This feature was created to help coaches, referees, players, parents, and spectators get answers to questions about refereeing from the Region 13 Referee Staff.
Use the text box below to submit your question(s) about calls made, or not made, during a recent game. In addition, your questions may be about Region 13 policies, such as whether or not slide tackles are allowed (Yes, they are, provided they are done correctly), or about how many quarters a player may play in goal in a U10 game. While all questions and answers will be treated confidentially, those of general interest will be posted below for others to benefit from, without the names of those who submitted the questions.
Q: BU12 question: I have heard that the keeper may play a ball so long as it was not kicked to him intentionally. I saw a keeper called on this in a very questionable manner in week 1. Can you please clarify this rule and how it will be called in U-12? I am not sure what to tell my kids.
A:
This is the part of Law 12 that describes Indirect Free Kick Fouls comnmitted by goal keepers and is often misunderstood. This law is designed to discourage time-wasting by the team that is ahead at the time but can be violated by either team. Law 12 states that a ball that is deliberately kicked (with the foot) to the GK or to where the GK can play it is perfectly legal but it is considered a breech of the law if the GK then picks up the ball with the hands inside the penalty area. I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the GK's team and won't whistle this violation without 100% certainty that the ball actually was deliberately kicked (with the foot) to the GK. By the way, many misquote the law by saying a "pass back" to the keeper, when the direction that the ball is traveling is less important than what the intent of the defender was. Be careful when attempting to whistle this violation. If you have to ask yourself, "was that a [deliberate] kick to the GK, or not, then let it go. Otherwise, award the IFK to the opponents.
Q: can you ref your own girls games in U10?
A:
Yes, in Region 13.
Q: If one of my ref is not available for one of the home games, can I recruit a parent to be a line ref?
A:
Yes, a "Club Ref" can be recruited. They are named "Club Refs" because they are provided by the club. They are not considered impartial so club refs can only indicate whether a ball is in or out of play. They can not signal direction on throw-ins, nor can they indicate whether a player is offside nor can they assist the referee in calling fouls.
Q: During a match, if a player commits a send-off offense against a TEAMMATE, does that team still play shorthanded?
A:
Yes.
Q: Other than the coin toss, are there any other functions we should ask or expect of the team captain/s?
A:
Per FIFA's Laws of the Game, team captains are not accorded any special powers or authorizations on the pitch, although some referees chosse to entertain questions from the captain(s) if asked in a polite, respectable manner, in order to avoid being peppered from qustions from the other 10 or so members of a team. Captains are expected to control their teammates, and that is it.
Q: Are the girls allowed to wear small stud earrings?
A:
No!
