Dealing with the coaches and the bench. The Coach’s Job To convey tactical instructions To make decisions on substitutions To control the team’s attitude.

Dealing with the coaches and the bench

The Coach’s Job

• To convey tactical instructions

• To make decisions on substitutions

• To control the team’s attitude and behavior

• To control an individual player’s attitude and behavior

• To manage the bench area

It is NOT

the coach’s job

to

Sometimes they just need to be reminded…

COACH REFEREE

SO…

Before the game begins:

• Be cordial

• Be confident

• Be professional

• Do not put yourself above the coach

• Do not put yourself above the game

• Do not be confrontational

• It’s all about ATTITUDE

Referee Needs to

• Introduce yourself • Ask who will be conveying tactical instructions • Who will be asking for substitutions• Have the substitutions in bibs all the time.• Set a location for the bench area unless one is marked

How to Deal with Coaches

During the game:

• Be in position to make the critical decisions

• Use a hard, strong whistle

• Use strong signals

• Show confidence in your decisions

How to Deal with Coaches

How to Deal with Coaches

Comments

We need to decide if the comments are

• Emotional Outbursts

• Dissent

• Offensive, Insulting, or Abusive Language

Emotional Outbursts

• Said in the heat of the moment

• Usually confined to one comment

• Does not persist

• Not a personal attack on the referee or his/her authority

• “Come on, ref!”

• “That was a foul!”

Emotional Outbursts

• Ignore the comment

• Give a quick, stern look

• Give a quick comment

• “No, coach!”

Dissent

Persists past the one comment

• Not a personal attack, but starts to challenge the referee’s authority

• May throw or kick things at the bench area (clipboard, water bottles)

• Makes a spectacle of the situation

How to deal with Dissent

• At a stoppage, go to the coach

• Ask – Tell – Dismiss

• Be calm, confident, firm, and professional

• Do not get into an argument…Make your comments and get out of there!

If we give a final warning (Tell) and the problem persists,

WE MUST

FOLLOW THROUGH!

Why Coaches Dissent

In the eyes of the coach:• The referee does not appear professional• The referee does not know the Laws• The referee is not in the correct position to

make a decision• The referee does not recognize a foul• The referee is not recognizing persistent

infringement• The referee is not recognizing tactical fouls

Offensive, Insulting, or Abusive Language

• The comments/behavior have gone beyond dissent

• Inappropriate language or gestures are used

• The comments have crossed the line and are now personal

Offensive, Insulting, or Abusive Language

• Whether you stop the game or wait for a natural stoppage, the coach MUST be Dismissed

• Go towards the bench area (but keep a safe distance) tell the coach he is being dismissed from the game and must leave the field and its vicinity

• Be calm, confident, firm, and professional

Offensive, Insulting, or Abusive Language

• Do not restart the game until he or she has left the field

• In a youth game, if there is no assistant coach, the game must be replaced by an adult with ID

• If the game was stopped to remove the coach, play must be restarted with a dropped ball

• After the game, be sure to include a detailed account of the incident in a supplemental report

Higher Levels of Coaching

Today’s coaches are:

more knowledgeable

recruiting higher skilled players

developing better teams at younger ages

Dealing With Spectators

Before the game begins:

• Deal with spectator issues through coaches

• Have spectators moved from the bench area to appropriate areas

• You may ask spectators to move back from the touchline before you start the game and during the game

Dealing with Spectators

During the game:

• Never engage a spectator in conversation

• If the spectator interferes with the game or your ability to manage the game:– At a stoppage of play go to the home team

coach and get them to deal with the spectator– Have the coach or administrator remove the

problem spectator

Dealing with Spectators

• After the Game:

• If game was contentious:– Wait for the spectators to leave– Leave with security – Always leave as a team

• If game was not a problem– Leave quickly as a team– Write report away from the spectator

It is NOT

the spectator’s job

to