Advantage clinic notes
Giving advantage is all about football understanding. Some good notes from an in-person clinic in handling advantage situations.
Just a few notes from the in-person Advantage clinic I went to last night.
Factors for giving advantage
Severity of foul
Direction of play
Location on field
Location of other attackers & defenders
Control (or potential control) of ball
Excitement, promising attack
Potential OGSO
Skill of players
Options
Player reactions
Space
Proximity to touchline
The touchline
If a player is boxed in by the touchline after a foul, it obviously affects advantage. The touchline acts as another defender in these situations.
More practical advice
When playing advantage in the penalty area, there’s no need to give the advantage signal. Just stay on top of play and maintain a slow whistle.
If a player is fouled as they're passing to a player who's immediately penalized for offside, the original foul should be penalized instead. The more time that goes by, the less reasonable it is to come back to the original foul.
Observe both teams in the first 5-10 minutes to understand their ability and make advantage calls appropriate for their level.
In many U12 games, players will stop when a foul happens. But if they keep playing, it’s OK to give a more advanced advantage as long as you explain it and educate the players. They’ll need to understand it soon so why not help them learn!
You should never signal advantage right when a foul happens. Signal advantage when it's clear the advantage is developing.
Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙