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**Guest** · 05-09-2022, 09:39 PM

I watched a lot of ecnl games 2 daughters at different ages in ecnl. I think the referees were good not great. Some were great, some below average. Never did I think girls were in danger of getting hurt.

**Guest** · 05-09-2022, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by Guest View Post

NWSL is having a moment due to the terrible refereeing that occurred during the Challenge Cup. If you aren’t aware at least one player was taken off in a stretcher and many horrendous fouls happened with no call, let alone cards.

I couldn’t help but think about the season I witnessed in OYSA and ECNL games this fall and spring. The games were so rough and very few fouls called in the girl’s games. Not so much the case with boys, but the girls are getting crushed on the field and injuries are occurring.

Does their need to be more attention brought to this issue? I feel like it’s ruining a lot of the girl’s game locally and now obviously on the pro level nationally as well.

curious what others think about this.

The boys and men don’t have this issue as the game would get really violent really fast if the ref was so reluctant to call fouls and issue cards.

Agree 100%. Seen it more so in OYSA than ECNL but it’s everywhere and in college and in pros. Refs swallow their whistle in general if the players on the field are female. It’s a big reason why soccer playing females (not males) have a much higher rate of concussions and CTE. The rate for females is 2nd only to pointy football! It’s appalling.

**Guest** · 05-09-2022, 10:25 PM

You all should yell at the refs more.

that will fix it.

**Guest** · 05-09-2022, 10:52 PM

The player carted off in the Challenge Cup final had nothing to do with a bad foul. She slipped and fell head first into another player's thigh. No ref could have stopped that.

**Guest** · 05-10-2022, 09:10 AM

Originally posted by Guest View Post

NWSL is having a moment due to the terrible refereeing that occurred during the Challenge Cup. If you aren’t aware at least one player was taken off in a stretcher and many horrendous fouls happened with no call, let alone cards.

I couldn’t help but think about the season I witnessed in OYSA and ECNL games this fall and spring. The games were so rough and very few fouls called in the girl’s games. Not so much the case with boys, but the girls are getting crushed on the field and injuries are occurring.

Does their need to be more attention brought to this issue? I feel like it’s ruining a lot of the girl’s game locally and now obviously on the pro level nationally as well.

curious what others think about this.

The boys and men don’t have this issue as the game would get really violent really fast if the ref was so reluctant to call fouls and issue cards.

Refs are part of the equation but players as well, what's wrong with these girls that they play like that? The boys have the same refs and play in a more controlled manner

**Guest** · 05-10-2022, 10:22 AM

I think this whole thread is a generalization that is wrong. I've seen a lot of poor refs in boys games. Like a previous person said its the same refs. I have seen more ridiculous calls that are not fouls in the girls games.(youth)

**Guest** · 05-10-2022, 02:11 PM

9/10 refs quit in the first year because of ref abuse. The problem with refs is they're not enough good ones. If parents got kicked out for yelling at refs and they could do their jobs without being harassed they'd stick around. Name a club that has a habit of kicking parents off their sidelines, suspending them from attending games for yelling at refs. "C'mon ref." and "Call it both ways" is standard.

**Guest** · 05-10-2022, 02:27 PM

I think much of the problem, at least at the youth level, is that the level of officiating has not kept up with the increased level of the players. Additionally, we still have a lot of parents without playing experience who don't understand the LOTG enough to realize that everytime johnny or suzie hit the ground it's not a foul. This is why a lot of parents are surprised when their child goes out of state to a soccer hotbed (SoCal/TX/FL) and the officiating allows for much more contact. The issues isn't that the ref doesn't control the game...it's that the players aren't used to the level of physicality and get pushed around.

**Guest** · 05-10-2022, 05:04 PM

It is not a ref problem. Girls are just not as quick and agile as boys, but want to play with the same intensity. Many times they commit to win the ball but can't get out of the way quick enough to avoid a collision.

**Guest** · 05-10-2022, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by Guest View Post

It is not a ref problem. Girls are just not as quick and agile as boys, but want to play with the same intensity. Many times they commit to win the ball but can't get out of the way quick enough to avoid a collision.

Uh, speed is generally relative. As far as physicality when we talk about speed/mass the womens' game and mens' game are quite a bit different. But to say that the women can't get out of the way when the speed and quickness is relative feels like a cop out.

I've always thought of it this way: The womens' game allows for more time on the ball as the rate of opponent closure is less, but the ball speed is generally about the same. The mens' game is just faster (not better, just faster) and decisions have to be made quicker.

How this applies to officiating is that refs should actually do a better job as the speed of the match is slower and provides more time to get into position and make better judgements. But the truth is that the overall level of officiating has not kept pace with the increased speed and technical ability of players (here in the US at least)

**Guest** · 05-11-2022, 09:45 AM

"The mens' game is just faster (not better, just faster) and decisions have to be made quicker. "

faster is better. If two people are doing the same activity and one can do it faster, in soccer, that is better.

**Guest** · 05-11-2022, 10:25 AM

This whole thread is ridiculous. If you want to fix it then go sign up to be a Ref. The truth is we have a huge shortage of referee's due to the abuse they get for a youth game. Nobody is a good ref right when they start, just like nobody is a good soccer player on day 1. It takes time to learn the skill and develop. The problem is we berate them so much that they don't develop into good referee's before they quit. Start realizing that if I have a 10 year old girl or boy, I'm getting a brand new referee for my game thats probably in their first or second year. Release they are not going to be good, and they are going to blow calls. And instead of yelling at them, just accept that as part of the game and let them develop just like you are letting your 10 year old develop on the field. Nobody is screaming and making the 10 year old player cry, so why scream at a 14 year old ref.

**Guest** · 05-11-2022, 01:56 PM

I grew up in Spain and have watched football my entire life. Believe me when I tell you that fouling seems to be way more prevalent in American soccer than Euro. European’s play much faster with passing and avoiding defenders, Americans tend to go physically into attackers more often. I couldn’t believe my daughters coach 3 years ago told the entire team to hit the other players with their shoulders every time they touched the ball. It’s soccer not Rugby.

This guy gets it right!
He has been a coach for many years at the top level of ECNL

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8z3JvM-c4ZM

**Guest** · 05-11-2022, 03:50 PM

Originally posted by Guest View Post

I grew up in Spain and have watched football my entire life. Believe me when I tell you that fouling seems to be way more prevalent in American soccer than Euro. European’s play much faster with passing and avoiding defenders, Americans tend to go physically into attackers more often. I couldn’t believe my daughters coach 3 years ago told the entire team to hit the other players with their shoulders every time they touched the ball. It’s soccer not Rugby.

This guy gets it right!
He has been a coach for many years at the top level of ECNL

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8z3JvM-c4ZM

In Spain, refs call fouls.