A WAGS TOURNAMENT REFEREE BROADCAST MESSAGE -- 10/5/2009
From someone who knows better than to write "this will be the last update..."
Referee Responsibilities for the WAGS Tournament
BE PROMPT
(1) Arrive promptly -- a minimum of 30 minutes before your first scheduled match. Note that parking is limited at these sites so referees may want to report in 45 minutes prior.
CHECK-IN
(2) On Saturday and Sunday check in with the referee site coordinator. Here you will receive your referee gifts but this lets us know that all games are covered. Referees must check in both days even though you will receive a gift only on the first day you work.
List of Site Coordinators:
Chinn: Acacia Ellis -- 703-447-4183
Hellwig: Robert Bodenschatz -- 703.403.9556
Howison: Harry Burket -- 703-615-4649
Tyrrell: Mike Newman -- 703.863.9129
LOOK NICE
(3) Be in complete uniform. Appearance, appearance, appearance. It is the easiest thing to control. Do not walk to the fields with your shirt tail out or your socks rolled down to your ankles.
You must have the complete uniform. Have at least two separate jerseys. Everyone must have the gold jersey and we recommended at least black as the second color. If a referee team must change jerseys and one member doesn’t have a matching color, borrow from another crew. Only Hellwig-7 is somewhat isolated from the other fields. Everyone else should be able to borrow. Be nice. Share if someone asks.
Rest of uniform: Black referee shorts -- NO SHORTS WITH WHITE STRIPES. Three white stripe socks although if the entire crew has the same alternative USSF socks they may wear those as well. Black or mostly black shoes.
If you need to purchase additional uniform items or replace your worn or faded items, our association supports two sales representatives.
Jim Griffin - Badger Sports
Phone: 703-915-0483
Email: badger.sports@verizon.net
Web Site: www.badger-sports.com
Jim is a sales rep for Score. He lives just off Minnieville Rd. near the Howison soccer complex.
Klaus Staefe - Official Sports
Phone: 571-223-5991
Email: klaus.a.staefe@nasa.gov
Web Site: www.officialsports.com
Klaus is a sales rep for Official Sports. He lives in the Belmont Bay section of Woodbridge, near the Tyrrell soccer complex.
Jim will be at Chinn both on Saturday and Sunday. However, if you can make prior arrangements with either Jim or Klaus, I can drop pre-ordered items at your field location.
Except if medically required, please no caps (black if necessary) or sunglasses.
And my mostly sexist comments:
Guys: Please shave -- you don’t look professional wearing your $1000 suit when you don’t shave and you don’t look professional in your referee uniform with a day’s growth
Both Guys and Gals: No jewelry. This includes silicone wrist bracelets. Exception: If you’re battling cancer it’s OK to wear your Livestrong wrist band.
Gals: Wear your shorts the way they were designed to be worn, not with the waistband turned down. No referee will win a fashion contest this weekend. Face it and deal with it. We all look like geeks.
ARBITER REPORTING
(4) Game Reporting. Referees -- Please use Arbiter, day of game, to enter score of match only. This is different than most of us are used to but adding comments forces this assignor to verify game reports which I don’t want to do for this tournament. Just enter the score without comments.
Exceptions:
a. If there was a change in your crew -- either an AR and Ref changed positions or someone different refereed, then enter this in the comments section so the referees can get paid correctly.
b. If a player was sent off, a team official, dismissed, or a field marshal had to help with unruly spectators that we should know about, enter those in the comments section too.
Remember, you must be logged in as an official under Prince William Soccer Referees Association (102423) in Arbiter in order to submit your game report. If you log in under another group you can create the report but there will be no submit button.
BE NICE
(5) Be Nice -- And Don’t Confront Spectators. The minute a referee turns their attention away from a match and addresses a spectator they have elevated the importance of a fan to that of a game official. If spectators are interfering with the match then a referee should call this to the attention of a field marshal and let the field marshal (or coaches) handle it. Referees have no power over spectators.
MODIFIED RULES
(6) Rules. The complete rules are at: http://www.wagstournament.com/Rules/index_E.html
Law 2 -- Home team shall provide the tournament game ball
Law 3 -- Players except GKs must wear numbers
Substitutions may be made, with the referee’s permission:
1. After a goal has been made.
2. At the beginning of the second half of play or prior to the beginning of an overtime period.
3. At a goal kick by either team.
4. Prior to a throw-in when the ball is in possession of the team substituting. Both teams may sub if ready.
5. Limited substitutions may be made, with the referee’s permission, in case of stoppage of play for an injury (one-for-one basis for the injured player(s)).
A team shall be allowed a ten (10) minute grace period after the scheduled kick-off time before the match is awarded to their opponent. A minimum of seven (7) players constitutes a team and if seven (7) players are present, the game will not be delayed
Law 7 -- Games shall consist of two 30 minutes halves.
Only semi and final matches shall consist of two 35 minute halves. Hmmm. I remember us messing this up last year at Chinn.
Overtime will be played in case of a draw at the end of regulation time in the playoff rounds. The winner will be determined as follows:
1. Two overtime periods, five minutes each, with teams changing ends after the first period.
2. Should the game remain a draw after the overtime play, FIFA Kicks From The penalty Mark will be taken to determine the winner.
All games will be played with a running clock. The referee may add time for serious injuries or other incidents, including, but not limited to, deliberate time wasting.
My suggestion: Allow an attacking play close in to the goal to finish (don’t blow the whistle with the ball on the way into the goal) but do not add time for the taking of a corner kick or other set play. However, if the referee decides that a penalty kick should be awarded and then time expires, in all cases time must be extended to allow for the completion of the penalty kick.
In all cases, the WAGS Official Rules will take precedence over these brief excerpts.
YOUR ASSIGNMENTS
(7) Assignments. Everyone has accepted their assignments. Thank you very much. In the preliminary rounds I have tried hard to keep anyone from seeing the same team twice. In the few instances where this does occur, no one should be in the middle twice for the same team. If you have two middles with the same team -- please let me know and I will try to swap positions.
With two exceptions, I tried to avoid assigning consecutive middles so everyone has at least one game or a break in between their assignments as referee. This will keep you fresh and at the top of your game. The kids deserve it.
GET PAID
(8) Pay. I will try to turn around pay in two weeks or less. I will pay first Arbiter RefPay electronically which will be quicker but will still have to wait until WAGS pays the association before we can pay you. But you won’t have to wait long for your pay.
I am very excited about these games. We have state cup champs in our brackets and state referees as well. We have some State Referees and six refs, that I know of, who attended PRIDE Academy. This is a great group of refs. Enjoy the games but also enjoy who you work with. If you don’t have a lot of experience, ask your crew for some advice.
Have fun and keep the games fun and safe for the kids. Thanks for your help!
Barry Sherry
WAGS Tournament Assignor
(C) 703.232.2640
P.S. I will try to meet every single ref at the tournament and it won’t just be checking on your uniform J I really am glad you are working with us.
