You are the center referee in a competitive U-15 Boys match. It is the second half and there is no score. The red team has just signaled for a substitution at a stoppage in play. Your assistant referee on the same side of the red team is signaling for you to come over.
The assistant referee tells you: “the head coach for the red team just told his substitute if they can ‘take out’ blue #17, it would open the whole right wing for us and we can win.”
The substitute awaits entry to the pitch.
An attacker crosses the ball in the air and into the penalty area in a soccer match. The first player we expect to make a fair play for the ball is the goalkeeper. But when the goalkeeper launches into the air with their knee locked for "protection" (more on this in a minute), where do referees draw the line for misconduct?
I have been asked several times when other referees see my kit and I'm getting ready for a match: "what is that blue card for?" In the world of outdoor soccer, blue is a pretty strange color to associate with misconduct in soccer. We know what a yellow card is usually for, and we certainly can all call a red card when we see it. But how do you explain blue?
Soccer referees are amazed to see more technology entering the game. In this year's Copa América Centenario, hosted in the United States, ProReferee supplied each stadium with a double-sided Favero Substitution Board. Wrapped with a TAG Heuer (check out this video how to pronounce) advertising case, the LED digits are easy to read across the pitch, in the stadium, and on television.
Last month, our web host launched their inaugural BigCommerce Design Awards. Out of 500 entries, ProReferee was selected as a top 20 finalist! We need your help to vote for our design to win!
The world's favorite sport is growing with the adoption of Beach Soccer along the coastlines of the United States. Last year was the first time I was involved with Beach Soccer and it was a thrill. Players are more acrobatic with bicycle kicks, the ball performs differently on the mounds of sand, and the workout everyone receives will build up your post game appetite!
With nice weather this time of the year, we will see more Beach Soccer tournaments at beaches in California, Florida, and other prime locations that soak up the sun. We came up with a list of essential gear you will need in order to enjoy yourself, perform professionally, and inform others who may need some advice.
We just caught a glimpse of the brand new Official Sports International soccer referee uniforms for 2016, and they look great! Let's break down the features and analyze the latest image we saw.
Before a match, the first formal interaction soccer referees have with team captains results in a coin toss. Based on the Laws of the Game, Law 8 states that:
"...the team that wins the toss of a coin decides which goal it will attack in the first half..."
If you dig in your pocket and have no coin, and your referee team comes empty handed expecting you to carry a coin, the situation can be quite embarrassing for the assembled group. Players are eager to play and gain what they consider a starting advantage. Assistant Referees may be expecting the referee to carry a coin. The formality of a coin toss exhibits a 50/50 chance for the players, and that the referees are applying fairness to the match.
There are a number of tricks referees use for the coin toss. These work at the youth, college, indoor, beach, adult, and professional levels.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) have published the latest changes to the 2016/2017 Laws of the Game, the official rules for soccer around the world. The ultimate aim of revising the LOTG is "...to increase the universality of the Laws by making them easily understood so football throughout the world benefits from consistent interpretation and application."
