Refereeing Gives Skills For Your Lifetime

Through three decades and nearly 3,000 games of my officiating career, I've accumulated insights, notions and generalizations I didn’t have before which I can...

Soccer Sideline Management Simplified

Depending on your level of training and experience as a referee, communication may not seem to be a top priority for officiating games. However,...

Touchline Tackle

There is a lot happening in this play requiring the referee and near assistant referee to work together. The location on the field near...

Gripes Coming From Winning Team?

If you were officiating a soccer match and the score got to 6-0, you might expect a little dissent, right? But would you expect it from the winning...

6 Tips To Better See The Point

Proper positioning is being where you have to be, to see what must be seen, to make the correct decision. That includes seeing the point. During dynamic...

Make Amends to Regain Game Control

If you have been an official for any length of time, you have had a game or more “get away from you.” Whether it...

Cell Phones Away or Pregame Meeting Goes Astray

M ost experienced officials have worked with a teammate who has been completely disengaged or distracted during the pregame meeting. We’ve all seen it;...

Communication on Cue Is Key

Appropriate communications (ignore, body language, non-verbal signals including whistle and general accepted hand signals and verbal) are used to match level and skill of...

Scrimmages: Opportunity or Danger?

By John Kiernan Frequently I am asked to officiate scrimmages. There are great opportunities for an official during those matches. However, there are also pitfalls...

Put It Between the Fingers

It has been said for years that the easiest, most efficient method for holding an assistant referee flag is to let it hang down...

Make New Officials Comfortable Before the Match Begins 

Any number of factors can affect how effectively a referee team works together, especially if one or both assistant referees are comparatively inexperienced. The center referee’s awareness of possible weaknesses...

Use Player Reactions to Decide Fairness

Gil Weber, USSF National Emeritus referee and contributing author to several USSF publications, described the referee’s task: “Refereeing is all about fairness. It’s balancing...

How to Read a Game

Once a referee reaches the point where he/she knows the Laws of the Game well and has learned effective mechanics, what comes next to improve his/her game and advance...

Tactical Restart Response

Restart management is difficult enough without considering the various ways that defenders could seek to play psychological tricks on both their opponents and the referee. Given that defenders are...

Behavior Battles

A chieving excellence takes knowing what the referee’s powers are and, more importantly, when and how best to use each power to successfully manage a...

Useful Tips

Arrive early, park your car wisely (don’t allow yourself to be blocked in), be dressed in a clean and proper uniform, inspect the field...

Filter Player Comments

“C’mon, ref! Open your eyes! He’s fouling me!” We’ve all heard that and similar phrases from frustrated players. Dealing quickly and appropriately with their frustrations and complaints is essential if...

Dig Deep to Evaluate Your Game

I teach entry-level classes and frequently get situations about how the referee messed up and the player got a card for doing nothing. Let’s...

Formal Check or Not, Illegal Equipment Deserves Attention in NFHS Play

N FHS rule 4-3 requires an illegally equipped player to leave the field and not return until the next legal substitution opportunity. For the first...

Discretion Available For Dangerous Play

T he prohibition against engaging in play that is dangerous or likely to cause injury to oneself or an opponent has been a part of...

Optimal Crew Positioning on Free Kicks

F ree kicks from just outside the penalty area can determine the outcome of a game. They can be so critical that teams have multiple...

Use Warnings in the Right Situations

Warnings done correctly can be very useful, but if they are used in the wrong situation, they can hurt more than they help game...

Video Lessons Learned Can Help Going Forward

One of the things we learned from staying home because of the pandemic was the amount of spare time one had when going out...

Six Key Factors Assessors Focus On

There are many myths and legends about assessors and their roles and responsibilities. Some officials do not want to be assessed because they do not understand how an...

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