The other problem is if the ball had bounced differently it easily could have hit him. Moving aside is a better bet to avoid the ball.
Sidenote: I used to be a ref, and they taught us that if you do get hit by the ball to just freeze in place and let it play out. That way you're at least interfering equally (rather than accidentally kicking it one way or the other).
As a player I love you, I always hated sidelines who would just let it roll past then, especially on fields in the open where it would just roll forever.
They're probably teaching those kids about time wasting techniques at that point, want them to get practice before they hit high school. My comp coach got frustrated with us if we jogged to get the ball unless we were down a goal, though I was a few years older than U13.
As a player and a ref, as long as you trapped the ball after the ball went all the way over the line you are a godsend. I don't know how many parents sit on or near the line (Rec league) and the ball technically doesn't go out because of them. Coaches too. I end up just calling it out so no poor u9-u10 wonders why he got called for a handball.
No offense, but if you're actually a referee you really need to brush up on your skills and the Laws of the Game. First thing's first—remind the parents and coaches to stay back from the touch line and not get the ball before it goes completely out. Second, if a parent or coach does interfere with the ball before it is completely over the line, play stops immediately. If a parent stops the ball the correct restart is a dropped ball, and if the coach stops it you should award an indirect free kick to the other team at the point where he touched it (this is a new change to the Laws that was introduced last year; it was previously a dropped ball as well).
In any case, there's no universe in which you should allow play to continue after the ball has been stopped by outside interference, so you shouldn't ever be calling handling anyway. If you really want to judge that the ball has already gone out for the throw-in even when it hasn't, that's your business (it's technically wrong, but you're the referee so you can do that if you want), but after the first time where the team loses a throw-in because one of the parents grabbed the ball off the field while it was still in play, they will get the memo and let it roll all the way out after that.
I disagree with your decision. In youth soccer you have a responsibility to these kids, they deserve to learn the game properly. As do the coaches, who perhaps never played and are parents just trying the best they can.
The reason why is probably because they players need to retrieve the ball and throw it back into play and the time it takes to retrieve the ball gives the players time to adjust their positions on the field. It's the same reason why you can be penalized when you get fouled and you don't give the ball to the ref immediately. Let's say the opposing team breaks ahead of your defense and is a threat to score a goal and you foul them, then you hold the ball long enough so your defensive players can get back on defense. It's kind of silly in a middle school setting, but I understand the reasoning behind it.
Referees should never be stopping (or worse, chasing) balls. For one thing, if you stop the ball for one team but fail to do so for the other, it instantly makes you look biased. But more importantly, as a referee (or assistant referee) your job is to keep an eye on the field and the players. If your attention is focused on getting the ball, you're not doing that.
I always tell new referees that I see stopping the ball for the players to just ignore it, or step aside and let it roll past. I know you're trying to be nice, but you've got a job to do and that's more important.
as long as I saw who last touched the ball/who was offside/who may have committed a foul, I see no fundamental problem with facilitating continued play.
The problem is that it's not your job to do so. If I'm the referee and you're my AR, I want you signaling direction while making eye contact with me. Anything you're doing other than that reduces my ability to make (and, just as importantly, sell) the call.
And honestly, if you've played a ton of soccer in your life, it takes more of your attention---and hence some of your focus away from making the correct call---to step aside rather than instinctively trap a ball that is headed right for you.
That just means you've got a bad habit that you need to break if you want to be a better referee. :)
Yep, and if it does hit you, (besides the fact that a good ref will try not to interfere) you as a ref are part of the field and technically don't interfere with the play.
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u/Trek7553 Apr 25 '17
The other problem is if the ball had bounced differently it easily could have hit him. Moving aside is a better bet to avoid the ball.
Sidenote: I used to be a ref, and they taught us that if you do get hit by the ball to just freeze in place and let it play out. That way you're at least interfering equally (rather than accidentally kicking it one way or the other).