Category: Youth

Youth

"Only in America!"

DEVIANT SUBSTITUTION RULES FOR YOUTH PLAY

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Question:
1. Where can I find the deviations from the laws for kids? I have check all the web sites in my are and there is none listed and with talking with other referees we cannot find where these are to prove what is right.

2. Is there a written changes/deviation from the laws for kids that are standard nation or world wide?

3. Youth teams – Team “A” and Team “B” are playing and a player from Team “A” goes down hurt and is sub for by team “A”, can team “B” also sub? If so how many players can be sub?

4. With most youth club games being done by no State and National level referees (mainly by grade 8’s), is there any mentoring programs to help keep quality of refereeing consistent from location to location.

USSF answer (June 1, 2009):
In the introduction to the Laws of the Game, the International Football Association Board (the people who write the Laws) indicates what modifications are allowed:

Subject to the agreement of the member association concerned and provided the principles of these Laws are maintained, the Laws may be modified in their application for matches for players of under 16 years of age, for women footballers, for veteran footballers (over 35 years) and for players with disabilities.
Any or all of the following modifications are permissible:
– size of the field of play
– size, weight and material of the ball
– width between the goalposts and height of the crossbar from the ground
– duration of the periods of play
– substitutions
Further modifications are only allowed with the consent of the International Football Association Board.

Please note that under the Laws of the Game these modifications do not apply to any groups of players other than those who are under 16, are women, are over 35, or are players with disabilities.

In answer to your questions:
1. You will have to check the rules of the competition in which you referee or coach. Neither U. S. Soccer nor U. S. Youth Soccer has approved any modifications for players Under 13 or older. U. S. Youth Soccer has approved modifications only for small-sided soccer, ages Under 6 through Under 12. Here is the link for the small-sided rules and mods: http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/coaches/RulesSmallGames.asp.

2. There is no national standard deviation from the requirements of the Laws of the Game. The entire world outside of some competitions in the United States plays in accordance with the Laws of the Game.

3. The Laws of the Game allow substitution by either team at any stoppage.

4. You will have to check with your state soccer association(s) for mentoring programs.…

Law 11 - Offside

OFFSIDE IN U8 GAMES?

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Question:
I am going to be reffing my first game on Saturday. It is a u8 game. Is it true that u8s don’t play with offsides? Thanks for the help.

USSF answer (April 23, 2009):
According to the USYS rules for U8 small-sided soccer, there is no offside at the U8 level.

You will have to check the local rules of competition — what the league your are refereeing in wants to have called (or not) — to know for sure what to do in the game you will be working.…

Law 12 - Fouls & Misconduct

GOALKEEPER SECOND TOUCH

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Question:
What should be the proper call? U8 Girls game.

An attempt on goal by the opposing team. The goalie blocks the shot and picks up the ball. The ball and goalie never leave the penalty area.  She performs a drop kick that goes straight up in the air and lands in the penalty area. Can the goalie touch the ball again (foot or hand) before one of her teammates or does another player need to make contact with the ball first?

If there is a penalty for touching the ball before her teammates, what would be the proper call?

USSF answer (November 7, 2008):
Under the U8 rules published by U. S. Youth Soccer, there are no goalkeepers, so this question must be answered in accordance with the normal Laws of the Game.

Yes, any other player must play the ball before the goalkeeper may touch it again with her hands. If the goalkeeper touches it with her hands, the correct restart is an indirect free kick for the opposing team from the place where the infringement occurred. (If this was within the goal area, then it must be from that place on the goal area line that is nearest to the place where the infringement occurred.)…

Law 1 - The Field

INCONSIDERATE REFEREES

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Question:
At a U9 girls club game, the field was poorly lined – to stand over the line you could not see them. If you looked down the line they were vaguely visible.

The goalie blocked the ball from going into the net and went to pick it up. The ball never left the field, it never bounced. The ref gave the kick from the penalty line at the spot where she believed he wanted her to stand.

The ref had his left hand in the air and his right pointed to the ground. The goalie stepped up to that point and the ref then lowered both hands to the ground and the goalie stepped up to the new spot the ref motioned to and the ref called a “hand ball” and gave a direct free kick to the other team. This happened a second time, on the third time the ref told her when to stop.

He was aware of the poor condition of the lining of the fields prior to the start of the game – they were away fields for us. Our loss was 2 – 0 due to those kicks. Is this appealable?

USSF answer (October 23, 2008):
Under 9s; club soccer; lines nearly invisible, with referee fully aware of the inexperience of the players and the conditions of the field; referee gives apparently vague guidance to a goalkeeper who is relying on him for assistance.

We can understand the referee not figuring out the problem the first time, but certainly not a second time. These are Under 9s, not traveling team players and certainly not professionals.

The job of the referee at this level of play, as at every other level, is to call the game correctly, but it is also to function as an instructor of sorts, making certain that the players know at least how and why they messed up. It is clear that the referee’s performance was not up to par.

Unfortunately, it is not a matter for appeal. The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final. No matter that his advice to your goalkeeper was lacking in concern for the good of the game, this is not something that can be successfully appealed. However, something can be done: The matter should be brought to the attention of the local association or the person who assigned the game…

Law 3 - Players

SUBSTITUTIONS IN U6 SOCCER

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Question:
I know what the rule book reads for substitutions, but how does it apply to U6 division?

Meaning should subs only be allowed when the ball is out of play?

Chris Hiett

USSF answer (October 7, 2008):
While we have no idea whether or not your league/state association/club uses the official rules promulgated by U. S. Youth Soccer, we can tell you what the USYS U6 Rules say:

Law 3 – The Number of Players: A match is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than three players. There are NO goalkeepers.
Substitutions: At any stoppage and unlimited.
Playing time: Each player SHALL play a minimum of 50% of the total playing time. Teams and games may be coed.

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"Inventive" Refs

PLAYERS OF ANY AGE MUST BE SENT OFF FOR SERIOUS MISCONDUCT (2)

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Question:
A recent discussion created much debate about the duty and responsibilities a referee under law 5 had to exercise an opinion on law 12 send off offenses when playing 11 aside soccer. The question posed was the failure to show a red card for a send off offense that the referee actually admitted was in fact a send off offense but the referee refused to send off a player because the player was between 9 to 14 years of age a miss-application of law? If a referee was to stop play and award a dfk or pk for a spitting at another or a DOGSO incident where the player CLEARLY denies a goal via the illegal use of the hands but chose not to show a red card due to age is that an opinion on a fact of play or is it a miss application of law? I understand that as an opinion the referee can say there was no criteria for send off and as a fact of play not much can be done but can he say I saw the goal denied point 4 states the player is to be sent off but I do not care? Are not the send off offenses more along the lines of if that occurs then this happens not if it does happen I can pretend it didn’t because the player might get upset?

USSF answer (August 5, 2008):
Yes, the Federation suggests that the referee weigh the facts in every case of misconduct, so as to ensure that both the Letter and the Spirit of the Laws are satisfied. But if the referee chooses to excuse a player aged 9-14 for committing an infringement that should be punished by an immediate sending-off simply because he or she is so young, how will such players ever learn right from wrong and how to play soccer properly, not to mention to exist in society?Furthermore, who would want to be such a referee on the witness stand testifying as to why he let “Davie” stay in the game because he was a cute 11-year-old who had performed a studs-up tackle on “Mark,” was let go this time, and then broke “Freddy’s” leg two minutes later with the exact same maneuver.  Whether the referee shows a red card or not, a violent player must be gotten off the field.…

"Inventive" Refs

PLAYERS OF ANY AGE MUST BE SENT OFF FOR SERIOUS MISCONDUCT (1)

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Question:
Is it appropriate to take game and situational factors, especially the age of players, when considering sending-off offenses? The ATR “philosophy of cautions” is clear that the referee must consider qualitative factors when determining whether or not to give a caution. Does the same concept apply to send-offs? To be more specific, having determined that a sending-off foul occurred, must the referee send off the player regardless of the player’s age?

As an example, I would be hard-pressed to send off a U12 player for DGH. The law seems intended to prevent older and more skilled players from trading a sure goal for a PK, by adding the consequence of playing a man down. A U12 player is unlikely to understand this, and more importantly is far more likely to handle the ball in an “oh crap” moment than with malicious premeditation. If possible, I’d appreciate a general response as well as an answer to the specific example.

USSF answer (August 5, 2008):
Yes, the Federation suggests that the referee weigh the facts in every case of misconduct, so as to ensure that both the Letter and the Spirit of the Laws are satisfied. But if the referee chooses to excuse a player aged 9-14 for committing an infringement that should be punished by an immediate sending-off simply because he or she is so young, how will such players learn right from wrong and how to play soccer properly, not to mention to exist in society? There is, of course, the question as to whether an accidental (“Oh crap”) handling should be considered at all — and the answer must be a resounding “NO!”…

Assignments

NO ARs AT A TOURNAMENT

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Question:
I attended a tournament this past weekend for my U11 Boys team. After arriving at the fields I noticed that none of the younger teams, U11 included, were being officiated by the required 3 referees. So before the start of my game, I asked the tournament Administrators if we could have 3 refs for our games. They stated that it was their tournament and there-for their rules, they didn’t have to provide AR for a U11 game. I said that I thought that was illegal and that I thought they had to follow sanctioned rules. They simply restated “It’s our tournament, our rules.” What are my rights as a team manager for our team? What is the rule about the number of referees required for tournaments?And is there a difference with the age of the players? What should I do before going to my next tournament to insure this does not happen again?

USSF answer (May 7, 2008):
Unfortunately, we must give you the same response we give to referees who question the crazy rules used in some tournaments. If as a referee you accept the assignment to the tournament, you must follow the rules of that competition. The same is true for teams: If you enter the tournament and play, you must accept and follow the rules of that competition.

There are other methods that can be used. These are spelled out in the USSF Referee Administrative Handbook, available to all referees. It explains what options are available if there is not a full three-man crew.  The diagonal system of control must still be used, but the Handbook provides various alternatives for absent, missing, or even unassigned crew members.  (We have published this numerous times in the past. The full details may be found in the archives. Good luck!)

An alternative that is perfectly acceptable is for the the referee to ask each team for a club linesman, i. e., a person who will hold a flag, run up and down the line, and inform the referee when the ball is out of play. The club linesman may not show direction or indicate fouls or offside. In this alternative system, that is the job of the referee. Someone might even suggest to the tournament committee that they make this system part of the process for each team in the affected age groups.…

Law 8 - Start/Restart

GOALKEEPER THROWS BALL INTO OPPONENTS’ GOAL

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Question:
With the right wind conditions could a goal keeper with a strong arm from his own penalty area throw a ball into the opponents net and score?

USSF answer (March 18, 2008):
Unless the rules of the competition specify otherwise — see, for example, the USYSA rules for small-sided soccer — a goalkeeper may either kick or throw the ball directly into the other team’s goal.

US Youth Soccer Official Under 10 Under 12 Playing Recommendations notes under Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct: Conform to FIFA with the exception that an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team at the center spot on the halfway line if a goalkeeper punts or drop-kicks the the ball in the air from his/her penalty area into the opponents penalty area. This still allows the goalkeeper’s distribution for the ball to be punted the entire length of the field; it just cannot go directly into the opponents’ penalty area.

There is currently no rule against the goalkeeper throwing the ball the length of the field and scoring, but this will be discussed during preparations for the next edition of the USYS rules.…

Coach

UNOFFICIAL RESPONSE RE COACH TRAINING

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Question:
USSF has one of the best referee programs. As a referee, instructor, assessor and assignor I am always receiving notices on law changes and clinics. However, on a larger scale, the soccer Gods have forgotten about the other side of the equation and that is the coaches. In [my state, the youth association] certifies the coaches on the youth side. I have gone though their certification program to the competitive level. None of these courses (E, F & E/D) cover any training on the laws of the game. I have never as a coach received any communication on any changes to the laws of the game. We automatically assume that they know the laws of the game. They do not and they are the one that are teaching our clients the game of soccer. This problem is not just related to our area. It is on a National level and I do not see any movement towards fixing the problem. As a president of our high school association I invited coaches of 100+ schools to attend a clinic that was just setup for them and also to resolve some of our issues. Only 10 coaches responded. Coaches are also the problem. Their failure to learn the laws the game affects the game for the player, referees and fans. Any idea?
Game Level: U13-U19

Answer (February 28, 2008):
We could not possibly respond to your question. May we suggest that you contact the coaching department at U. S. Soccer and put the matter to them? You will find contact information at http://www.ussoccer.com
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