What finally happened in Pennsylvania? High school soccer officials can now manage a game the same way as the rest of the soccer world. No more 3 referees, with 3 whistles, with 3 different views of the game. Why does this matter? Three different referees can lead to inconsistencies with game management. High school soccer is often a community based team at the smaller school sizes. Not all players in the games are true soccer players, some are multi-sport athletes who are still learning the game. Then there is the whole thing with the NFHS rule book that is an interpretation of the IFAB Laws of the Game to add one more challenge to high school soccer. Soccer needs to be fluid. Referees should aim to be invisible. Not all situations in soccer require calls or cautions.
One- The game managing referees have the whistles. The multi-sport referees often ask to be the AR.
Two- The game uses a rulebook instead of the LOTG, as referees we need to meet the players where they are instead of where we think the game should be.
Three- There is too much sprint soccer. I chalk this up to the high end leagues and competitive clubs who focus on winning and selling the parents to keep their youth enrolled and paying. The multi-sport athletes also can benefit through speed and strength vs technical and tactical ability contributing to the sprint soccer.
Four- Coaching. We have too many coaches who don’t understand the basic pieces of the game or how to inspire their players. Building a community team is difficult. You need a local youth program so the children start dribbling at 6 years old and advance to passing and shooting by 9 years of age. If these basics are not developed it’s impossible to teach tactics until the basic passing and movement is mastered.
Five- The fields are typically cookie cutter inside of American Football stadiums. Most of our fields are 120 x 66 yds. This means fields are longer and narrower than the pitches used in FIFA competitions. The average high schooler could benefit from a shorter pitch 106- 110 creating better spacing between the back line and the midfield.
Six- We still have the soft red card for the 2nd caution.
Seven- With one true game manager instead of 3 referees, red cards are reduced. Presence, personality and communication often trumps enforcement and sanctions. The system of control change has helped the flow of play and expectations of the players.
Eight- Multipurpose turf fields. The speed of the ball on turf can create a challenge for players who haven’t developed the basic skills of dribbling and flighted passing.
