First time on grass
I wondered if I'd even be allowed to referee this game. This year the youth soccer association is requiring all referees to go through background checks (that makes three in the last twelve months - if these things count against you like multiple credit checks I'm going to be really really annoyed). Due to my being out-of-town a lot lately, I caught the tail-end of the rectification classes and background check information (which I found out about at the recert class); I had to send a check to the association to pay for it, but the post office didn't pick up the letter from my mail slot so....Well, they let me referee anyway. It's rather odd to me anyway; referees don't have much, if any, interaction with kids off the field - it's coaches that have more time with players on and off the field. The paranoia in this society sometimes scares me.
The game itself wasn't much to write home about. It's a State Cup match, but it was only a 14-boys game. It looked like it would be a blowout when one team scored twenty seconds into the game, but three minutes later the other side evened up; and it was relatively even the rest of the match. No fouls, nothing particularly exciting on the field - just a pleasant day. And knowing how things will likely turn out as the season (and this tournament) progresses, I'll take a pleasant day.
I have to agree with you about being scared by the paranoia in our society. What scares me more is that very occasionally, it is deserved. One of the reasons I got into refereeing was that I knew we’d be short a referee in our tiny league. I liked him, he was a decent ref, friendly guy, about my age (low 30’s). I was coaching U16, we had a 15 year old foster daughter at the time & she played on my team. Luckily, Children’s Aid wanted to monitor her online chat for an unrelated reason, or he might not have been found out. He groomed her hard but was caught before anything happened, so no charges could be laid, although he was taken in and interviewed. Keywords "Sexual" and "Minor" will appear in any future police record check. It does seem that coaches have much more interaction with the kids, but referees also have authority over them, and often have a ‘quiet word’ with players on the field. He has left town, I can only hope the next league he tries to get involved with has background checks for referees.
Nolan - 23 July '09 - 10:16