From: jimd@ssd.intel.com (Jim DePorter)
Subject: Re: Backpass-FIFA deserves the Nobel Prize!!
Organization: Supercomputer System Division, Intel
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 21:59:00 GMT

bretwood@oregon.uoregon.edu (Bret Wood) writes:

>In article <Bz9HBC.451@SSD.intel.com> jimd@ssd.intel.com (Jim DePorter) writes:

>I'm a USSF ref in Eugene, Oregon, and I know that one of the major reasons
>that the backpass rule wasn't used this season is that they didn't notify
>the referees.  I don't know if FIFA, USSF, or our state administrator is
>at fault, but the players knew, the coaches knew, but none of the referees
>in the Eugene association were notified unless they were also coaches.  And
>I have to add that as a referee I don't change the laws based on word of
>mouth rumors about some FIFA action which I didn't get official notification
>of.  I had one game where I had a very big problem with a coach screaming
>to his players that the referee didn't know the rules.  (I'm kind of irate
>about this issue.  Sorry.)

One of my biggest fears on the new rules is the problem of referees
receiving instructions on them. I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't
referees in Oregon that were using FIFA rules and others using OYSA
rules. That's probably the worst situation for a referee, every game
the coach could yell that the referee doesn't know the rules and 
technically be correct! But I think it undermines the game to have the
coach yelling at anyone on the field. In fact I'd love seeing some of
the coaches 'sent off' (in fact I know one coach the parents bought
a patio lounger for him and it was hard for his adrenaline to get him
crazy when he was 'laid back'). As long as the referee rules both 
teams equally I'm pretty happy. I remember a time years ago when I
was coaching a mixed team, the referee didn't show up and one of the
parents offered to ref. This was mini soccer and the kids tended to
run around kicking at the ball. After one of the teams scored, he 
then placed the ball in the middle of their half of the field and
had them kick off to the other team. The kids knew something was
wrong, but I didn't make a big deal out of it and talked to him
afterwards. I'm more interested in having people learn about soccer
then to be turned off by a bad experience. And ultimately it didn't
hurt the kids. They played, they had fun and a lot of them are still
playing.

>Anyway, Along with the coaches and the players, most of the referees I know
>think the rule has potential, but in it's current form it is difficult and
>ambiguous to implement.

I'm curious what's difficult and ambiguous about the rule? I've seen it
used on European games I've watched on TV, and I saw a couple of games
this past fall that used it and I didn't really see any problems. In
fact in one of the youths games a team got called for the keeper picking
the ball up and the coach sent word out to the keeper to not pick up 
the ball from a defender. I didn't see any problems towards the ref 
about that (some other things maybe  (-8 ).

>-Bret Wood

Maybe if you do some U16G teams this winter I might get a chance to 
meet you. I know that Medford will field a U16G team...
jimd
-- 

			In theory, there is no difference between theory
			and practice.  But, in practice, there is.