a resignation letter from one referee

[Just a Coach]

1. There is only one "side", not offsides.
2. It's OK to kick while on the ground.
3. There is no "handball".
4. There are no linesmen. The are Assistant Referees. Responsibilities of AR are outlined in the IFAB rules.
5. Just because little Johnny or Jill fall down, doesn't mean a foul is involved.
6. Soccer is a contact sport. It's not against the laws/rules to get physical.
7. Referees have a lot of discretion on blowing the whistle. Just because a foul occurred doesn't mean the game stops.
8. AR's do not have to be exactly even with the second to last defender 100% of the time.
9. Management of the game differs with age group and skill levels. Yes, referees are able to change how they enforce the laws/rules based on age, skill, male/female, weather, and other factors.
10. Yes, there is a referee shortage. I have refereed back-to-back U18B games by myself.
11. Yes, many old fat guys who referee have a long history with the game. I started playing in 1977. Played college (Div III) in early 80's. Coached 7 years. Starting ninth year as a referee from U10-U19 competitive/rec, Adult, college club, and semi-pro (USPL). One of my sons played on a top 100 national team and played college (Div II).

When a U12 parent tells me that I know nothing about the game, I just smile.

Let`s be fair. There is history and there are colloquial terms.

1. Indeed, offside is the correct word. However, there are actually not one, but two sides on the field as "side" refers to the team on the field in soccer. Offside comes from the term "off side", or "off the side" and it means the player is not with the team.
3. Handball is a colloquial term for handling the ball and is used by trillions of people around the world.
4. Although, assistant referee is the official term by the Laws of the Game, linesmen is also used by trillions of people around the world and is a perfectly acceptable colloquial. Before 1891 they were called umpire.
7. This is the most important fact that spectators and players need to be educated about. Pretty much everything is at the discretion of the referee in all sports. No sport rule allows for disputing on-field referee decisions because that would lead to chaos and anarchy.

[Unregistered]

Spot On

Absolutely correct. It is a shame it has come to this.