They had me officiating the U-8's today. I must admit I get a real kick out of these little ones. They are often so confused about what to do in the game that, as a referee, I spend a lot of time pointing them in the right direction and explaining what their coaches didn't tell them.
Most coaches at the recreation level (it seems especially true the younger the players are) tend to over-coach. These little guys and gals are out on the field and they have three coaches yelling at them, along with a host of parents, all giving contradictory information. I know that some leagues have a "silence" rule, but I don't think that helps the coaches improve. The reality is that once the kids get out on the pitch ... they're going to do their own thing.
My other peeve is when coaches yell at players for things that they (the coaches) have not yet covered. There was an indirect free kick for the purple team and the green team's coach was screaming at them to "build a wall." These poor kids had no idea what they were supposed to do. Some of them looked like they were hunting for a contractor or at least bricks and mortar!
When I referee the U-Littles, I try to "teach" them something about the game as they are playing. Years ago, when my guys were little, I saw a referee beautifully handle a U-8 game while at the same time instructing parents, coaches, and players. That's a primary reason that motivated me to get into refereeing.
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