5 game day notes (middle school, 4/13/2023)

Tennis balls on the field, separating parents from teams and the realities of sweat.

Any balls on the field (aside from the one game ball) are a real danger to play safety.

I worked a middle school girls game yesterday afternoon. Both middle schools feed into high school programs that are ranked in the state (one #1 over the past ~15 years) so the level was pretty high for 12 and 13 year olds.

Overall the game went very smoothly. Lots of body contact and phantom fouls since the players are starting to hit the age of awkwardly growing bodies. Some good, hard play but nothing malicious.

Here’s what I’m keeping with me moving forward!

1. Tennis balls on the field

Yesterday’s game was played on a field right next to 5-6 tennis courts where middle schoolers were practicing before the game. When doing my field check, I found a tennis ball on the field.

That’s a real potential danger for a player to step on while going full speed and it’s our primary job to keep players safe. Plus, it’s perfect for rolling out a sore calf haha.

Takeaway: Make sure you arrive early enough to run the whole field before the game to check for anything dangerous. Usually it’s only a few pieces of trash you’re removing but eventually you might find something really hazardous.

2. Put parents and teams on different touchlines

This is a big one and is standard for most grassroots games. I may have made the mistake of allowing them all to be on one touchline together. There were a few factors to this…

There were probably 50-60 students and family members at the game yesterday all behind the 2 benches because there was only one entrance to the field and it funneled family members right behind the benches. Another issues is that it was the first really hot summer day where I live and the opposite touchline was in the sun while the other touchline was in the shade. Was I really going to make the teams stand in the hot sun for the whole game?

I was lucky that I barely heard a peep from the crowd, partly because I was mostly well-positioned and managed the came confidently and partly because they all seemed very respectful. The biggest issue I had as the solo referee for the game was that I saw people sitting in portable chairs behind the halfway line when glancing over to check for substitutions. It made me keep my eyes there for an extra second to confirm if there were subs there or not, which isn’t good!

Takeaway: In retrospect, I actually think the pros of keeping everybody on the one sideline overshadowed the cons. In the future, I’ll keep a mental note to make sure supporters and players are on opposite touchlines if it’s a higher-level game but I think given the environment, keeping everybody shaded made sense.

3. Make sure teams line up a few steps back from the field

2-3x during the match, always on a throw in, I stopped play to ask both teams to take a few steps back and not crowd the touchlines. There was no real encroachment onto the field and both teams were extremely respectful in listening to me immediately. I just didn’t want anybody to get hurt!

Takeaway: It wasn’t a problem at all but something I should remind coaches in my pre-game check ins.

4. Wear a hat and keep sunscreen in my bag

I had a hat that I wore to the field but didn’t wear it during the game. To be honest, I wanted to look and feel professional and wearing a hat can make me feel like an American Football referee or something haha. I never see the pros wearing hats and it made me feel like I wasn’t living up to their image.

I’ve worn a hat before as an AR when it’s raining but aside from that I’ve refrained.

Takeaway: An observer told me after the game that my health is what’s most important and, duh, they were totally right. Moving forward, I’ll keep myself protected during hot days.

5. Sometimes making a call with conviction and getting out of there is the best option

I made a call on a short corner that came in and deflected out on the goal line after being challenged for by both an attacker and a defender.

First and foremost, my positioning should have been better. I should have known that in a game of 12 and 13 year olds, corners would be more likely to swing into the near post so my positioning should be a few steps forward. I was at the top of the arc and didn’t get a great view of the play but thought it came off the attacker. But it was one of those calls I wasn’t 100% on and opted for the safer call of a goal kick.

Nobody complained and while backing up, I mentioned to the attacker that I thought I saw it come off her just to get out ahead of a little player management. She nodded in agreement so it seems like I got the call right.

My observer told me that during a boys game or higher-level match, there would almost always be more questions about that call. I totally agree. His advice was to make a strong, fast call and start back peddling immediately to get the game going again and avoid any potential dissent.

Takeaway: I’m not sure how I feel about this advice, to be honest. I’m not easily intimidated and actually like being part of the conversation because it gives me more control over the outcome. I have no problem with people arguing calls because it gives me an opportunity to build a rapport with players and discuss what I saw with them. But if the game was getting heated, I’d definitely follow this advice and immediately think to get the game back under control by calling more, simple fouls.

BONUS: Sweat is real

This was my first hot game of the season. 80+ degrees Fahrenheit!

Some people are not as sweaty and some sweat profusely. I am the latter haha.

The biggest problem was sweat getting into my eyes. I found in the last 10 minutes of each half, my eyes started to get a bit salty and I found myself rubbing them every few minutes.

There’s also the challenge of hands getting sweaty and making it hard to keep hold of your whistle, write down notes, etc.

Takeaway: I ordered a few zippered wristbands (for coin storage) and sweat wicking headbands last night to try out. I assume this is something I’ll be dealing with all spring, summer and fall so might as well try to get out ahead of it now!

Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙