r/Referees

Just curious how much dissent does everyone put up with?

Like who is talking to coaches over them yelling " that's a terrible call ref". Or carding for it. More or less just curious what everyone opinions on where they draw the line and have a talking to and when they start showing cards obviously red worthy when they become personal venal abusive language.

Hi, I am a user of refsix for my league matches, but unfortunately the don’t have any mode for tournaments and I’m curious if there is any app that lets you manage tournaments with a lot of short games like for example 1x20 min 7 matches.

What do you think makes the job hard? Is it dealing with coaches/fans, bouncing back after a missed call, staying focused during long games?

am I in trouble? I’m 16 and I started this season. this sunday my workload is

1. community u15 girls as on field

2. community u14 as on field

3. NPLW (semi-professional women’s for non Australians) u21 as Linesman

4. NPW First team as Linesman

Can I get an honest opinion of why foul throws are almost never called? I know the NBA has basically given up on traveling calls. Are foul throws soccer’s version of that? Most refs don’t even watch the throw in. Are you just assuming everyone knows how, and that it’s not worth policing?

My question to the group is, do you think when a coach calls out "Call it both ways" that it is just a generic phrase of frustration that's relatively benign (like "C'mon!") , or do you think it's a pointed/intentional insult against the referee's impartiality?

For me, it's a phrase that does get my attention because I do feel like it is the coach announcing to the world that the referee is biased and favoring one team over another. Recently I cautioned a coach over it because he kept repeating it (first time I let it slide, second time was a warning, third time was the caution).

But I don't know if I'm overreacting to it, and should instead treat it as harmless 'throwaway' line from a frustrated coach. For added context, rec u10/u12/u14 is where I'm usually refereeing.

Hey fellow refs,
My colleague and I are looking to upgrade our communication system. I’ve narrowed our choices down to two specific systems: the Spintso Refcom II and the Vokkero Unity.
I've already read all the spec sheets (Vokkero’s Sub-GHz/UHF & dedicated DSP chip vs. Spintso’s 2.4 GHz Bluetooth & software DSP), but I’m really looking for real-world experiences on the pitch.
If anyone has used either (or ideally both) of these systems, I'd love to know:

1. The Whistle Filter: How do they actually compare when your colleague blows the whistle right next to their mic? Does the Vokkero actually kill the peak instantly? Does the Spintso let a sharp "crack" through before the volume drops?
2. Connection Stability: Have you experienced any dropouts or micro-stutters with the Spintso during matches with larger crowds (due to 2.4 GHz interference from fans' Wi-Fi/phones)? Is the Vokkero really as rock-solid as they claim?
3. Audio Quality & Ear Fatigue: How do they sound during a fast-paced game? Does one system leave you feeling more acoustically exhausted or with a headache after 90+ minutes?
   Which system would you recommend and why?
   Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hello everyone, I’m a new ref in Europe. Just started couple of months ago, although I’ve had reffed 12 years ago for a brief period. Currently 29 y.o. and absolutely loving it so far with the confidence I lacked back then.

I specifically asked the assignor for many games to get me going. However I’m starting to regret this a bit. After almost every weekend I suffer from hips and knees pain that takes a few days to go away which hinders my training schedule between matches. Looking at RefSix, I might be doing 15-20km over the weekend during games.

I’ve been into sports my whole life, with the exception of the last few years. Refereeing is my comeback to regular sports apart from gym. I’m fairly big guy, 190cm and currently at 103kg which means I’m overweight but I’ve got a wide frame and while few kilos need still to go (I actually lost around 10kg in preparation for the season and still going down) I was around that weight for most of my adult life. In this time I’ve trained combat sports, I’ve been running and have never ever experienced issues like that.
I’ve bought high quality running shoes, I focus a lot on leg strength workouts and it still happens. I’ve started to question my running form but can’t really focus on that much during games.

Have anyone gone through this before? I don’t know if there is some injury I’m not aware of causing this, is it a skill issue or simply I’m still too big to put that much work without the effects overworking the joints.

Something I’ve always been curious about with refereeing is how officials improve their understanding and reading of matches beyond just fitness and knowledge of the Laws.

Things like recognizing patterns early, anticipating challenges before they escalate, understanding player reactions, or positioning yourself to see important moments clearly all seem like skills that probably take years to develop.

As a fan, it’s easy to notice the obvious decisions during a match, but I imagine a lot of improvement for referees happens in smaller moments that viewers may not even notice.

I’ve recently started paying closer attention to match analysis and decision-making patterns during games, and it made me wonder how referees themselves usually evaluate long-term improvement.

Do referees usually review their matches afterward and reflect on positioning or decision-making patterns? Or does most of that development come naturally through experience over time?

I’d also be interested to hear what experienced referees think helped them become more consistent during faster or more difficult matches.

(Please pardon the long post.) Inspired by my teenager, I got certified last fall so I'm finishing up my second season. I played soccer as a kid, took a long break from it, then rediscovered it in the early 2000s, playing pickup most Sunday mornings. I'm in my mid-50s, and while I'm still fit, I recognize my playing days are coming to an end (my knees get dodgier by the day). When my kid was younger and I was his coach, I loved when the ref didn't show and I could volunteer. It's the best view of the action! Transitioning to refereeing seemed like the next logical step.

As I imagine most of us are, I was initially very nervous starting as an AR last fall. After 13 games, I worked up the courage to center some middle school rec games. This spring I've almost exclusively worked in the center. When I thought I was ready, I did some travel games. In some ways I found it easier -- less chaotic, more predictable. I found that U13 travel girls were the sweet spot: skillful on the ball, not crunching into tackles, and not manipulative.

Up to that point I was working for one assignor who appears to be chronically short of refs and just looking for a warm body to fill the role. So I decided to reach out to an assignor who supports ECNL. The first game I did was U14B. I naively thought how good could these 8th graders be? Holy moly they were good. The intensity of the game was exponentially higher than anything I had experienced previously. I issued 3 yellow cards. I later learned it was a playoff-implications match. I thought I was out of my depth, but one coach said they've definitely had worse refs, and a couple of players told me I did fine.

I told myself I was ECNL-worthy, but I should stick with girls for the time being. I centered a U13G ECNL game and did well, and my confidence was probably at its peak. But last weekend I was unexpectedly assigned another U14B ECNL game, and I pooped the bed. The first thing that rattled me was a GOAL that I missed. I saw the shot, and then I saw the ball hit the fence behind the goal. I signaled for a goal kick. Everyone was confused. There was a hole in the side netting the ball had passed through!

A few minutes later, the team that had been scored on was on the attack. The striker goes down in the penalty box and clamors for a PK. There was a scrum of people and I didn't see a clear foul, but I did see a high boot from a defender near the striker that went down. So that's what I whistled, but then I stupidly signaled for a PK which was converted. At halftime, the coach of the defending team showed me the Laws of the Game, and I had to admit my error. Then my brain started to completely mess with me. I couldn't remember if I had recorded the PK in my scoresheet. I had to ask my AR what the score was. I must have looked like a complete idiot. The game ultimately ended 3-1 so the PK wasn't determinative, but I still felt like crap. A day later, the crappiness is still fueling this long ass Reddit post.

I'm not sure what I'm asking. I guess I just wanted to get this off my chest. Back to U13G for a while, I guess.

I been reffing for a quite a while now and I used weighted flags for the longest time which they do the work but how you guys know for US soccer sanctions games we can’t use coms, but are the buzzer flags a good alternative? , like are they worth their price ? And would it help me have a better communication with my crew ?

I usually do youth games and some UPSL ( men n women )

Brand new ref and I've got my first game, an U10 game this weekend, I was wondering if at that age you'd still call the captains together for the handshake and chat (I assume you still do the coin toss). Issue is I'm quite a tall chap and 9 year olds don't tend to be 6'2".

Is the whole pre-match routine entirely the same as older age groups or do you change it for littlies?

Sorry if it's a daft question

I need a little help reviewing a decision from yesterday: I’m reviewing the incident with head of refereeing and scheduling in the area, for possible coach reprimand and for referee education.

Referee is a teenager, performs well.

Rival teams playing U13 B team vs crosstown rival A team.
Cold rain and windy.

Fair play amongst the boys all game, it’s only the adults on one team, especially one coach, who are fiery and have a history. The boys used to play on the same team and some are friends at school.

B team winger makes a right sided shot, keeper doesn’t catch it, reflects to the left, B team attacker runs to kick in the rebound, makes ball contact and ball in the goal. Simple, right?
Except the goalkeeper dove for the ball, missed, and the attacker then leaps over the goalkeeper to avoid a direct collision and mid air his leg hits the GK in the head, attacker ends up rolling into the net.

GK goes to ground holding his head, eventually comes off, A team coach comes out onto the pitch screaming at the Ref that the B team attacker should have a red card and be sent off.
Referee confers with their linesman, who was in a great position to see the incident. No foul, no dangerous or reckless play called. Goal.

A team coach yells at the referee for 5 minutes, no card given. A team coach wants the player who has 2 goals, an assist, and has hit the post/crossbar twice to be sent off. (Guess who they play next week, each other again). A team parents yell at the referee, he talks to them for 2 minutes and explains.
Continue play. 3-1

A few plays later, a 50/50 shoulder challenge initiated by A team defender and B team attacker results in B team attacker winning the throw OOB.

A team coach calls all his team in, says they aren’t playing the last 10 minutes because he doesn’t want his team to get hurt. Calls one of the B team 12 year old boys a fucking bitch directly to them. B team boys and A team boys all acted very kind and professional.

Yes, there are things to address about controlling the coach and giving cards to the coach. Yes, it will be recommended that the A team coach be punished under league rules for directing insults to the opposing team.

The question is: was that incident a foul and/or a card?
Sometimes the goalies get over protected and the other players have a right to position on the field

Edit: thanks for everyone’s responses, they were very helpful. Being a referee is difficult, but these tough calls and reflection are good for ref development.

I'm 29 yrs old and decided to i wanted to give refereeing a shot.

I am curious if i'm considered old to start the process since i have notice there are refereeing who have started since they were in their teenage years.

So in a recent game I played in the referee only gave a yellow card to 2 players however I checked the results latter and it showed that 8 people had been given yellow cards instead of just 2. He did not give visual confirmation of a yellow card to 6 of them

What is the rule on that as it would leave one of our players suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards. Just wanted some answers and thanks for the help

Just to set some background ive been a ref for about 2 years more or less and done different leagues and tournaments and i do adult leagues as well but today i just had done a Center for a U15 game for NAL but was probably the worst game I had so far. I made like 5 mistakes for not seeing fouls and some incorrect decisions. I tried to the best of my ability to keep up with the play and run my ass off especially in the 2nd half since the first half was atrocious. I felt like everything was against me and I was alone on the field despite having 2 AR with me. I don't want to escape goat but I felt my 2 AR didn't support me enough. I tried telling one of them to be clear with his signals since his signal mechanics were very unclear and the other that if he sees a foul and call what he sees along as he takes into account my position on the field and were the foul occurred. But at the end of the day im the one responsible since im the center. Just want tips for getting over bad games since I felt like quitting right there and then. I had a parent come up to me at half time and he absolutely berated me calling me the worst that he never see a ref this bad that I should hand in the badge to my boss. All the stuff under the sun for dissent but he walked up to me to say that.

I work a youth soccer league (US) with all the age groups, but for the purposes of this discussion I'm talking about U8.

The way I've been calling throw-ins is that if the form is right, it's a good throw, even if a foot comes up in the end. Most teams/coaches like this approach, but some do get upset that I don't call every foul throw that happens by the letter of the law. Is there any official guidance on how I should be judging these? Or general wisdom? I would like to be consistent with the way the younger age groups are typically officiated, so the kids will know what to expect.

I’m at learning.ussoccer.com that’s what Claude told me, but it’s not even in the first two pages of search results.

Hi all, I’m not a qualified ref - more of an enthusiastic dad who likes to help out at u12 level - so asking for what should have happened in this scenario according to the rules of the game?

The other week, I was running the line in a crucial cup game. It’s grassroots, more development level. Still, passionate coaches and parents on the sidelines…

The attacking team was on a very promising break, when a toddler from the sidelines waddled onto the pitch in the direction of play. I flagged, game was stopped, kid was removed from the field. This is where the argument began…

The ref said it was a drop ball, and got the defending team to boot the ball back to the attacking teams goalkeeper to restart the game.

The attacking teams coach, fuelled by being behind in the game went nuts at the ref for “not knowing the rules”.

I’m not sure what he was after, it’s surely not an indirect free kick is it? Or is it? He was saying “there’s no such thing as drop ball” and had to he calmed down by his fellow coaches.

The game carried on as tense as it was - but was just curious - what should happen in that scenario?

Cheers!