The following is an excerpt from Ian Plenderleith‘s latest book, “Reffing Hell: Stuck in the middle of a game gone wrong.” Illustrated by Tim Bradford (Halcyon Publishing) “Thrice he assay’d, and thrice, in spite of scorn, Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth.” — John Milton (Paradise Lost) * * * * * * * * * […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Christian Pulisic book: A revealing dialogue with brilliant photography
Pulisic: My Journey So Far. By Christian Pulisic and Daniel Melamud, Contributions by Arlo White Hardcover/240 pages/250 color photographs (Rizzoli) * * * * * * * * * * The people we admire most, our heroes on posters in our childhood bedroom, can sometimes feel distant, and supernatural, and their accomplishments can seem far out […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: Model behavior and the coaches who disgrace themselves and their clubs
The following is an excerpt from Ian Plenderleith‘s latest book, “Reffing Hell: Stuck in the middle of a game gone wrong.” Illustrated by Tim Bradford (Halcyon Publishing) The first half of this boys’ U-15 game is one of the most peaceful I’ve refereed all season. There are only two fouls, and a mild query from […]
Posted inStory
Ref Watch: Soccer's tolerance of referee-mobbing is a disgrace and has a far reach
On a Saturday I reffed U-19 boys and on Sunday U-9 girls. It’s something I enjoy most about refereeing. Getting a close-up view of soccer’s different types and levels. Usually it’s older kids on Saturday and younger ones on Sunday. On the Sundays I don’t expect to hear much from the players, and very rarely […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Good person, good citizen, good player
This was the slogan we as the Soccer Development Department of the Turkish FA had generated in 2008 for the Developmental Academy leagues that started the same year. The fields that the games were played on were branded with this slogan. In the DOC/Academy Directors courses the slogan was explained to the participants and how […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: My least favorite things
The following is an excerpt from Ian Plenderleith‘s latest book, “Reffing Hell: Stuck in the middle of a game gone wrong.” Illustrated by Tim Bradford (Halcyon Publishing) What are the 10 things I least want to see or hear when I’m refereeing a game of soccer? 1. The shout for “Offside!” almost every single time […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Heat and humidity can be lethal for your players — here's what to know
(We’re republishing this article to help coaches guide their teams safely through hot summer soccer.) It can be OK to practice in 100-degree weather, or it could be dangerous. It depends on the humidity factor. So impactful is humidity that, for example, 86-degree weather can be lethal if humidity is extremely high. “Humidity is probably the key factor that […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Should Refs Apologize?
We don’t want to make mistakes but it’s part of being human. You could say that with all the games I have officiated — more than 11,000 — I’ve made more mistakes than most soccer referees. Even with Video Review, some important game decisions are still missed in professional matches. I have seen media coverage […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Youth soccer's Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle is an urban legend focused on a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The Bermuda Triangle in our beautiful game of youth soccer is composed of three elements: Parents, Coaches and Referees. It sucks up the beauty and fairness of […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref Watch: Work well with assignors. Plus: New rulebook is ready
For youth soccer referees looking to advance, their relationships with the State Referee Administrator (SRA) and State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA) are crucial. For the rest of us refs, arguably our most important relationship is with assignors, the people who give us our games. When it comes to scheduling, assignors value referees’ reliability more than […]