Game Ball:
The Referee should check the game ball for proper inflation and condition prior to the match. If another ball is entered into play (for example, because a ball goes down the hill by Lincoln 3 or under a car in the parking lot at Harrington) check the condition and inflation of the new ball before allowing play to proceed. Remember that Grades 3 through 6 use a size 4 ball, Grade 7 and above use a size 5 ball.
Kickoffs:
Try to avoid asking the goalkeeper if she is ready. If you are alone as Referee, make the judgment yourself. If the keeper is standing in front of her goal with gloves on and looks ready, blow the whistle for the kickoff. If you have ARs, the ARs should go to their position with their flags furled, count the number of players in their half of the field and observe if the goalkeeper is ready. When that has been done, the AR unfurls the flag and the R and AR communicate via voice or eye contact to confirm that the kickoff can proceed.
Even if there is no center circle on your field, the Referee should make sure the defending team is 10 yards away from the ball until it is kicked and moves. If the defending team encroaches on the whistle and before the ball is kicked, the kick should be retaken.
Voice and Signals:
I have observed good use of voice among the Referees. It is good practice to use your voice to warn players about fouls, tell the players what the next restart is, and to manage substitutions, among other situations. HOWEVER, don't use your voice exclusively. The players who are close by may be able to hear you say "throw-in Blue team" or "goal kick" but the ARs and the coaches, players and spectators on the touch lines may not be able to hear you. Always use the proper signals (see diagrams in Law 5 - and in Law 6 for ARs) to indicate what is happening so that everyone will know and be able to stay involved in the match.
The corner kick signal: The Referee's arm should be angled upward in the direction of the corner where the kick will be taken. If not, there are players, coaches and spectators that won't know whether the next play is a corner kick or a goal kick, and especially if the players are not sure that could affect the match. And after you blow the whistle for offside, the Referee's arm should be straight up to indicate that the restart is an indirect free kick - and the Referee of course can also say "offside - kick by Blue (defending) team".
Pass Back to Goalkeeper:
Please remember that if the goalkeeper handles the ball in his own penalty area following a deliberate pass or throw-in from a teammate, the restart is an Indirect Free Kick to the attacking team - NOT a Penalty Kick.
If the goalkeeper handles a ball kicked to her by a teammate inside her penalty area, the restart is an indirect free kick for the attacking team from the place where the keeper handled the ball. If the keeper handled the ball inside her goal box, then the kick is taken from the closest point on the goal box line that is parallel to the goal line. As is the case with any free kick, the defending team must be 10 yards away from the ball (or on their own goal line if the kick is from less than 10 yards) until the ball is kicked and moves.
Penalty Kick: Penalty kicks can decide which team wins a match. Please take the time to know the procedures detailed in Law 14 for the taking of a PK. I will mention just three of them here:
(1) Before the kick is taken, all players on both teams (other than the kicker and the goalkeeper) must be outside of the penalty area, at least 10 yards away from the ball (this is the reason for the arc at the top of the penalty area on full size fields) and behind (meaning the side furthest from the goal line) the penalty mark; NOTE that it will take some effort to enforce this 10 yards distance rule in Grade 5/6 matches where the penalty spot is 10 yards from goal and may be only two to four yards from the edge of the penalty area.
(2) The goalkeeper must have at least part of one foot touching, in line with, or behind (NOTE this clarification from the 2022-23 LOTG changes), the goal line when the ball is kicked;
(3) The kicker cannot play the ball again until it has touched another player - this means that if the ball hits the goalpost or crossbar and comes back to the kicker who plays the ball, play must be stopped and the restart is an indirect free kick to the defending team.
Free Kicks:
Especially during higher level games, it is important to make sure the defending team respects the required distance for the free kick. I have seen good wall management, BUT if players on the defending team move forward on the whistle and are closer than 10 yards away when the kick is taken, then unless a goal is scored the kick should be retaken AND the offending player should be cautioned and shown a yellow card. And yes it is entirely appropriate to caution an 11 year old!
Defensive Wall: (Law 13)
"When three or more defending team players form a wall, all attacking team players must remain at least one yard from the wall until the ball is in play". A violation of that rule results in an IFK to the defending team.
Handball: (Law 12)
The language in Law 12 is helpful in understanding how to determine whether a handball offense has occurred. It also clarifies that an accidental handball by the attacking team is NOT an offense unless a goal is scored directly or immediately following the touch. This was covered during the recertification process at some length last year.
Corner Kicks:
The Referee signal is arm up at a 45 degree angle and pointing in the direction of the corner where the kick is to be taken. The Assistant Referee signal is flag down at a 45 degree angle and pointing to the near corner - even if the corner kick is to be taken from the other side. The Assistant Referee should be positioned even with the goal line at the taking of the corner kick in order to best judge whether the ball goes out of play or into the goal after the kick is taken. If the corner kick is on the near side of the field, the Assistant Referee should move back to allow the player to take the kick. There are many good positions for the Referee on a corner kick, but it is always a good idea to keep as many players in view as possible as well as the Assistant Referee at that end of the field.
Double Touch:
And while we are on the subject of free kicks, for most every start and restart in soccer (including throw-ins), there is a requirement that the ball touch another player before the player taking the restart touches it a second time. For example, if the player taking the kickoff kicks it twice before it is touched by a teammate or another player, play is stopped and the restart is an indirect free kick for the other team.
Ball Out of Play:
Remember that for the ball to be out of play (or in the goal), the entire ball must be outside the edge of the line (Law 9). Some green may still be visible between the bottom of the ball and the touch line or the goal line, but if any part of the ball is above any part of the line, the ball is still in play. Also, please do not anticipate the ball going out of play. An AR should not raise the flag until the ball is out. It is OK to signal with your hand in front of your chest to the Referee which way the restart will go when and if the ball does go out of play. IMPORTANT: Unlike, for example, the sports of basketball or tennis where the ball has to land on the ground outside the lines to be out of play, in soccer the ball is out of play in the air if is entirely outside the upward plane of the outside edge of the field lines.
Goalkeeper Possession:
If a goalkeeper is in possession of the ball (which is a judgment that should generally be made in favor of the goalkeeper, and can include one hand controlling the ball on the ground) attackers should not push, bump, kick or otherwise try to disrupt the goalkeeper's possession. These are not 50/50 balls. Some teams will be very aggressive in running into goalkeepers as both an intimidation tactic and also as a way of getting the ball loose and scoring an easy goal. Remember that the Referee's role is to keep the match safe and fair. Please don't let this happen.
Goalkeeper holding the ball:
If the goalkeeper holds the ball for more than six seconds, that is a violation and the restart is an indirect free kick from the point of the infraction, which is where the goalkeeper is holding the ball.
Some practical advice, especially for In-Town games and the younger age groups in BAYS.
First, if the goalkeeper puts the ball down after holding it during open play, then it is fair game for any player and there is no longer any delay, so the count to six seconds can stop.
Second, six seconds counted as "one one thousand, two one thousand etc." is actually a fairly long time.
Third, and in my view most important, this is a rule designed to prevent excessive time wasting in competitive matches. It is NOT meant to penalize young goalkeepers who are just learning the game and may not have been taught how or where to distribute the ball once they capture it. If you are seeing time being wasted by a competent goalkeeper in a competitive match, then by all means make the call. BUT, if you see a young goalkeeper holding the ball searching for an idea of what to do with it, I would not blow the whistle for this time wasting infraction, but instead gently encourage the goalkeeper to put the ball back into play. Maybe the second or third time you tell the keeper "if you don't put the ball back in play, I will have to give it to the other team."
Goalkeeper handling infraction:
The attacking team gets an indirect free kick if the goalkeeper handles the ball inside the goalkeeper's own penalty area after receiving it from a teammates' throw-in or a deliberate kick (NOT a deflection, miskick or header - those are OK) from a teammate. If the infraction takes place inside the goal area, the IFK is taken from the goal box line (see LOTG 13.2). The team defending against the kick can form a wall on the goal line, even though by definition that is less than 10 yards, but any defending player not in that line must be 10 yards away from the ball. Take the time to think about this situation and to set it up correctly - in a competitive match this can be an important moment in the game.
Placement of Goal:
You will get a lot of credibility with knowledgeable coaches if you check the placement of the goals and condition of the goal nets before each match. The requirements are set forth in Law 1 complete with a graphic depiction. Basically the goal needs to be in the middle of the goal line, and the goal posts should be placed so that the back edge of the post is even with the outside edge of the goal line. And, for goals with wheels, the wheels should be in the retracted position so that the post rests on the ground and is not up in the air.
Spectators:
Under Law 5, the Referee has the authority to control all aspects of the match. That includes the behavior of the spectators. The Referee cannot see everything, and so Law 5 provides that the Referee "acts on the advice of other match officials regarding incidents that the Referee has not seen." Some examples: (1) If spectators are too close to the field, that can create a safety issue for the players and make it difficult for the ARs to do their job; (2) Similarly if spectators are throwing objects (which is specifically referred to in Law 5), however small, at the AR or the match officials or players, that can be a needless distraction and harassment in addition to being a potential safety issues; (3) Especially given the BAYS zero tolerance rule, if a spectator is running up and down the touch line yelling comments at one of the teams, that can be a distraction to the players and the officials. Because the Referee has the authority to stop, suspend or abandon the match because of outside interference, which includes the behavior of spectators, the Referee most definitely has the authority to deal with these issues directly but should first attempt to enlist the support of the coaches in addressing these and similar issues.