REFEREES’ POSITIONING This educational slideshow has been borrowed from the United States Soccer Federation Website for use on the Granville District Soccer Referees Association Website and is their Copyrighted Property and is not to be altered in anyway or used without acknowledgement. 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
Copyright - USA Soccer Federation 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
REFEREES’ POSITIONING The following information is some advice on positioning from Senior GDSRA Referee John Kemp: Besides straight out fitness and speed, the key components to getting into the 'right' places are: • anticipating general play and moving to where you think the ball is most likely to go • using 'dead ball' time Note: the following comments relate to a seniors game so should be tempered to take into account the age and division/skill of the teams. Dead ball time is classed as when the ball is out of play, but the following also applies to when the ball is in a position that there is very unlikely to be any action between opponents. This is when you use those vital few seconds to get to where you expect the ball will be, ie where the next lot of action will take place. Some examples: throw-in: don't stand square to where the ball is to be thrown rather move down the field so you are close to where you expect the ball to land (ok - so you might be far enough away to miss the thrower just stepping over the line - but is it better to pick up the push/holding/foul that everyone can see and the line infringement that nobody saw?) goal kicks: once you have awarded the goal kick, immediately move to the area where you expect the ball to land (and if they kick it short, don't worry, then you can use your game anticipation skills to determine whether to move towards where the ball is now or wait for it to travel up to the half way line. 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
REFEREES’ POSITIONING free kicks: like a goal kick, award the kick and immediately move into position near where the ball will land. If necessary, tell the players not to take the kick until you are ready (ie in position). You very rarely need to stand close to where the kick will be taken, unless it is near the edge of the penalty area so you can closely monitor the wall. corners: pick your position – it might be near-side or far-side, depending on the style of game or whether you have an assistant and/or want to avoid looking into the sun. Then signal for the corner to be taken – again, once you are in the ‘best’ position. goalkeeper: once the goalkeeper has caught the ball, he has got 6 seconds to release it. That means you have up to 6 seconds to jog/run into the area where you expect the ball to land – you don’t need to stand nearby to watch him release the ball!!! And the movement and previous kicks by the goalkeeper will give you a pretty good idea of where to run to high balls: this is where the ball is kicked high into the air. No need to watch it until it lands – not likely to be many offences committed up there. The action is going to be just before and after the ball lands, therefore as soon as the ball is kicked, turn and run to where the players are already starting to move and/or jostle. 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation
REFEREES’ POSITIONING Anticipation is a skill that progressively gets better as you get more experience in reading the game generally and being able to quickly assess the style and capabilities of the current game and players. Anticipation is really about improving your judgment skills and better managing your risk taking. By this last statement I mean making the decision to move (say) well down field although the ball is still in the other half because you highly expect that the ball will get there and not be intercepted beforehand (if it is, hopefully that’s where your incredible fitness and sprinting speed makes up for your miscalculation). Think a dividing a field into 3 thirds. 95% of all critical decision making occurs in the 1st and 3rd thirds, ie in the penalty/goal zones. And all of these decisions can well be game changing – allowing/disallowing a goal, yes or no to a penalty, off-side calls, goal kick or corner kick, etc. Therefore, you need to focus on ensuring you are in these thirds when the action is happening. A mistake by the referee here can be absolutely crucial!! Whereas the same mistake or missing a foul or whatever in the middle third is important, it is rarely game changing – excluding missing a clear send off offence (but no-one would miss that, would they). Improving your use of dead ball time in conjunction with progressively improving your ability to read the game, will allow you to much easier achieve the objective of being in the right place, not just at the right time, but nearly all of the time. 6/04/2019 Copyright - USA Soccer Federation