Refereeing Guide for ESJF

6^TH grade

# Watch no-one gets hurt e.g. if player falls over, they don’t get kicked.

Watch out for the kid with the big swinging boots when in a group.

# Hand Ball No handling the ball except for goalkeeper. Stop play for deliberate handball, but for accidents only stop play where it significantly affects the game.

# Kick Offs Give plenty of room, at least 6 metres. Try to encourage a pass to the player’s team mates rather than a big kick away.

# Goal Kicks Bring the ball out from and to the side of the goal. Give plenty of room, at least 10 metres. It’s up to the ref to make sure the goalie can get the ball into play fairly. No corners in 6^th grade, all balls kicked out the back line are goal kicks.The Person taking the Kick must ensure the ball is touched by their team first. Hopefully this will stop the opposing team from charging the ball.

# Throw Ins Throwers should try to get the ball behind their head, but don’t be too fussy on keeping two feet on the ground or if they jump when they throw. It’s just a way for these guys to get the games restarted.

# Goal Keeping Protect the goalkeepers. Little kids bending down to pick up the ball are vulnerable to oncoming players. No charging the goalkeepers.

# No rough play No over aggressive kicking. No deliberate pushing with hands or arms. No jumping in front of other players. Watch big kids on little kids.

8^th Grade

# No Off Sides Give the attacker the benefit of the doubt. The idea is to discourage players from standing way up the field and not being involved in the game.Players may not deliberately stand in an offside position. Referee can call a free kick to the other team if that player( the deliberately offside one) becomes involved in the play.

# No Hand Ball No handling the ball, except for the goalkeeper. Play advantage where the handball is accidental and doesn’t effect the game too much.

# Kick Offs Give plenty of room around the ball, Approximately 7 to 8 metres. What ever is needed to allow the team kicking off to have a fair chance to get the ball into play.

# Goal Kicks Let the goalie bring the ball about 5 metres out from the goal and to the side. Give plenty of room for the kicker to get the ball in, approx 10 metres.No corners in 8^th grade, but discourage players that continually, deliberately kick the ball behind their own line.

# Throw Ins Re-throw badly thrown balls. Try to encourage the thrower to keep their feet on the ground but if they are trying to do so, let the game continue.

# Goal Keeping Protect the goalies when they go to pick up the ball. No charging the keepers.

# No Rough Play Discourage over aggressive play. Big swinging kicks when there are too many legs around the ball should be stopped. No pushing with hands, or charging into other players. Be careful big kids on little kids.

# No corners in 8^th Grade.

10^TH grade

In This Grade the players are developing a bit now, and as refs we need to be a bit stricter and help these kids in getting good playing techniques and habits.

# Off Sides Remember the attacker can be in line with the defender at the time the ball is kicked. There must be one player plus the goalie between the attacker and the goal line. Ref is sole judge not the people on the sideline, though use someone on the side if you want.

# Hand ball No handling the ball except the goalkeeper. Play advantage for an accidental handball i.e. Carry on with game play but Referee to advise player to watch their hands.If there is an accidental handball but significant advantage is gained to that team then a free kick should be given to the other team.

# Kick Offs Allow plenty of room around the ball to give the team kicking off a bit of time to develop good kicking off techniques. About 7 to 8 metres at least.

# Goal Kicks All players should be outside the goalies area, approx 10 metres. Once again give enough room to allow the goalie a chance to get the ball in fairly.

# Corners There are corners in 10^th grade. Ball can be brought in 3 or 4 metres from the corner to allow the players to get a good kick.

# Throw Ins Ball has to be fully behind the head and both feet must be touching the ground at the time the ball is released. The back foot can be dragged. Say at the start of the game that one chance will be given per team and then the next foul throw will see the other team get the throw in.

# Goalkeepers No rough charging or play on the keepers. We need to ensure no one gets hurt as a few kids are starting to go down on the ground at this stage. The goalies can not handle the ball outside the goalkeepers’ area. Where this is not marked, use your judgement, but give some warnings before penalising to help keepers a chance to know where you think the area is.

# No Rough Play The players may push with their shoulders if they are contesting for the ball. No pushing with hands at all. No tackling a player from behind, or their feet if the ball has gone past the defender, ie late tackles. Step in early on rough stuff so it doesn’t get out of hand. Players can be sent off and you should warn them that this can happen. No swearing on the field. Reprimand the player responsible.

# Penalise foul play.

## SUMMARY ##

It is the referees job to make a safe and fair game for the players involved in the game. As coaches and parents it is also up to us to ensure the kids enjoy their soccer, develop their skills and knowledge of the game, and have a safe environment to play in. Try to keep the game flowing and play advantage rules where you can. Kids don’t like standing around or stop start games. You are in control of the game. Talk to and encourage the players, explain briefly your rulings, and try to be consistent in your calls. Each team refs one half of the game, so respect the other teams ref as you would expect to be, we all do our best.

As coaches try to encourage the parents of your team to be supportive of both teams and both refs.

6^th grade 5 aside 10 minutes each way, 8^th Grade 7 aside 15mins each way, 10^th Grade 9 aside 20 mins each way.