Need Help

[mississippiump]

I am currently umpiring baseball and am looking to add another sport to officiate. I am interested in soccer and have contacted my local parks & recreation department to help get me started. I have been watching as much soccer on television as I can and have been to a couple of matches this past spring. I played as a kid but really never got into it much. I'm going to need some help from some of your guys that have been refereeing for a while on some of the laws of the game and how to administer them. I'm starting at a really low level and hope to work my way up through the years. I am attending a basic referee clinic in August for the upcoming season so hopefully I'll pick up on some stuff there but it's always good to get input from the veterans.

I need someone to explain to me the use of the yellow and red cards. What are they for, what's the procedure for using them, etc. . . I almost wish we had these in baseball!!!

Also, please explain to me the difference in a "direct free kick" and an "indirect free kick".


Thanks for your help,

Jerry