Sports refereeing

“I accepted a 5 game tourney, nervous as hell, not knowing what I was going to face. I get to the soccer complex, this place was more packed than south beach during spring break. The first match was postponed, so I start my 2nd scheduled match around 12pm, as an AR it goes relatively smoothly i actually caught a couple offsides and was super confident in my calls, I ref 5 games in a row no breaks, with two left. This is where things take a turn, the assignor runs over with his golf cart and grabs me saying he needs me in a different match as a CENTER, I was stressing not knowing what the hell to do, I told him I can’t, but he was insistent, I had no choice, I had to go where the soccer gods commanded me, I get there nervous as hell, we tell the coaches that it’s my first time ever. It turns out it was a 7v7 U9, I did two of those matches in a row and that first game, those 9 year olds are something special. But I had so much fun reffing U9 I enjoyed the hell out of it. Even though I’m absolutely destroyed, officiating 7 matches with no breaks, and being thrown to the wolves it was the most enjoyable thing I’ve done in a long time.”

“I figured I'd give my quick day after run through of some of my experience officiating my first US Development Academy games yesterday. Leading up I was a little nervous since these games have league specific rules, and they're all recorded by US Soccer for review. Also, these were only my second and third games of the season due to cold, rain, and field conditions causing my first 4 assigned games being cancelled (upstate NY ftw!). Luckily I was with a very experienced crew and they were able to walk me though the substitution rules, etc. My first game I was AR1 so I was able to help with bench control and proper substitutions. We had one incident towards the end of the game where two players fell on top of each other then got up in a scuffle and proceeded to throw some "language" at each other, right in front of one of the benches. I had to step on the field to help keep players on/off the field, coaches were heated. They seemed to use the fact that "this is being recorded" "do the right thing". They wanted a red card for language, but we both agreed on two cautions. The second game I was the center, learning from the first game I kept it tight and seemed to help because the games were the same clubs, just a different age group. The one thing I found to be my hardest point was my positioning, which usually is a strength of mine. I found that both teams played everything out of the back (no punts by the keepers, no long goal kicks).”

“My first ever rules meeting I recall being in this big auditorium, people saying hi to each other as if it was just one big reunion as everyone was getting ready for their 8th, 17th,31st season. Meanwhile here I am, this 24 year old rookie not knowing a single person, just off in a corner by myself sitting in this fraternity party. [...] Already after attending these sessions, all I could think to myself was “Good lord! How am I ever going to remember to do all these things while a game is going on.”