Question Number: 16765

Law 6 - Assistant Referee 9/18/2007

RE: High School High School

Franco of Bloomington, USA asks...

ARs-
1. Are the assistants suppose to pop the flags to make an audible attention getter for the center ref?

2. If one AR raises his or her flag for whatever reason, and the center ref is not seeing it, should the AR on the opposite side also raise his flag to mirror the other one, to help the CR notice?

3. When the AR raises the flag to aknowledge that substitutes are waiting, should the ARs continue to hold the flag up till the substitutions are complete (player on and player off)then lower the flag when complete to help the CR maintain control of the players and subs?

Franco

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

(1) - Only if he needs to, to get the center's attention. Even then, it's bad form. Why wasn't the center paying attention to his AR's?

(2) - Yes

(3) - In USSF/FIFA games, no, the flag is not held up indefinitely, but is lowered once the referee acknowledges the AR's signal. The players should exit the field, and then the referee beckons the subs to enter the field and become players. I'm not certain on the substitution mechanics used in HS games, but as I recall they involve checking in with an official scorer and the use of a buzzer or air horn.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Popping the Flag went away years ago, something about not drawing undue attention to yourself. Mirroring the other assistant's signal is something that should be done. The signal to substitute is to the referee and should be lowered when he recognizes a substitute is waiting to enter. At that time the assistant moves to the halfway line to supervise things. He will check the substitutes uniform and ensure he doesn't enter the field until a there is a signal from the referee to do so.

Few referees in America take the time to do a substitution correctly because of the effects of American football, hockey and basketball. There is a way to do it correctly, believe me.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Hi Franco. Welcome back. While we are now taught NOT to pop the flag, I always tell my ARs to indeed pop it as loudly as they can. As I've gotten older and my eyesight's not so good, I depend more on my hearing and I rarely miss a popped flag. 2. It is always a good idea to mirror your fellow AR. 3. See Ref Fleischer's answer