Offside rule

[SRD]

I understand the tough role of being a ref, but many of the linesmen in the high school soccer games do not understand the offsides rule. I understand the close calls, but we are talking about perfect through balls that are called off sides just because a striker who is several yards behind a defender when the ball is struck gets to the ball first.

[tarp]

Totally feel your pain in school and select soccer!  My son is both a ref and a striker…you can see him back up a yard or two to start a run when ball is kicked.  Most AR's call it when ball is received rather than kicked. 

[tarp]

And when he refs, he gets crap from coaches for calling it correctly!  He wants to quit refing because even select parents don't understand the rule!

Edited October 27, 2014 by tarp

[MoonDogRex]

Biggest issue I have seen with ARs this year concering offsides is their postioning relative to the last defender. They are often trailing (in either direction) where the last defender is, and they have made a lot of calls from poor angles. Don't know if the issue is attentiveness or fitness.

[SRD]

In the big scheme of things it would not have made a difference in my daughter's HS season, though it did cost her numerous assists. I guess at her level with "select" it is normally not an issue- most I have seen could be argued either way without a taped review. At HS level... horrible. I just hope it does not cost a team in the playoffs. We have lived in other states and TN seems to be the worst with this at the HS level.

[RonMexico3]

Let's call a spade a spade: offside in soccer is the worse rule in all of sports. To equate it other sports, it's like saying a quarterback can not throw a pass if the receiver is behind the safety or the wing can't pass the ball to a point guard if the point guard is behind the opposing team.

[SRD]

Let's call a spade a spade: offside in soccer is the worse rule in all of sports. To equate it other sports, it's like saying a quarterback can not throw a pass if the receiver is behind the safety or the wing can't pass the ball to a point guard if the point guard is behind the opposing team.

I'm not sure I care either way, but it is a rule in the sport and as such should be properly understood. Most goal sports have their version of off sides- it took me longer to figure out the ice hockey off sides rule than the soccer rule. As such the rule should be properly understood and enforced by the refs.

[1925Kee]

And I have to add the worst APPLICATION of a rule has to be the jump ball in basketball. It is difficult, at best, to grab hold of a basketball when an opposing player already has control, and NOT foul. Yet, the reaching-in foul is almost never called. The jump ball call in middle school/high school is an easy call for the refs.