Letter to youth sports officials

[Nevadaref]

I agree with almost all of what the good Dr. writes. I have been saying much of the same for the past 5 years and I don't have a doctorate in sports psych -- not that one is needed to grasp this stuff.

The best thing that he wrote is "Take control of the Whole game." That is what a real referee does. You control the entire environment of play, not just the inbounds part.

He is a bit mistaken in a couple of areas however.

1. For youth soccer, it is far better to have the spectators on the opposite side of the field from both teams. It is even mandated at Youth Regionals and strongly preferred for NFHS play.
Instead he states:
"In order for this to be effective-the parents of the team must be on the same sideline as the coach so that it is clear which team the parent belongs to."

Actually, it doesn't matter which team this person is with. The referee simply dismisses them from the area and ensures that they cannot see the game from their new location. Their punishment is that they cannot watch any further action in the contest. Really why should we care which team this person supports? Should the ref make calls against this team or otherwise penalize them due to the poor behavior of a fan? The focus should be on dealing with the poor behavior, not who deals with it, and this is best accomplished by getting rid of the offender.

2. As JR posted the idea of explaining to the coaches how they need to communicate with a referee prior to the match is silly. The coach is an adult and should not need to be told to communicate in a respectful manner. When the coach does, the ref should respond to it by answering the question or at least acknowledging the point, but when the coach doesn't behave in a responsible manner the coach should be penalized. Nothing sends a stronger message about what is expected than that. Actions not words work.

PS Don't let Rut see this thread! He doesn't believe that game officials have a positive role to play in the behavior in youth sports.