Thoughts From a First Year Soccer Referee

I played soccer for ten years as a kid and over the past few years I started getting into it again as a spectator (and on Xbox, I think Martin Tyler is tired of commentating on my ability to dance the Worm after I score goals), but in 2013 I figured I'd get back onto the field and become a referee. 

It's really easy to do here in the U.S., you go to your state federation (in Massachusetts, go to massref.org), sign up for a class on the Laws of the Game and take a test. 

The hard part is actually doing it, and for that I want to thank the Westford Youth Soccer Association, the Chelmsford Youth Soccer Association and the Nashoba Valley League for giving me a steady stream of assignments during my first fall. 

If there was one moment that I remember above all others, it was at Westford Academy. 

Westford has a ton of teams, but the boys' 4A Under-14 team was really awful, I don't know any way to sugarcoat that.

I had a game with them September and one of the players had to ask the other team's coach how to do a throw-in. (two feet on the ground, both hands over your head. Day One stuff.) 

So, here I am with these guys again in October at Westford Academy and they're playing Melrose. Before the game I look at the standings and they have not only not won a game yet, but they've been outscored so far by something like 67-0. 

Melrose gets 7 goals by halftime, and then the Melrose coach takes off a player for the sake of sportsmanship in the second half, but they still score another goal. At this point, the Melrose coach tells their players not to even shoot.

But, since we're talking about 13-year-olds here, they get bored and goof around....

One of the Westford players gets the ball deep in the Melrose end, and they score a goal. I know a referee can't root for either side, but that was kind of a Mighty Ducks moment right there. Even though that Melrose defender didn't intentionally give the ball away, I think even he felt happy for the Westford kids.

I just checked the final standings today for the first time. Westford was outscored this season 81-1. And I was there for that one goal.....

I've got a ton of thoughts on soccer refereeing, it's a great hobby, and I'll try to blog more here on Patch with more soccer stuff here and there.