Tips for Young Referees

Soccer America's Randy Vogt has some good advice for young referees when confronted with angry adults when he gave a talk on reffing at intramural games.  Sadly, when aswering questions about soccer rules, Randy found that many of the young referees' questions were about how to manage adults who were behaving inappropriately during a game, whether they were coaches or players' parents.  These young refs were between the ages of  10 -14 and the players' they reffed were age 6 - 12.  Here is some advice that Randy shared:

• If coaches yell at you - politely say to them, "Coach, we are trying our best as refs just as you are doing as a coach. The game will go smoother if you concentrate on coaching your team rather than commenting on the officiating.”
• After one reminder and if the coach or a parent continues to behave inappropriately, call on the field coordinator to intervene.
• If there are concerns about referees missing fouls or the like, work on having a pleasant conversation between periods with the coaches and the field coordinator.

The sad fact is that often times, adults can get out of control and create a lot of misery for young referees.  There are takeaways for both sides.  The referees can concentrate on the positives of their job, like the extra cash they make doing something that they enjoy.  The adults really need to manage their emotions and remember that everyone makes mistakes.

For more information:  Advice for young referees -- and a plea to the adults who scream at them

Image Credit:  Future Stars Camps