A&H

Junior/Youth Goalkeeper caution; first of the season

S

SLI39

Well-Known Member
Hello all, thanks in advance for giving your opinion. Yesterday morning I booked the home goalkeeper early in the second half for rushing off his line and clattering a faster away attacker. He was apologetic and everyone seemed a little surprised (bear in mind that this is a league in which I didn't have to use any cards last season, although that could be partly to do with my inconsistency and sensitivity to match temperature). In the circumstances of the game, played at a reasonably high standard by under 15s capable of understanding what constitutes a cautionable offence, I felt issuing the card was to uphold its integrity. There were almost no complaints during or after the match, and I made the effort to speak to the goalkeeper afterwards to explain it as an 'education' and to praise his calm response.
When I came to complete the report on Whole Game last night, I selected C1 and RP (reckless play). Out of interest, how many would you have given FT (foul tackle)--in my conversation after the foul, I did say he'd broken up a promising attack, but on reflection I decided it was probably also reckless. It was bordering on DOGSO, but defenders would have covered, as there were still 20-25 yards to goal.
Overall, I'm pleased with the way I handled a competitive game (5-4 to home side at FT) up to and after this defining point; some positive feedback also. At that age, I forgot how much residual co-operation you gain after dealing with a genuine offence; it helped me control a tight last half hour with enormously more assurance than usual. I'm not arguing that you should try to find a reason to caution, but for me (who am accustomed to younger ages and can count the number of cards I've shown on one hand) it will encourage a lower tolerance of any truculent behaviour.

Miscellaneous points to end (sorry!):
1) Prior to kick off, I was alerted by a coach to the fact that the goals were set unevenly along the goal line, presumably because the pitch accommodates different age groups? Fortunately some parents managed to move them, but are there always marks to show exactly where the goals should be placed and would it be permissible to play if they couldn't be moved?
2) I or a CAR appear(s) to have lost one of the clips which holds my flag to the pole. Do you know anywhere that might sell replacements or are they specific to the flags?
 
Last edited:
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SLI39 said:
Hello all, thanks in advance for giving your opinion. Yesterday morning I booked the home goalkeeper early in the second half for rushing off his line and clattering a faster away attacker. He was apologetic and everyone seemed a little surprised (bear in mind that this is a league in which I didn't have to use any cards last season, although that could be party to do with my inconsistency and sensitivity to match temperature). In the circumstances of the game, played at a reasonably high standard by under 15s capable of understanding what constitutes a cautionable offence, I felt issuing the card was to uphold its integrity. There were almost no complaints during or after the match, and I made the effort to speak to the goalkeeper afterwards to explain it as an 'education' and to praise his calm response.
When I came to complete the report on Whole Game last night, I selected C1 and RP (reckless play). Out of interest, how many would you have given FT (foul tackle)--in my conversation after the foul, I did say he'd broken up a promising attack, but on reflection I decided it was probably also reckless. It was bordering on DOGSO, but defenders would have covered, as there were still 20-25 yards to goal.
Overall, I'm pleased with the way I handled a competitive game (5-4 to home side at FT) up to and after this defining point; some positive feedback also. At that age, I forgot how much residual co-operation you gain after dealing with a genuine offence; it helped me control a tight last half hour with enormously more assurance than usual. I'm not arguing that you should try to find a reason to caution, but for me (who am accustomed to younger ages and can count the number of cards I've shown on one hand) it will encourage a lower tolerance of any truculent behaviour.

Miscellaneous points to end (sorry!):
1) Prior to kick off, I was alerted by a coach to the fact that the goals were set unevenly along the goal line, presumably because the pitch accommodates different age groups? Fortunately some parents managed to move them, but are there always marks to show exactly where the goals should be placed and would it be permissible to play if they couldn't be moved?
2) I or a CAR appear(s) to have lost one of the clips which holds my flag to the pole. Do you know anywhere that might sell replacements or are they specific to the flags?
Click to expand...

Hi! To deal with your misc points first:
Number 1 I think depends what you mean by "marks". If you're talking about indentations or painted lines, I'd have absolutely no problem allowing play (spirit of the game etc.) - anything protruding from the pitch however and I'd be much more hesitant for safety reasons.
2) If you're talking about the circular tops that go on touchline flags, you can definitely buy spares as I have a pack of 5 in my bag at all times - http://www.referee-equipment.co.uk/Catalogue/Flags/Touchline-Flags/NEW-TouchLok-Pair-TL006. If these aren't the right ones, I'd check the shop/website you bought the flags from first of all and go from there - manufacturers are definitely aware that CAR's like to fiddle with them. I've had another referee on here recommend using sellotape to make them less easy to lose, but I've not tried this yet.

I'm not the biggest fan of the caution code structure and the fact that 90% of the cards you show will be C1 or C2, making the rest near-obselete. I think as long as the code you select roughly matches what you said to the player at the time of the caution, you're not going to have any problems. I tend to go for FT for any situation where contact is made, but I think either could apply, given your description.

And I definitely agree with you regarding the way teams can respond to a caution. It's exactly the reason I started tracking my card-free games in my signature on this website. I figure there are two possible ways a card-free match can happen: it's played in a fantastic spirit and everyone had a good time, or it was niggly and horrible and I was too slow getting the cards out because I didn't clamp down on persistent small offences or dissent. I can usually tell the difference between the two depending on how happy I am leaving the ground - the first will have felt like a joy, the latter like a battle. And more often than not, I suspect that a card or two would have turned the second kind of match much closer to the first.
 
Thanks for your replies/suggestions. I'm not actually part of an RA, so I will investigate the online route Graeme has recommended.

As for effects of cards on matches and your self-appraisal, that's a good way of analysing it. I don't think one can overestimate how fundamental discipline is: as you say, it can be the difference between nightmare and dream, self-doubt and self-belief. My only regret is that my tolerance for C2 is higher than that for fouls, so it feels like you're punishing the wrong players at times. Absolute consistency is very difficult to achieve, but with each experience comes further learning for the next occasion.
 
ref craig said:
For the flags
Click to expand...

Really? Claim something that is likely to be at most £2 or £3 to fix on insurance? Won't the excess be more than that, and if not you'll probably end up spending more on phone calls, postage, etc than you would on just ordering replacement parts ..!
 
GraemeS said:
Hi! To deal with your misc points first:
Number 1 I think depends what you mean by "marks". If you're talking about indentations or painted lines, I'd have absolutely no problem allowing play (spirit of the game etc.) - anything protruding from the pitch however and I'd be much more hesitant for safety reasons.
2) If you're talking about the circular tops that go on touchline flags, you can definitely buy spares as I have a pack of 5 in my bag at all times - http://www.referee-equipment.co.uk/Catalogue/Flags/Touchline-Flags/NEW-TouchLok-Pair-TL006. If these aren't the right ones, I'd check the shop/website you bought the flags from first of all and go from there - manufacturers are definitely aware that CAR's like to fiddle with them. I've had another referee on here recommend using sellotape to make them less easy to lose, but I've not tried this yet.

I'm not the biggest fan of the caution code structure and the fact that 90% of the cards you show will be C1 or C2, making the rest near-obselete. I think as long as the code you select roughly matches what you said to the player at the time of the caution, you're not going to have any problems. I tend to go for FT for any situation where contact is made, but I think either could apply, given your description.

And I definitely agree with you regarding the way teams can respond to a caution. It's exactly the reason I started tracking my card-free games in my signature on this website. I figure there are two possible ways a card-free match can happen: it's played in a fantastic spirit and everyone had a good time, or it was niggly and horrible and I was too slow getting the cards out because I didn't clamp down on persistent small offences or dissent. I can usually tell the difference between the two depending on how happy I am leaving the ground - the first will have felt like a joy, the latter like a battle. And more often than not, I suspect that a card or two would have turned the second kind of match much closer to the first.
Click to expand...

Forgot to reply to your comment on the goal posts. I should have clarified that the marks themselves weren't really the issue, but rather the fact that the goals were too far over to one side: if you were stood on the penalty spot and followed an imaginary straight line, the distance between yourself and the right post would be greater than that between you and the left post. My question was whether you could lawfully proceed in these circumstances.
 
SLI39 said:
Forgot to reply to your comment on the goal posts. I should have clarified that the marks themselves weren't really the issue, but rather the fact that the goals were too far over to one side: if you were stood on the penalty spot and followed an imaginary straight line, the distance between yourself and the right post would be greater than that between you and the left post. My question was whether you could lawfully proceed in these circumstances.
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i'd say not, as Law1 says the goalposts are placed centrally on the goal line .... however in practice i reckon if its a small discrepancy and both teams agree to play in the knowledge that they are uneven then its game on
 
If you are talking about the early version of the new shape Touchline flags (and the clip that comes off easily with 1/3 of a turn, I have been told that you can get the ends of the flag sticks replaced free of charge with the newer, not so easy to undo version. Try contacting Touchline.
 
Thanks again, that's helpful for future reference as well. I'll have to check the make of my flags to see that they're not a discontinued older model.

Caught out on law 1! Surprised the match went well after that start. But in all seriousness, the goals were moved back to a central position. I don't think I could have allowed the game to go ahead with the discrepancy as obvious as it was. It would have had repercussions on penalties and even corners.
 
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