A&H

Junior/Youth Taking a booking

Tino Best

Tino Best

RefChat Addict
Level 6 Referee
I have touched on this in a different thread but it is becoming more common. When cautioning youth players they have a tendency to walk away as I am booking them. I don't think it is disrespect as this normally happens as I am asking for their names. From what one lad said to me it seems like they are just expecting the card to be flashed rather than the taking of the name and number. Does any one else see this or am I just getting stroppy kids or I am the only one using cards in youth footie? Incidently the kid was so upset for the caution he dissolved into tears and asked to be subbed.
 
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Firstly, players should not be walking away from until you have finished the caution procedure, and that includes showing the relevant card. You should be making sure they remain facing you until you have finished.
if they start bending down fiddling with their socks, ask them to stand up and don't continue until they do. It's very much a sign of disrespect and shouldn't be tolerated by referees. One of my pet hates on observations is referees who show cards to players backs!

The reason youth players may be expecting a quick card flash and no name taking......clearly some referees are not submitting the cards, so why bother with the name?
 
My very final card came in the 94th minute of a cardless game, he did everything he could to gaud me all game, even saying aloud that i hadn't the balls to card him on my last game.... so, i had the ultimate pleasure in doing the full ceremonial and taking his name and costing him a tenner for his trouble, yes I could have let it go but, you can only take so much...I then blew the whistle as time was up!!! I was joyous on the inside!!!!

Not putting cards in is a complete different question PF but there is definitely a c0ckiness to the yoofs of today and we alone will not change that... Lots of things should happen, but they rarely do!!
 
I usually (and my instructor told me) to take name & number first then show the card to stop this situation happening. Maybe the process is different outside Scotland although this is best practice. In the professional game, a lot of players walk away whilst being cautioned.
 
Tino Best said:
I have touched on this in a different thread but it is becoming more common. When cautioning youth players they have a tendency to walk away as I am booking them. I don't think it is disrespect as this normally happens as I am asking for their names. From what one lad said to me it seems like they are just expecting the card to be flashed rather than the taking of the name and number. Does any one else see this or am I just getting stroppy kids or I am the only one using cards in youth footie? Incidently the kid was so upset for the caution he dissolved into tears and asked to be subbed.
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The kid's experience of seeing cautions issued is from the tv where the procedure is very different from the level of football the majority of posters operate at. He expects the card to be flashed and the referee to magically know his name, so he begins to walk away. When I see the same behaviour at Supply and Contrib, I know the players know the correct procedure and their walking away is a show of disrespect, but again it comes from copying their "heroes" on the tv.

There is an expectation on referees up and including to Level 3 that the procedure is to take name, number, warn as to future conduct (if a caution) and show the card. This is to avoid complications around players saying they didn't see the card so didn't understand the seriousness of their offence, didn't realise they had already been cautioned or that there was a case of mistaken identity.
 
I don't tend to make players face the cards, but when I'm talking to them they have to be listening to me.

If they keep walking away and they're losing I just simply say "I wasn't finished, it's your time your wasting."

In honesty 90% of players don't mean disrespect, they're just not listening because they're too focused on the game when they should be focused on you at that moment.

As soon as you make it about them "i.e. it's your time your wasting" they soon change their tune.
 
I did an L4 observation earlier this year, the referee had 4 flash yellow cards. When explained in the de-brief, he did not realise that he had to follow proper procedures. Cost him a 6.5 in application of Law...
 
lincs22 said:
I did an L4 observation earlier this year, the referee had 4 flash yellow cards. When explained in the de-brief, he did not realise that he had to follow proper procedures. Cost him a 6.5 in application of Law...
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Is that an automatic 6.5 for AOL or does their need to be another piece of developmental advice in that section?
 
SurreySuperRef said:
In honesty 90% of players don't mean disrespect, they're just not listening because they're too focused on the game when they should be focused on you at that moment.
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I agree, while there are exceptions I do find that a lot of players are content to take the card and get on with the game.
 
Youth Players... I do a lot of youth football and this does seem to be a problem, they watch the television to much. When this happens whatever you do do not run after them because it shows that they are in control when actually you should be. I give yellow and red cards in youth football if they are needed just because its regarded as being 'youth football' does not been they can get away with obvious tackles that need to be followed up by sanctions.

Just stand there and blow your whistle and keep calling them that way everyone watching spectators managers etc. All know that you wont stand for any rubbish from players. Works a treat!

Literally try as hard as possible to keep head cool and then that aggravates players and it just really makes your life easier.
 
I think it applies to speaking to youth players in general, not just instances where you need to card. As others of said, TV matches don't help, but part of the problem also stems from many teams are used to being ref'd by a coach/parent through their early years and having never been disciplined during a game. When their games are ref'd by an allocated/registered referee who is prepared speak to players about their behaviour & card if necessary, it often comes as a culture shock to players, coaches and parents.

Occasionally you come across a "Harry Enfield's Kevin" type with an Everest sized chip on their shoulder who want to give you bucket loads of attitude, but it's usually relatively easy to bring them back into line, which is often followed by a call from their manager "ref can I make a substitution please?" and "Kevin" gets taken off!
 
My close by sight may be failing these days but my long sight and especially my ears are working fine. Nothing I loved more than to ram a lemon up someones nose that says something thinking that I'm not listening. A sneaky comment on a decision or a general comment designed to undermine your authority. Even expletives or ar5eholeness used at anybody rarely escaped my bat ears!! I got quite a reputation for that and if they didn't know before the game they found out during that I wasn't one for having my pants taken down on dissent!
 
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I do get this in adults football but I do think a lot of the time they are just expecting a flash card rather then the full process. Whether that’s down to refs who don’t submit cards or how it’s done on TV I don’t know, either way you can normally gauge if they are doing it to be difficult or if it’s just a mistake
 
Name
number
Show the card
side
offence
At this point take a minute to ensure that you have all the info u require before restarting play
 
I had the same scenario in my last game (u15s), one player particularly had too much to say for himself.

1st half, lot's of chat but nothing that really crossed the line, but did have a quiet word with and seemed to do the trick or so I thought.... During the 2nd half, he must have forgot our previous conversation and started again, so decided to give him a dressing down for his and everyone else's benefit that I wasn't going to take any crap. He walks away, I turn my attention towards where play was restarting and from about 10/15 yards away he says to a team mate "This ref is a joke". Loud blast of the whistle, "hold it there lads!", Call him back over, as he's walking over I am removing my book from the top pocket and one of his team mates says something along the lines of "Not again Joe, give it a rest" (Name changed to protect the guilty).

Speaking to his manager after the game, despite being on the wrong end of a 6-1 scoreline and 2 yellow cards (could easily have been 4 or 5), he said he didn't have any complaints about any of my decisions during the game or either of the cards. Didn't come as a surprise to learn it was "Joe's" 3rd yellow of the season already.
 
Sadly, and with zero research, I'd hazard a guess that any particular players bookings are usually for similar or the same thing. They don't change.. If you're a gobsh1te, you don't change, a yellow / red card won't affect anything, same as a persistent in your face moaner, or a dirty player too. A switch seems to flick in their head and a perfectly normal affable human being turns into a complete idiot in the 90 minutes and visa versa, someone who can a complete idiot out in town can turn into a decent law abiding player...Leopards rarely change their spots....
 
Mooseybaby said:
I had the same scenario in my last game (u15s), one player particularly had too much to say for himself.

1st half, lot's of chat but nothing that really crossed the line, but did have a quiet word with and seemed to do the trick or so I thought.... During the 2nd half, he must have forgot our previous conversation and started again, so decided to give him a dressing down for his and everyone else's benefit that I wasn't going to take any crap. He walks away, I turn my attention towards where play was restarting and from about 10/15 yards away he says to a team mate "This ref is a joke". Loud blast of the whistle, "hold it there lads!", Call him back over, as he's walking over I am removing my book from the top pocket and one of his team mates says something along the lines of "Not again Joe, give it a rest" (Name changed to protect the guilty).

Speaking to his manager after the game, despite being on the wrong end of a 6-1 scoreline and 2 yellow cards (could easily have been 4 or 5), he said he didn't have any complaints about any of my decisions during the game or either of the cards. Didn't come as a surprise to learn it was "Joe's" 3rd yellow of the season already.
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So why wasn't it?
 
I don't do a lot of youth football, but I get this in open-age or university matches too. Usually I don't take out the card until I've taken down their name and I require that they be standing and looking at me before I do. There are very rare cases wherein I must give a "quick booking" -- usually a situation which requires a sending off for a horror tackle and I can take the sting out of the opposition reaction by showing that I'm there to deal with the issue adequately.
 
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