Refereeing a Friendly

A "friendly" is a soccer match between two teams with nothing really at stake. It's more European-speak for an exhibition game. I say that because the play can often be anything but friendly.

But, yesterday I refereed a "friendly" with a whole different spirit. It was an elementary school match between Vacaville Christians School and Southpointe Christian School. Southpointe is in south Sacramento, an area that is known for limited incomes and opportunity. Vacaville, on the other hand, is a fairly well-to-do school in an upscale neighborhood.

But, you couldn't tell the difference out on the pitch. The kids were bright-eyed and brought a curious mixture of intensity and sympathy to the game. They still tried hard to work the ball up and down the field. Goals and shots on goal were greeted with assorted cheers and groans. But, there was also a different dimension.

I don't know if any of the spectators caught it because the numerous incidents were so fleeting. A player would go down, a foul would happen or a ball ricocheted off a head and you immediately heard this from the opposing team, "Hey, are you okay?" Usually before I got back to check on the player, there was someone from the other team helping them to their feet or just asking if all the marbles were still in the brain.

I needed a match like this one. After spending the last two weeks mainly officiating whining coaches and players, it was like a breath of fresh air. Sure, there might be only one out of the two dozen or so kids that might go on to a club team ... but, so what? It was nice to see and be reminded that this is a "game!"

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