Advice is a wonderful thing. It comes in all shapes and sizes. For referees, it comes from all kinds of sources too. From instructors and assessors, memos and handbooks, videos and blogs, fellow referees, coaches and players, and even from spectators. Maybe, especially from spectators.

Unlike other major sports, soccer relies on tradition and common practice, and some rules which become so engrained in the sport eventually are removed from the Laws of the Game. Thus one will not find written in the Laws the following:

The Laws of the Game are intended to provide that games should be played with as little interference as possible, and in this view it is the duty of referees to penalize only deliberate breaches of the Law. Constant whistling for trifling and doubtful breaches produces bad feeling and loss of temper on the part of the players and spoils the pleasure of spectators.

Yet this remains the very essence of refereeing. But it’s not picked up by reading a book.

Referees who are new to officiating do not have the historical knowledge to know all the traditions that are ingrained in the Laws. We have created this section on advice which is intended to be applied locally only. Official advice to referees still comes from the USSF publications, especially, Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game.

Laura, Ricky, Ian
Chinn Park, April, 2007