Officiating Issues

[bobretro 0]

So we had our second game of the season and ran into a problem. The opposition kept having their flags on the front of the belt. I mentioned this to the official and asked him to take care of it. He went to the other team and adjusted a few flags. The flags continued to show up on the front of the kids belts and I kept pointing it out to the official by going out to him and asking him politely to check the flags, never raising my voice, so that only he and I knew what we were discussing. The other team finally scored, and of course the boy's left flag was up by his belt buckle and he was running the right sideline (see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gh8tbsXJsc ). In the second half my assistants and I were spotting the flags prior to the play and I would once again approach the official. One time I even pointed out the the official how all of my boys had the flags on their hips. The last time I approached him he finally turned to me and yelled, loud enough for my boys to hear, "Just coach your team". I then responded that he should ref the game. After the game, I reviewed the video tape my wife had shot and sure enough, you can see how blatant the flag issue was. I fired off an e-mail to the league organizer. I feel that I had an obligation to my team to continue to point the flag problem out. I'd like to hear what you think about how I handled the situation. We won the game 7-6 by the way, but the game was ruined by an incompetent official. I've been assisting for 2 years and took over head-coaching duties during the spring session. I've never had any problems with an official before, in fact I've had a lot of fun talking to them before, during and after the games. This was just weird.

Bob

[hollad6636 0]

Bobretro,

We have all ran into that ref on some occasion. I do believe that you have a responsibility to your kids to make sure the game is played by the rules and I think that you have to do it in a controlled manner as the kids are always watching. That is basically all you can do during the game and then you just have to forget about it. I looked at the video and I didn't think it was worse the some that I have seen but it certainly can be frustrating. I watched the video of the winning touchdown on the last play of the game and I think that would have gone a long way toward helping me forget about the refs issues.

I would have sent the e-mail myself if I felt that the ref was out of line so all in all you did about the best that you could.

[Coach Rob 26]

First of all, thanks for posting this, I'm headed into another season and this is a great reminder for me of how things can go on the field.

All coaches run into questionable ref calls, the easy answer is alert the refs and let it go. However, the "real deal" is that's not easy in the heat of battle, especially when it appears the refs are allowing it to happen over and over. If you're winning, it's pretty easy to blow off most stuff, but in those close games it's extremely difficult to chill.

Not sure how long you've coached, but trust me, the longer you go the more funk you experience. From opposing coaches who question every other call by the ref to opposing parents yelling at your kids. It takes a lot for me to walk away and not say anything after the opposing coach has complained for the umpteenth time about a call or something one of my kids did wrong the ref didn't catch.

As a team, we've agreed to let the ref's calls stand and move on, with the exception of danger. If we feel one of our kids is in danger, we'll definitely stop things and talk seriously with the refs. Fortunately, I've surrounded myself with some great people, we hold each other accountable and have to constantly remind ourselves this is youth sports not the NFL. Not an easy task in the heat of battle.

Thanks again for posting this. I'm going to have a chat with the coaching staff and parents this Sunday about this very thing. How will we conduct ourselves not if, but WHEN a scenario like this happens? The other tough thing is really letting it go after the game; I find myself grumbling about things all through the next week sometimes. : /

[bobretro 0]

Bobretro,

We have all ran into that ref on some occasion. I do believe that you have a responsibility to your kids to make sure the game is played by the rules and I think that you have to do it in a controlled manner as the kids are always watching. That is basically all you can do during the game and then you just have to forget about it. I looked at the video and I didn't think it was worse the some that I have seen but it certainly can be frustrating. I watched the video of the winning touchdown on the last play of the game and I think that would have gone a long way toward helping me forget about the refs issues.

I would have sent the e-mail myself if I felt that the ref was out of line so all in all you did about the best that you could.

Thanks for the input. I've calmed down a bit from earlier, so hopefully by our next game (in 2 weeks) it will be a distant memory. The other play you mentioned was from last week's game and it was a wonderful way to end the game. My offensive coordinator was on vacation so I had to step up and call the offense. Needless to say, since it was the first game and since I am used to running the defense, it was a low-scoring affair. We have 11 kids on the team and our first priority is to get each player a touch on the ball. Well, it was our final posession, everyone had touched the ball and so I put in the star lineup. We ran a double-reverse and scored (didn't get that on video...). Then we decided to go for 2 so the other team wouldn't stack up on the pass. The center pass worked wonderfully! The parents really loved the Youtube thing, so I'm going to try and put more videos up.

[rushbuster70 16]

Lol I dont know how to answer this because I'm an official & coach...

However at some point you cant worry about things and have to just coach your team.Things are always going to happen either way.I can tell you complaining to officials about the same thing over & over again will get you no were fast.Just think of someone nagging on you while your working.It gets old quick.

As a coach the coach in me says keep bugging them and even call a timeout if you have to because if its a rule then thats what needs to be done.I would of found a director or who ever was running it during half time or during a time out....

For example...Today I was officiating a Pop Warner Tackle game and the visiting teams jerseys kept coming out.The home team kept complaining over & over again.I told them we would take care of it and we did but I got to the point were I just told the coach to coach his team and not worry about it.Theres no advantage/disadvantage either way.

Either the situation stinks but you can only control what your team does.

[Coach Rob 26]

I can tell you complaining to officials about the same thing over & over again will get you no were fast. Just think of someone nagging on you while your working.It gets old quick.

You make a good point here. I try to limit the complaints so when I really need to use one, you guys will listen to me. lol

The parents really loved the Youtube thing, so I'm going to try and put more videos up.

That's definitely a cool thing to do not only for the parents, but the kids get a kick out of seeing themselves on film. I've used film to show the kids how well they executed a fake or pulled a flag. Good teaching tool.

[jqmoney 3]

I have coached and Ref in flag football and believe me i heard all those things so after my seasons of expirence during practices now we practice pulling flags when the kids flags are up front in the back and if the kid flag gards and stiff arms so just in case we are prepared so one time a kid was flag gaurding the entire game and the ref never caught it after i pointed out and it was propably wrong of me so the next time he did my kid grabed his arm and pulled his flag the other coach was mad and i told him and the offcial if they keep flag gaurding it was going to happen

[Texas_D_Coach 14]

Here's my 2 cents:

I watched the video and agree his flag was out of position. I also noticed that every other kids flags seemed to be where they should be. If you had already brought this to the refs attention I can understand why you are upset that it happened again. I personally would have brought it to the ref's attention twice and then left it alone and brought it to the league directors attention after the game.

Try to keep in mind that this is a bunch of kids trying to have fun, and try not to make it a bigger issue than it really is. I know that is harder than it sounds and something we all struggle with as coaches.

Like rush said, telling the ref multiple times about the same thing will get you nowhere fast. If after 2 times he doesn't correct the problem I'd let it go with him and bring it to the directors attention.

[Johnp2 21]

-----------LONG POST, but I think this is important so apologies up-front-------------

NOTE: This is not aimed toward any coach on here, it's simply my philosophy on dealing with officials.

It is a well known fact in our league that I never, ever, ever debate with the officials on the field. At the most, I will respectfully ask for clarification, so I understand what they believed they saw--and I leave it at that. The officials (most return each season) really respect this fact---time and time again they'll say, "I wish the other coaches were like you", and frankly I think it plays in my favor. I make this very clear upfront to the parents as well, and I ask that they conduct themselves in a manner that is befitting to what our team is about. I ask my players to conduct themselves like gentlemen on the field, and that includes me and the parents.

I have been subjected to some really bad calls over the years. Game-losing calls. Years ago I even had a parent ask me, "Why don't you say anything to the officials?" My response, "Why? It won't change anything and just sets a bad example for the kids."

I DO, however, grade the officials after each game and submit this to the league on a weekly basis. I know this goes a long way with them, as the league itself respects the fact I don't challenge the officials calls on the field.

My first season coaching flag football, we had an official who made quite a few bad calls in every game. We were still learning how to get out of the huddle on time, and he ended up making some disparaging remarks toward my team (6-7 year olds) on the field. It was the only time I considered confronting an official. I didn't. Instead, the next day I emailed the league (I copied all the parents of my players) and told them that the next time we show up to a game and have that official, we will not take the field. They dismissed the official of his duties.

I was very fortunate enough to experience something in the *first ever* game I coached, which served as an example of how I did NOT want to be. I was coaching soccer (4-5 year olds). The opposing team had a female coach, who constantly showed up the official. Her team scored what appeared to be a goal (but it wasn't). The official said, "No goal." She went bonkers on the official arguing with him to the point where he overturned his own call. We lost the game 0-1 (the only game we lost that season), but in the end I was the one who won, because I told myself at that moment I would never conduct myself like that on the field. My wife and I still joke about this woman, and laugh at how she has no idea how her poor behavior affected how I conduct myself on the field to this day.

I fully understand how frustrating it can be. As mentioned, I've probably lost 4 or 5 games due to a single bad call made by an official. All teams do. 99% of the coaches in our league constantly argue with the officials. I can understand why they do. The officials do not have a vested interest like the players, coaches, parents do, and it's a shame when your team play their guys out, and the officials directly affect the outcome of a game with poor calls.

But think of it in terms like this: the easy thing to do is argue. Emotions are high, and you want to right a wrong. It's more important to step back and remember it's youth flag football. There are a lot of people watching you, and I'm confident most coaches feel shame later for the way they acted when they argue calls. Additionally, when you bend over backward to respect the officials' calls (something most other coaches don't do), the officials WILL notice this, and it WILL pay dividends. Last season there were plenty of "calls" officials would not make against my team. Instead, they would come to me and say, "You're a good guy, so I'm going to let that go, but be sure to talk to your team about jumping offsides" (as an example).

As mentioned, I'm not advocating that you accept it. Just use the proper protocol to express your displeasure. i.e. Go to the league.

As Rob said, it's not a matter of if it will happen, it's a matter of when. If you prepare yourself mentally to take the high-road, everyone will respect you more for it---simply because it is it is the right thing to do, and that is quite often the hard thing to do.

[bobretro 0]

-----------LONG POST, but I think this is important so apologies up-front-------------

NOTE: This is not aimed toward any coach on here, it's simply my philosophy on dealing with officials.

It is a well known fact in our league that I never, ever, ever debate with the officials on the field. (clip...!)

Thanks for the post and I agree completely. I want to reiterate. I never argued with the official about any calls during the game. Believe me, there were some blown calls, but my philosophy is that as long as we get the same breaks then I'm o.k. with it. That's why the flag issue bothered me. I always have the boys check their flags to make sure they are properly placed, so we weren't playing on even terms. So anyway, even after the touchdown play I posted on Youtube, the boys came to me and complained about the flag and that the other team was blocking down field and I told them that they needed to forget about it and concentrate on stopping the extra point. I was very, very discrete and polite about asking the official to check their flags. The conversation generally went like this, "Hey ref, could you do me a favor and check the other team's flag? They have some of them on the front of the belt and it's making it difficult for my players to get a fair shot." I'm not exagerating, I was as polite as I could be. As the game went on it got frustrating because it continued to happen. What was over the top was the official yelling at me to coach my team. I think the ref should have warned the other coach who is ultimately responsible for the kids' flags. If it continued it should have resulted in a penalty.

I loved the advice about practicing with misplaced flags. I've never thought about that. I'm sure it was a complete shock to the boys to not see the flags on the other teams hips. That's going to be our first drill on Tuesday!

Thanks,

Bob