The referees, part 1

Thank you, referees.

Thank you for wanting to come out and officiate our kids' games.  By doing so, you help teach them (and us) the right way to play.

In our state, you can get certified to be a soccer referee as young as 14 years old.  Most of our league games and tournaments require three officials per game:  a head referee that stays on the field the whole game to call fouls and allow substitutions and two assistant referees, one on each half, who run their half of the touch line with a flag to call offside, corner kicks and goal kicks.

The referees get paid per game, not a hefty sum.  If a ref works a whole Saturday or Sunday of games (3 or 4), they will make roughly between $40-$100, depending on whether they are head or assistant ref.  That's for the day, not per game.  They have to pay their own expenses, like gas, food, hotel (if necessary).  So they're not making much.

And some of them are 14 years old.  In other words, as young or younger than the players that they are officiating.

So when you (or I) scream at them, shout at them, wonder loudly about their eyesight or their integrity, we could be yelling at a 14-year old kid.  They could be doing their first game.

Would you want your 14-year old kid to be yelled at like that?  I didn't think so.

I have a friend who's 14-year old son is a good soccer player.  He decided that he wanted to ref last year, so he got the training, got certified, and became a ref.

This year, he is no longer refereeing.  Reason:  abuse from the parents.

It's a shame, because he's a nice kid, who is an intelligent player, so I'm sure he's a heads-up ref.

But he doesn't want to hear it anymore.  It was so bad one time, his mom went to the supervising officials (the ref's bosses) during a game and told them that if they didn't do something about the parents, that she would pull her kid.

The supervisor said, "You have every right to do that."

She said, "He's one of the refs."

We are competitive people, us soccer parents.  Most of our kids are too.  But we have no right to scream at the referees.  None.

How'd you like someone screaming at you because they think you messed up at your job?  Or at home?  "What's wrong with you?  Are you blind?  Can't you see the dust on that shelf?"

They're going to make some mistakes.  But they are ALWAYS in better position to make that call than you are.

Wyatt's season starts today.  Thanks in advance to the referees who will be officiating.

I hope that we all have a good game.

Peace and soccer,

Eric