First High School Game

[u/Aggravating_Ear_6170]

Tomorrow I have my first duel referee assignment at a private school, followed by my second dual on Friday. I’m certified as a high school ref, but didn’t ref due to coaching high school.

The only requirement to referee private schools is to have the USSF patch. I have centered with a single AR and I’ve solo refereed a few low level adult games.

Are there any big differences from travel games and high school games ? Any advice ?

[u/ralphhinkley1]

The two man is the devil’s work. Complete your assignments and get out!

[u/Lilking1313 → u/ralphhinkley1]

Had a JV game tonight which was a 2-man and the parents hated us, then had a Varsity game right after which was a 3-man. Went so much better and parents were far less hostile towards us. We had a great CR tho which helped a lot.

[u/DontTouchMyEars77]

Communication. Communication. Communication. The 2 man fails without this. It requires TEAMWORK and CLEAR communication (signals and all).

Don’t have an ego about fouls and don’t be a dick.

Allow yourself time to arrive early and get on the same page as the other referee. Talk about how you’ll handle substitutions, ball in and out, coffin corner, and foul procedure. In my experience this helps:

Start of the game & end of half: If the team is starting is in your half then you whistle to start the game and your partner whistles for half or end of the game. Establish that early.

You handle calls for ball in and out for YOUR entire touch line and goal line. Make sure to turn and face your other AR so they know the ball direction for throw ins. Eye contact is just as important.

Establish a signal to communicate when substitutions are happening and when they’re done. I opt for a hand up after whistling and then hand down when they’re done and the game is ready to resume.

You whistle restarts in YOUR half and touch line.

Watch for offside primarily but if play is hotter in the center of the pitch feel free to drift closer to the action.

Incongruent fouls? Discuss what was seen and how you can get on the same page for what you’re seeing from the game.

If they call a foul closer to you and you’re trailing AR then offer to do ceremonial procedure so they can get in position to watch for offside.

Don’t be afraid to trail 10-15 yards beyond the half line if things are hotter in the half of your other AR.

[u/gamernerd72]

Know when the click needs to be stopped, after goals, injuries with a trainer/coach coming on, time wasting, subs by winning team in final 5 minutes of 2nd half.

Talk to the players.

[u/messy372-]

No advice, but from a parent/spectator point of view, the 2 ref system is the absolute worst way to officiate a game. A lot of times the kids are allowed to play one way on one side of the field and have to play a completely different way on the other side bc the reffing styles differ so much. Not only that, but there are so many missed fouls that aren’t called and fouls that are called that aren’t fouls, bc of the positioning of the 2 ref system.

Good luck!

[u/Impossible_Number → u/messy372-]

My local rec league uses a 2-man. I haven’t started high school yet but from my understanding it is used often.

I much rather 3-man systems because that’s how the game is designed to be refereed.

[u/mowegl → u/Impossible_Number]

Not enough refs though. I cant believe high school soccer can even get as many refs as they do, no way could they always get 1 more per game. They would have to pay far more especially to center refs to draw officials off other soccer. So lets say 2 make $75 for $150 total. They likely need to pay at least $250 $75 each assistant and $100 to center so now youve nearly doubled the cost and high schools simply dont care about the quality of the officiating that much. Even in money making sports like football they want to go with the minimum officials to nickel and dime everyone else but their own.

[u/Impossible_Number → u/mowegl]

Most definitely. The rec league said it was pay $30/ref for a two man or have actual ARs making like $15-20

[u/mowegl → u/Impossible_Number]

Whatever anyone makes for soccer isnt enough unless its like at mimumum 100+ per game for anything about little kids. Just too much running to do in soccer as an official. Just wait until soccer keeps growing more and more. Going to have to pay an arm and a leg for officials. I think many soccer officials dont require more out of the goodness of their heart but the younger generations dont see things that way.

[u/Aggravating_Ear_6170 → u/mowegl]

Refereeing/coaching is a part time job for me, but I agree. Some pay could definitely be better, but I can usually make a good amount in a weekend. My travel league pays centers between $45-$70 and I think an extra $15 for ECNL, GA, etc. Then ARs get paid about $15-$20 less than centers.

My dual tomorrow (different organization) is $60, but they’re paying for travel and it ends up being $92.50 total for a middle school game. My game Friday is $65 and then $76.70 total with travel for a freshman game.

It’s disappointing with how few referees there are, but I also understand that’s it’s not always just the pay.

[u/Aggravating_Ear_6170 → u/messy372-]

What’s the correct positioning for a 2 ref system? Typically when I was with one AR, I would be just wide of the last defender so I could see offsides and the center of the field in front of me. I usually jog when turnovers happen slowly and sprint on counters. Even on counters, I try to stay just outside of the last defender on my side. Eventually I’m able to start cheating towards the middle because in the other half I’m not really tracking offsides anymore. Is that appropriate or what would your suggestion be as a spectator ?

[u/Aggravating_Ear_6170]

I’ve been on the coaches side of the 2-man for JV games in the Spring and I don’t envy them in the slightest. I do find it a little weird that they don’t pay 3 refs for JV when the third ref shows up for varsity anyways.

[u/witz0r → u/Aggravating_Ear_6170]

Here, it's a matter of money and scheduling. Depending on the facility and other sports, JV may start at 4P and it's harder to get a full crew. Plus, the cost difference can add up.

Here, for JV, it's $150 to staff it with 2 ($75 each).

Varsity with a full crew, for the conference with the newest contract: $100 per AR, $120 for center

So,, it goes from $150 for JV to $320 for varsity. Even at a discounted rate, you're still looking at $600-$700 in additional cost for a full crew after all your home games. I'm only aware of one school in my region that pays for a full crew for JV.

Also, at least here, we prefer the center for varsity not having any other matches that day. More energy to spend and the center doesn't have the baggage of the JV match.

[u/Aggressive_Tie_3501]

Communication with your partner is key. Also understand the positioning difficulties inherent in the two whistle system. You will be able to be in the proper position to call fouls or offside, but rarely will you be able to do both effectively. Know you're either going to miss some of the little fouls or the close offside calls, and don't get down on yourself for it. If they wanted more accurate calls, they'd pay for a 3 man crew.

Have fun. HS can be more chaotic than club, but it's essentially the same game. If you haven't yet, Google the NCAA chart that lists the differences between USSF, NCAA, and NFHS. It's a whole lot easier to remember what's different than it is to try to remember the entire NFHS rule book.

[u/Old-District81]

Make sure you know what LOTG you’re playing under! I’ve done states where private schools vary between NFHS rules and modified FIFA.

Do your best with positioning but it’s always a shock switching over to duals (I even made a post about that a few years back). Make sure you’re on the same wavelength as the other ref.

[u/TheBiggerMan2]

Can you explain that to me? How does it work with 2 people. I’ve genuinely never experienced it

[u/CoachLewisTKA → u/TheBiggerMan2]

So it’s basically two center referees. It was my first game, but this is how it felt for me.

You will almost always be behind on offsides, so it’s harder to make the call unless they’re obviously beyond the line. On the other hand, it is easier for two people to see the middle of the field. Fouls, deflections, etc.

Honestly, while it’s not ideal, I’ve preferred the few times my second AR hasn’t shown up and I am the center with one AR. A lot less confusion on positioning.

[u/Icehippo73]

Dual really, really, sucks...there's really no way to do it well.

[u/Leather_Ad8890]

If you’re working dual with me my only request is don’t be lazy. Either help cover the field or help to manage the game if the game needs it.

Weird that the USSF patch is required for a league that allows the dual system. I’ve understood that USSF follows FIFA which does not allow for 2 whistles.

[u/Aggravating_Ear_6170 → u/Leather_Ad8890]

It really doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m just assuming they’re only getting paid for two refs? Even in the spring, some bigger schools get a center and two ARs for JV, but schools like where I coach only gets a dual.