Running the Dual Referee System at The Edge

TEAMWORK

• Work as a team, not as two individual refs.  The game goes smoothest when both referees read and adjust to each other's style so calls are more consistent.  If one referee calls lots of fouls, and the other calls none, it can create problems.  If this seems to be happening, adjust your foul tolerance up/down to try to meet in the middle. If that doesn't work, it's best to keep your calls in your own end. 
• Eye contact and communication is crucial.  If you're unsure about a call (especially on ball possession on the boundary line) give your partner a look and let them help you out.  Neither referee should whistle for a restart without having made eye contact with his/her partner. 
• The trail official should be watching off the ball, and at the “backside” of the play. The lead official will be needing to pay attention to offside as well as fouls, so don't be afraid to call a foul in your partner's end if it needs to be called.  You may have the critical call in front of your partner's goal.  However... 
• Use discretion, and be very cautious about calling fouls near your partner.  The ref on top of the play should have the call and should come with communication (eye contact) for out-of-view fouls.  Too many calls from far away undermine the credibility of both referees. 
• If you award a caution, make certain you get the player's name in the book before restarting. You'll have to ask since we usually don't have numbers.  If they refuse, or give you an obviously false name, simply refuse to restart the game until they comply. You can get the miscreant's teammates to help you in extreme cases, as the rest of them probably want to keep playing. 

MECHANICS

• Don't be married to the touchline!  Come into the field a few yards, or even farther if the ball is being contested in the far corner and your presence is needed.  You can always backpedal to the line if play heads your way. 
• Help your partner in his/her half!  The center line should not be an invisible barrier.  You might have to give up the offside line temporarily to come deep into your partner's half to assist, especially on corners and free kicks.  (Then be prepared to sprint back into position.) 
• Trail referee should watch high balls to see if they hit the net.  That allows the lead referee to focus on fouls and offside near them. 
• In general, trail referee should watch for foul throws, as the lead ref must be watching for offside & fouls (almost every throw is an attacking opportunity on the small field). 
• Trail ref should whistle for kickoffs after a goal (except the start of each half; see below), and for goal kicks. Lead ref should signal for all other restarts.  Make sure teams wait for the whistle before kicking off. 
• Bench-side ref should control the stoppage of play for substitutions, but lobby-side ref should help as needed. 

SCOREBOARD MANAGEMENT

• The scoreboard should be set to 24:00.  When it hits 0:00, there is still a minute left which should be kept by the referee.  This avoids arguments about exactly when the clock hits 0:00 and the game is over, and allows for a little stoppage time if needed. 
• In general, the trail referee whistles for a kickoff.  However, this should be modified at the start and end of each half to better manage the scoreboard: 
  • Lobby-side referee should whistle for the start-of-half kickoff, and the bench-side referee should start the clock. 
  • Lobby-side referee should keep time and blow the whistle for the end of half. 
• Scores on the scoreboard should be posted by the bench for the team that scores.  For example, if Red substitutes are sitting to the left of the scoreboard, their goals should be tallied on the “Home” side.  This makes it easier for the referee to remember which team needs to get the goal tallied, and makes it easier for the spectators to figure out who is winning.  It may not match the “Home” and “Away” on the game card, however.

General Refereeing Recommendations

The Edge staff and referee assignor are here to help support the referees.  If you have unusual issues with players or coaches that go beyond your ability, stop the game and get a staff member to help if need be.  If you have issues with fellow referees, the assignor would like to know.  Helping referees improve is one of our goals.

Please be on time.  It helps all of us to keep games on schedule.  Call The Edge if you will be late.  If you have a conflict, please call the assignor as soon as you can and we'll work to get the games covered.

Support fellow refs but listen to partners you trust for critical feedback (ie a foul that was missed or viewed differently, and other ways to manage a situation).  Indoor is quick and another trained set of eyes can provide a great setting for improving foul recognition and game management!

Always blow the whistle loud enough to be heard.  Too loud is not possible.  Too soft is useless.

Look professional, move. Inactivity, crossed arms, not facing the field (yes, some youth and coed games are slow) shows the players lack of interest and boredom—in other words, lack of respect.  We work hard as referees to gain respect, but it is easy to lose. Giving a bad impression reflects on all of us.

In managing players be respectful, quick explanations (not preaching), admit "not seeing" (hopefully not often), and listen but do not tolerate or encourage continued arguing. A ball in play is the referee's best friend, simply state the foul (“Tripping, blue kick”) and get back into position for the restart.  Stay calm, and delay to let things settle if necessary.

In general, you may wish to follow the rule of thumb, “Call more fouls.”  It is always easy to loosen the reins than try to reel in a game that is getting away.  Many games get out of hand due to no-calls, and players think the referee is not protecting them.  Games seldom get out of hand because the ref is whistling too often and won't “let 'em play”.  Referees are often hesitant to affect the game by calling fouls, but you also affect the game by not calling fouls.  While we want to show restraint, you must have the courage to make the calls (fouls, cautions and send-offs) that need to be made.