where we had 4ths. Given what happened in the Akron-Cal quarterfinal game last weekend I am taking this assignment very seriously. Here is a thread regarding that quarterfinal game: http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1604868
The second game is a U16 boys semi-final. I get to center this one. The two teams are actually part of the same "club"; however, they are in two different cities about 2 hours apart, Mount Pleasant and Columbia. I expect a pretty high level match for this.
For me, in situations like this, I tend to get really nervous. If this were just a regular season game with the same two teams I would be fine. Just go out and do the games. But because this is a semi-final, with these kids' whole season riding on this one game, I make myself freak out. I played HS football, kicker, and did the same thing then. I thought about it way too much and scared myself to death. In the back of my mind, though, I know that once I blow the first whistle I will be fine.
I tend to go into these games telling myself I will do everything I can to not be the focus of this game. I want to call less and let the game be decided by the players. Last week in the first round game I called a PK, which turned into the first goal. Then, right after halftime, there were two penalty shouts by the same team. Did the kid go down? Yup. By the defender? Yeah. Was I about to call another penalty? Hell no! It would have been a light penalty, not diving, just light, and I was not about to become the ref who gave the winning (and better) team a series of penalties to start the scoring.
Luckily the teams scored within 90 seconds of the no call, making it 2-0. They scored two more to win 4-0. Hopefully tomorrow's games will be just like the game last week.
Do you guys focus on particular points of your reffing "game" before "big" games? Do you change anything going into what you would call a big game?
Tomorrow I have the opportunity to work two games, both semi-finals in the club state challenge cup. The first game I am the 4th for a U15 girls game. I'm not been a 4th before but I did get to witness a few games this summer at Regionals where we had 4ths. Given what happened in the Akron-Cal quarterfinal game last weekend I am taking this assignment very seriously. Here is a thread regarding that quarterfinal game: http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1604868
The second game is a U16 boys semi-final. I get to center this one. The two teams are actually part of the same "club"; however, they are in two different cities about 2 hours apart, Mount Pleasant and Columbia. I expect a pretty high level match for this.
For me, in situations like this, I tend to get really nervous. If this were just a regular season game with the same two teams I would be fine. Just go out and do the games. But because this is a semi-final, with these kids' whole season riding on this one game, I make myself freak out. I played HS football, kicker, and did the same thing then. I thought about it way too much and scared myself to death. In the back of my mind, though, I know that once I blow the first whistle I will be fine.
I tend to go into these games telling myself I will do everything I can to not be the focus of this game. I want to call less and let the game be decided by the players. Last week in the first round game I called a PK, which turned into the first goal. Then, right after halftime, there were two penalty shouts by the same team. Did the kid go down? Yup. By the defender? Yeah. Was I about to call another penalty? Hell no! It would have been a light penalty, not diving, just light, and I was not about to become the ref who gave the winning (and better) team a series of penalties to start the scoring.
Luckily the teams scored within 90 seconds of the no call, making it 2-0. They scored two more to win 4-0. Hopefully tomorrow's games will be just like the game last week.
Do you guys focus on particular points of your reffing "game" before "big" games? Do you change anything going into what you would call a big game?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tamberino stepping down
I read tonight that Paul Tamberino is stepping down as Director of Ref Development for US Soccer. I'm not very high up, only a grade 7, but I know Tamberino's name; he's been around for quite a while. He and Brian Hall have written Week in Review and I personally find that article very interesting each and every week. When I first became a ref maybe 12 years ago there was nothing in the way of referee development like we have now.
According to this blog post on Big Soccer there may be a bigger issue here. If there is a bigger issue I am slightly worried that change will be rippling through the referee infrastructure too quickly.
Who knows, sometimes change is a good thing, but sometimes too much change too quickly is a disaster.
According to this blog post on Big Soccer there may be a bigger issue here. If there is a bigger issue I am slightly worried that change will be rippling through the referee infrastructure too quickly.
Who knows, sometimes change is a good thing, but sometimes too much change too quickly is a disaster.
Holiday Special
Hi everyone! Sorry for taking so long to post, but it's been pretty hectic around my home for the past week. Miles is doing very well and so is mommy. Daddy is back at work but everyday is a rush to get home and see the two happy faces inside the front door.
I just put in my order to Official Sports (www.officialsports.com) due to their reduced prices for the Holidays. Every year OSI runs specials which are pretty good. This year I got two long sleeved pro shirts, gold and green, as I only have the Eco shirts in long right now. With that came a pair of the US ref socks. I added a new pair of Coolwick shorts as mine have served me well for three years but are getting worn out. I added two more pair of socks, one old style and one new. I got a red mouth-grip whistle (for grins and giggles) and some velcro for next year's badges (thinking ahead!). Lastly, due to the cold weather, I got some Under Armour gloves.
So to sum up I got two long-sleeved pro shirts (retail: 96), 3 pair of socks (retail 35), coolwick shorts (retail 28), UA gloves (retail 25.50), red whistle (retail 6.50), and three badge hooks (retail 3.00) for a retail total of roughly $197.00. Before shipping my total was $177. Not too bad, considering the gloves, whistle, shorts, and hooks weren't discounted at all.
I'll also be selling my eco long-sleeve shirts for $10 or $15 which will help pay for this order.
What will you be buying this Christmas?
I just put in my order to Official Sports (www.officialsports.com) due to their reduced prices for the Holidays. Every year OSI runs specials which are pretty good. This year I got two long sleeved pro shirts, gold and green, as I only have the Eco shirts in long right now. With that came a pair of the US ref socks. I added a new pair of Coolwick shorts as mine have served me well for three years but are getting worn out. I added two more pair of socks, one old style and one new. I got a red mouth-grip whistle (for grins and giggles) and some velcro for next year's badges (thinking ahead!). Lastly, due to the cold weather, I got some Under Armour gloves.
So to sum up I got two long-sleeved pro shirts (retail: 96), 3 pair of socks (retail 35), coolwick shorts (retail 28), UA gloves (retail 25.50), red whistle (retail 6.50), and three badge hooks (retail 3.00) for a retail total of roughly $197.00. Before shipping my total was $177. Not too bad, considering the gloves, whistle, shorts, and hooks weren't discounted at all.
I'll also be selling my eco long-sleeve shirts for $10 or $15 which will help pay for this order.
What will you be buying this Christmas?
Monday, November 15, 2010
What a weekend
Nine games scheduled, nine games completed. Still no baby!
The entire weekend I ran with my phone in my breast pocket just waiting for a call from my wife. Had the ringer on as loud as possible...and nothing happened. I did get one call from my mom, just about half way through my last game of the weekend. My ring is the Godfather theme song, so once I heard that I knew it wasn't my wife as she has her own ringer. I'm sure one or two of the players were surprise when a cell phone started going off.
Most of my games this weekend were blowouts, including the U18 girls final last night. 4-1, after being 1-0 at the half. It was nice though, pretty easy games especially with so much on my mind. Only 5 yellows in my games as center, not too bad for 4 games.
In a follow up about my shoes post - I've now worn my shoes for 10 games and I still like them. Did my feet hurt last night - absolutely. But it wasn't the shoes, it was 9 games over a 48 hour period, 6 of them were full 90s and the other 3 80 minute games. I did have one blister on my middle toe, left foot, but it was not painful at all. Other than that my feet are in good shape and my legs, although tired, feel pretty good. Definitely a good buy, and I feel much better than I would have had I been wearing my turf shoes.
So, what happened during your weekend games? Anything out of the ordinary? Did you watch any pro games this weekend? What about the referee sparing Dema Kovalenko in last night's Galaxy - Dallas ballgame? Could have easily been a second yellow before the break, but Jair kept him in it. Good decision?
I'll try to have a post later today bout US Soccer's week in review from last Friday. Send me your thoughts!
The entire weekend I ran with my phone in my breast pocket just waiting for a call from my wife. Had the ringer on as loud as possible...and nothing happened. I did get one call from my mom, just about half way through my last game of the weekend. My ring is the Godfather theme song, so once I heard that I knew it wasn't my wife as she has her own ringer. I'm sure one or two of the players were surprise when a cell phone started going off.
Most of my games this weekend were blowouts, including the U18 girls final last night. 4-1, after being 1-0 at the half. It was nice though, pretty easy games especially with so much on my mind. Only 5 yellows in my games as center, not too bad for 4 games.
In a follow up about my shoes post - I've now worn my shoes for 10 games and I still like them. Did my feet hurt last night - absolutely. But it wasn't the shoes, it was 9 games over a 48 hour period, 6 of them were full 90s and the other 3 80 minute games. I did have one blister on my middle toe, left foot, but it was not painful at all. Other than that my feet are in good shape and my legs, although tired, feel pretty good. Definitely a good buy, and I feel much better than I would have had I been wearing my turf shoes.
So, what happened during your weekend games? Anything out of the ordinary? Did you watch any pro games this weekend? What about the referee sparing Dema Kovalenko in last night's Galaxy - Dallas ballgame? Could have easily been a second yellow before the break, but Jair kept him in it. Good decision?
I'll try to have a post later today bout US Soccer's week in review from last Friday. Send me your thoughts!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
What to watch for
One thing I think referees need is a passion for the game. We need to know what a good game looks like, not from the referee standpoint, but from a fan's standpoint. Fans want a nice flowing game, end-to-end action with shots, saves, and slide tackles. They don't want a rugby match with thugs on the field and no one can get the ball into the penalty box.
On top of reffing throughout the season good referees must be watching soccer, and not just the MLS. Although I don't get to watch as much as I like, I try to watch 1-2 games during the week, usually a Champions League game from Europe (like the games on today or tomorrow) or an EPL or Bundesliga game on the weekend.
Now, you might be interested to know how I do this while I don't even have basic cable. Good question. I go to a website called www.atdhe.net. No, it is not a subscription or a scam. You don't pay for anything and you never submit any personal information. Every day it will have a list of games, TV shows, etc. that you can stream live. Check the site around 2:30 and you'll see all the Champions League games listed, usually with multiple streams for each, even in different languages sometimes.
To be a great referee you need to see what the big guys are doing on the biggest stage, both their good and bad decisions. You must see how players of that caliber react to being hacked, held, or tackled. You need to take what you see in these games and determine what things you can bring from these games and implement in your games. You need to watch soccer to know how to referee it effectively!
On top of reffing throughout the season good referees must be watching soccer, and not just the MLS. Although I don't get to watch as much as I like, I try to watch 1-2 games during the week, usually a Champions League game from Europe (like the games on today or tomorrow) or an EPL or Bundesliga game on the weekend.
Now, you might be interested to know how I do this while I don't even have basic cable. Good question. I go to a website called www.atdhe.net. No, it is not a subscription or a scam. You don't pay for anything and you never submit any personal information. Every day it will have a list of games, TV shows, etc. that you can stream live. Check the site around 2:30 and you'll see all the Champions League games listed, usually with multiple streams for each, even in different languages sometimes.
To be a great referee you need to see what the big guys are doing on the biggest stage, both their good and bad decisions. You must see how players of that caliber react to being hacked, held, or tackled. You need to take what you see in these games and determine what things you can bring from these games and implement in your games. You need to watch soccer to know how to referee it effectively!
Monday, November 1, 2010
In the realm of Refereeing
Ok, so this isn't exactly soccer refereeing but it is interesting no matter what sport you referee. Here is the link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5734373
I find it interesting that in a very popular sport in the US the art of reffing is so far behind the times. I love pretty much all sports, basketball included. When the Cavs had Lebron I was watching nearly every night they were on. I still love my Cavs, but obviously they're not a contender this year. Anyway, I would watch basketball but always it left me feeling that there was something corrupt about it. Fouls were called so inconsistently that it was laughable. And it's not just at the pro level. In high school I can remember one referee who was always out there to get noticed. If you weren't booing by the end of the game he hadn't done his job. I would say that basketball refs are the worst of the big US sports (basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and hockey). This article is basically saying that for decades the league has been reactive when it came to referee development. Not only that but they have retained officials that are nearly dinosaurs.
Soccer, a relatively un-popular sport, though growing all the time, has been very proactive in referee development. Are there things which USSF can improve? Probably. Will everyone be happy? When has everyone been happy? But tools such as advice to referees, Week in Review, ODP camps, Academy games, and Regionals only help develop better, more consistent referees. Will you still have Koman Coulibalys? Of course, but given the international reach of the game it is pretty amazing that every weekend thousands of professional matches take place and generally every game is called the same way.
While at Regionals this year I was able to witness several different referees and their styles. Some were better than others but by and large we all called the same kind of game.
Basketball is finally coming around, and you can see from the article that some aren't so happy about it. I think in the next couple years, however, the fans will appreciate what the NBA is trying to do. Basketball will get better because of this.
Where will soccer go next? Technology? We'll save that discussion for another day?
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5734373
I find it interesting that in a very popular sport in the US the art of reffing is so far behind the times. I love pretty much all sports, basketball included. When the Cavs had Lebron I was watching nearly every night they were on. I still love my Cavs, but obviously they're not a contender this year. Anyway, I would watch basketball but always it left me feeling that there was something corrupt about it. Fouls were called so inconsistently that it was laughable. And it's not just at the pro level. In high school I can remember one referee who was always out there to get noticed. If you weren't booing by the end of the game he hadn't done his job. I would say that basketball refs are the worst of the big US sports (basketball, baseball, football, soccer, and hockey). This article is basically saying that for decades the league has been reactive when it came to referee development. Not only that but they have retained officials that are nearly dinosaurs.
Soccer, a relatively un-popular sport, though growing all the time, has been very proactive in referee development. Are there things which USSF can improve? Probably. Will everyone be happy? When has everyone been happy? But tools such as advice to referees, Week in Review, ODP camps, Academy games, and Regionals only help develop better, more consistent referees. Will you still have Koman Coulibalys? Of course, but given the international reach of the game it is pretty amazing that every weekend thousands of professional matches take place and generally every game is called the same way.
While at Regionals this year I was able to witness several different referees and their styles. Some were better than others but by and large we all called the same kind of game.
Basketball is finally coming around, and you can see from the article that some aren't so happy about it. I think in the next couple years, however, the fans will appreciate what the NBA is trying to do. Basketball will get better because of this.
Where will soccer go next? Technology? We'll save that discussion for another day?
Indtroductions and such
Hello referee community. My name is Matthew Campbell and I am a USSF certified soccer referee. First, let me tell you a little about myself and then I will get into what I want this blog to be.
I began reffing when I was 14 (I'm now 26) and reffed through high school, but only sporadically. When I graduated I moved from NE Ohio to Upstate South Carolina and re-upped my certification. After nearly 3 years I upgraded from grade 8 to grade 7. I've been a grade 7 since this past May. I have refereed Adult Men's amatuer, premier, academy, all the way down to U11 rec where I'm the only referee on the field. This past summer I got the opportunity to referee at Regionals in Baton Rouge, LA. Quite an experience for which I am extremely grateful.
So what will this blog be about? The obvious answer is what referees go through on the pitch. That is, the calls, the fans, the coaches, cards, positioning, etc. However, you hear about that all the time in meetings, emails, videos, etc. I also want this blog to investigate our preparation, our training (physical, mental, and educational), our equipment, and our debrief or post-game thoughts.
For instance, how many times have you thought: I need some new shoes, but what are good shoes for referees? Hopefully I can give you an idea of my thought process. You may benefit and you may say "what a bloody idiot". Either way I hope to help you make your purchase a quality one.
Lastly, I want this blog to be a conversation. I want the people who read this to comment and bring other points of view to the table. Maybe we're talking about dealing with mouthy players - do you go straight to the book and show the yellow for dissent? Could you pull the player aside and have a quiet chat with him? Do you chew his ass out so that the people on the next field over can hear you? Tell me (and us) what has worked for you.
Hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you.
I began reffing when I was 14 (I'm now 26) and reffed through high school, but only sporadically. When I graduated I moved from NE Ohio to Upstate South Carolina and re-upped my certification. After nearly 3 years I upgraded from grade 8 to grade 7. I've been a grade 7 since this past May. I have refereed Adult Men's amatuer, premier, academy, all the way down to U11 rec where I'm the only referee on the field. This past summer I got the opportunity to referee at Regionals in Baton Rouge, LA. Quite an experience for which I am extremely grateful.
So what will this blog be about? The obvious answer is what referees go through on the pitch. That is, the calls, the fans, the coaches, cards, positioning, etc. However, you hear about that all the time in meetings, emails, videos, etc. I also want this blog to investigate our preparation, our training (physical, mental, and educational), our equipment, and our debrief or post-game thoughts.
For instance, how many times have you thought: I need some new shoes, but what are good shoes for referees? Hopefully I can give you an idea of my thought process. You may benefit and you may say "what a bloody idiot". Either way I hope to help you make your purchase a quality one.
Lastly, I want this blog to be a conversation. I want the people who read this to comment and bring other points of view to the table. Maybe we're talking about dealing with mouthy players - do you go straight to the book and show the yellow for dissent? Could you pull the player aside and have a quiet chat with him? Do you chew his ass out so that the people on the next field over can hear you? Tell me (and us) what has worked for you.
Hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you.
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