Who'd be a ref?

The spring soccer season is just around the corner and teams are putting the finishing touches to their preparations.

That includes travel and recreational teams, as well as the Catholic Deanery leagues for 3rd to 8th grades.

How many of the players, parents and coaches attached to these teams and leagues actually have a very good knowledge of laws of the game, do you think?

For example, how many know the difference between a direct and indirect free kick, or know what offenses cause the referee to call a free direct or indirect in the first place? And then there's the offside rule, of course.

You'd be surprised how few are competent in the laws of the game, and it's this ignorance that quite often leads to the abuse of referees. Many of the officials in the area are young (you can now be a referee once you hit 12 years of age) and being yelled at a lot can frighten many of them off. This, in turn, leads to a shortage of referees.

Other than having courses set up around the area specifically for parents, another great way to learn more is by actually taking a referee's course.

This weekend, I decided to do just that by three day Grade 8 beginners' class for referees at Mt Tabor Elementary School in New Albany. It is a United States Soccer Federation recognized course organized by the Indiana State Referees' Committee. I believe anyone involved in the game should take the class, whether they have designs on being a referee or not, as it helps you understand what the referee is calling and why.

Most of those taking it were quite young -- 11 years and up -- and are already involved in the game in a playing capacity, be it with recreational teams, select teams or high school. There was just one other adult.

Of those that will last through the early days of refereeing -- and many seemed to be very knowledgeable of the game -- they should do well for themselves. Many young people make good seasonal pocket money from doing games. It starts at $8 a game and you can do quit a few of the younger age level games in a day. Then there are the likes of high school games and tournaments, where the pay is better.

Instructors Tom Berger and Heinz Pedolzky – also both experienced referees -- went through the 17 laws of the game, from the field of play to the offside rule, to fouls and misconduct. Some video clips were used from games as examples, and there was a fun oral quiz, where we were pitted against each other to test our speed and knowledge of what we’d learned.

After the three days, we took a 100-question multiple choice test (you need 75 to pass), after which we were presented with our referees’ badges. Next, it's out onto the fields of southern Indiana, when the new refs will be assigned to games a referees and assistant referees. Most will start officiating in just a few weeks.

Take it easy on us, and remember – it’s only a game!



For further information on how to become a referee, contact Gemma Newland at : gemma.nwl@sbcglobal.net or Teresa Knear Bell at : tknearbell1@yahoo.com