Question Number: 21138

Law 5 - The Referee 4/17/2009

RE: Average Adult

Sonny of Vallenberg, Holland Netherlands asks...

Hi! I have seen a lot of people refering to the diagonal system of control, when there are 2 assistants. However at my level, there are no assistants, so what system of control can I use as my running pattern, when i have no assistants on the line?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Try the Run-A-Lot system! ;o)

Players, Coaches even fans will still rail if you miss something but they will cut you some slack if you APPEAR to be doing your best to be up on the play! We often forget how important being physically fit is in this game. Do not except any comfort if you remain at centre circle for most of the match

As a single official you generally pick a side and weave in and out like a series of U's and W's! Remember if you get caught out a STRAIGHT line will get you even faster than a diagonal.
Try to get the sun at the back, when possible avoid wind and blowing rain if it is sideways to the field.

Occasionally get to the goal line on the corners to keep the players unsighted misconduct at a minimum. There is no doubt you need to cover greater area and remain closer to play. I tell teams upfront if they are running offside traps I will not always be across from play and I only call what I know to be true, no guessing . I have a colleague who likes to call every other one as in not letting them know which one they are on but in reality a single pair of eyes goes only so far! You put out effort, run smart, try to anticipate but STAY out of the middle and passing lanes. I use the whistle as a CLEAR stop play device perpaps to a greater degree as a single official then if blessed with ARS or 4th. Try verbally communicating and keep a sense of humor in any setting be it as a single official or with ARs!

Be sure to keep heading into the call if you make it from distance, as you blow the whistle, so when you finish, you are at the point of the foul or misconduct. Indicate the direction, get back out of the way, anticipate the next sequence of events!

Look to expect deep counters or punt outs so you can cheat in anticipation but expect occassionally to misread or a poor cleareance to catch you out!

I have even requested the keeper/kicker on a drop ball or goal kick to give me a moment to get into position. Lets face it you will never outrun the ball very far or very often it simply travels too fast!

One might use this brief but pointed talk to the coaches or captains,' I am FAIR not perfect, and will do my best! PLAY the WHISTLE at all times! If you run offside traps look to my position before you start raising the arm! I call what I know to be true I do not guess! Have a good match! Any questions?
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Solo refereeing means you work your ass off, as you are responsible for offside judgment as well as dealing with offenses that need a whistle, or players who need you to whisper in their ear or tear a strip out of their hide.

Advice on positioning? Get an angle on the play(ers) so you can see what needs to be seen, even if it means sacrificing proximity. Cheat wide - meaning run a shallow diagonal to allow you to see the touchlines, get an angle and have a hope of determining offside correctly. Go deep only when you have to, because recovery will be harder when there is no AR on the other end to help you out.

YOU are the system of control in solo games - you just have to figure out where you have to be, and get there - over and over again. Best wishes.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

I call it the oval. Your running pattern is to go where you need to go, keeping the oval in mind as a 'safer place' to be.

Imagine the oval goes as wide as the penalty area and is as long as the space in between the tops of both penalty areas as well.

You may diverge from this area when the game calls for it, but doing so will take you into riskier positions, even extreme positions, which will make it hard to recover into a good position if you get stuck very far away. The oval will make it easier for you to see more things. When adopting extreme positions consider risk vs. reward by considering the skill, fitness, and speed of the players and compare that against your own physical ability and fitness.

However when you need to get there... get there.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

That would be the run like hell as fast as you can and try to watch everything system of control. All kidding aside, I've found myself in just that position many times. You can't possibly be everywhere and you cannot do the AR's job of watching for offside. Concentrate on the players and the ball but try to create a large enough angle to see what's going on elsewhere. In other words, don't get so close to play you miss everything else. Keep up with offside as best you can. If this is an adult game, tell the players before the game there's no way you'll get every offside call right and you'll do the best you can. If it's a youth game tell the coaches you will do the best you can to get offside correct but you will miss some and you expect the coaches to understand.

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 21157