I have reffed in the past. I did as much or more teaching of the young ones as I did reffing. But I feel you can still enforce the rules and teach. I will offer multiple throw-ins to give them second chances to get the throw in right for example. But if someone is breaking rules like that I think it is a valuable lesson for them to learn that there are big consequences for actions like that.
To be clear, I wasn't reffing that game and in my short time reffing never issued a red card.
EDIT: I will say that one time I wasn't scheduled but helped out my daughter who was Center when one of the ARs didn't show up. I was AR1 for her to help out. It wasn't even club play but just park and rec. One of the coaches was a total asshat who was clearly trying to win the World Cup. He and his players didn't even know the rules but he was extremely vocal criticizing all 3 referees as well as the other team's players. My daughter talked to him a couple of times but I wish she would have red-carded him. (This wasn't long after they changed the rules in Minnesota allowing cautioning and sending off of coaches via cards.) She talked to the head of refereeing for the association after and he said that she wasn't the first ref to complain about this particular coach and he would deal with him. It would have been much more satisfying for her to give him a card due to the ridiculous abuse he was giving her and her young AR2. To her credit she kept her cool, but this was the worst abuse by a coach of a refereeing crew I have ever seen at the association/club/high school level. I told her after that she can choose to take as much as she wants but it would be perfectly appropriate for her to send off a coach who was this far over the line - especially when he stooped to going after (verbally) players on the opposing team more than once.
Last edited:
