Fan in Referee Uniform
 

I ref a Parks and Recreation league in my town. I have caught it from fans from a nearby town for the last 7 weeks (same lady really). It started when I saw her sitting on the bench and told her that she wasn't a coach and she would have to sit in the stands. After that it has been bad. This weekend was the last weekend. She shows up with blind glasses, a referee uniform and a whistle on. I informed the league officials and they told me to "get her name". The coaches (and of course this is his wife) found it appalling that I even mentioned the fact that his wife was disrespectful. Childrens sports has stooped to a new level thanks to wonderful parents.

Todd

Edit: These girls play in a 9 & 10 year old league.

Why did you remove her from the bench?

Let her stay on the bench and call the technical foul. :D

How did you deal with her before this weekend? If it was bad and you did nothing before, why start now? The first time she blew her whistle would be the last time (at least in the gym).

She wasn't a coach and per league rules, only coaches who went through the coaches clinic can sit on the bench.

Todd

I spent the last 7 weeks ignoring her (which really makes them mad). She never blew the whistle. The league official (at least in my opinion) should have put her out of the gym. It sets a bad example for the fans and children and it makes her look like a complete knucklehead.

Well, hindsight is 20/20 and all that but unless she was being a pain I would have let it alone, asked the league director to address it. If she was being a pain just T her up. When the coach complains tell hime she's his responsibility.

I think what initially got me paying attention to her on the bench was the fact that she was yelling and telling me how to call the game. She was getting in the way also. I think if she would have just sat there I would have let it go. But I figured since she was being a pain and it is a league rule, it was best to sit her where she should be. I'm an 8 week a year official so any input is appreciated.

Todd

Call the T on this one, inform the head coach he'll be coaching the rest of the game from his chair.

Nothing more than what I already said, except to add I would have gone to the head coach (her husband) early on and told him he needs to control his assistant. That would make it his responsibility, not yours. Follow that up with a T as soon as she opens her yap. T her again as needed, 2 T's and she has to leave. She'll learn eventually. Or maybe not. But I don't involve myself in these in-house rules things, as you learned it's too much bother and there are ways to handle this within your role as an official.

In an AAU game, in a gym with 6 courts, there wasn't a lot of room for the fans to sit so they had to sit on the bench side. At first I wanted them to move but when I saw there was no place for them to sit altogether. I just let them stay there but I informed the coach I don't want to hear anything from them. There team lost and it was a pretty good game, 2 best 17U teams and they took it personal. Emotions ran out of control. Partner had a bad game and they where going to let him know about it. I remember I tried to protect him and just get him out of the gym, but then their anger turned on me. It was a good game that went bad with the parents in the end. Not much you can do about it when the facility doesn't give you enough room to seat the fans.

Todd -

As a suggestion, if this comes up in the future, tell the actual coach that extraneous people have to go. Makes it much easier (you don't have to deal with it) and now the responsibility is on someone who can be penalized for noncompliance.

You should have walked up to her and said "I'm glad you are here!!! We are always short of officials." Then invite he on to the court then not start the game until she joined you or took of the shirt.:eek:

Considering that I wouldnt know who had, or hadn't, gone through some coaches clinic, the best course would be to identify the head coaches, which means any other adult would be "assistants" and dealt with accordingly. If they are quiet, I dont see them.
I'm not going to ask each adult on the bench to produce their "official assistant coach membership card", before a game....

This is exactly why I carry an extra whistle. :rolleyes: