This page provides access to various referee documents which can be read, printed or downloaded. The documents are provided in Adobe Acrobat (aka pdf).
All Adobe PDF files created on this web site are made with Adobe Acrobat 7.0. Adobe readers prior to version 7 may not correctly read the new files. Get your free new version of the adobe reader. Standard version is 13.1 Mb; full version is 20.3 Mb.
Pdf is a compressed format, so the documents are not offered in a zipped form.
To save these documents to your disk, right click on the link to bring up a context menu and then
- in internet explorer choose Save Target As
- in netscape choose Save Link As
The principle document is the Laws of the Game (1.8 mB). The AYSO Laws of the Game (1.1 mB) is the Laws modified for AYSO.
This document covers Laws 1 - 17, the 4th Official, the Referee's and Assistant Referee's signals, presents illustration of game situations, and provides additional instructions for the Referee, Assistant Referee and 4th Official.
An interpretation of the changes to the LOTG by Steve French, an Australian Referee Coach, is available (172 mB). This is a zipped power point presentation.
Previous versions of the Laws of the Game are available:
2006 (1.3 mB)
Fred Speirs offers the major differences between this year's and last year's. Doug Smith offers an analysis on the differences between question 3.13 and 3.13.1.
2005 (845 kb)
2004 (921 kB)
2002 (1.9 mB)
FIFA also publishes Questions and Answers on the Laws of the Game. The 2006
(
163 kB) version is available.
Previous versions of the Q & A are available:
The 2005 ( 551 kB) version is available.
There are some interesting changes, and some confusing changes.
Read Gil Weber's comments.
Additional reading is Gary Voshol's comparison
( 22 kB)
of the differences between the 2004 version and the 2005 version.
USSF has published a document (69kB) discussing the seven actions which result in a caution.
Previous versions are available:
- 2004 (72kB)
USSF has also published the 2005 7+7 memo
( 143 kB)
which lists the only reasons for cautioning and sending off.
USSF has published a short guide of misconduct to watch for in
free kick
( 68 kB) situations
As they do every year, FIFA met and made some changes to the Laws of the Game16 kB).
USSF has published its summary of the law changes (79 kB).
AYSO has published its summary of the law changes (26kB). In addition, AYSO has published a clarification on the offside law position (12kB).
Previous changes to the Laws of the Game are available:
FIFA has issued a new interpretation in 2005 of the Offside law.(23 kB). This interpretation in accompanied by a Flash animation (29 kB) demonstrating the salient points.
The significant change in interpretation is that a player in an offside position, not interferring with an opponent, may not be sanctioned for an offside infraction until he touches the ball.
Double click on the previous link and your browser will show the animation. If Flash is not loaded onto your system, your browser will ask your permission to load it. You may download the animation to your local disk and then present it by opening it with your browser.
FIFA has issued a clarification (20 kB)
to the above intetpretation on 18 Aug 05.
USSF has issued a position paper (27 Kb)
supporting the FIFA clarification.
The paper seems self contradictory (the English is turbid), but the conclusion supports FIFA's position.
AYSO has published concurrance with th USSF position paper on 26 Aug. 05:
AYSO follows the directives of USSF, our National Governing body, and this is just a clarification of the way offside should have been taught in the past and should continue to be taught. The attachment (the above USSF psoition paper ed) is from Alfred Kleinaitis, USSF Manager of Referee Development and Education.
Thanks,
Joe (Eldridge ed)
USSF has published an offside PowerPoint presentation that is available for download.
"Life as we know it has not changed." -- Gil Weber
If you do not have power point, a free viewer (windows only) is available (not tried ed).
If you do not care for microsoft products, try open office. You get word and excel also. (not tried ed)
(offside used to be simple, ed)
In 1903 the FA council (England) published:
It is not a breach of Law for a player simply to be in an off-side position, but only when in that position he causes the play to be affected.
- FA council
December 14th, 1903
Thanks to Ferenc & Sandy Korompai <korompai*nospam*@MSN.COM> for the quote.
There has been a recent (April 2006) flurry of discussion on offside on the referee mail server.
Jim Gorden, a referee from many parts of the world (my last contact with him was in Maryland), has written an interesting
essay on the topic
(17 kb).
It is well worth reading and considering.
Tom Marlin (Area 11/K Referee Administrator) and Wayne Merrick (Area 11/Q Director of Assessment) made a presentation at the Tri-Section conference held in San Diego in April 06 on "Offside Interpretation -, What's New?" The presentation in zipped power point is available (60 Kb). The presentation includes a brief history of offside, a review of the offside law, and the clarifications issued by FIFA in 2005. A reference to the FIFA flash and the USSF power point presentations (described above) is made.
The United States Soccer Federation has published its latest
Instruction To Referees
(109 kB).
The United States Soccer Federation has published its latest Instructions for Referees and Resolutions Affecting Team Coaches and Players (70 kb)
There has been a new interpretation of the mehods a referee may use to enforce the required distance on free kicks. Read this article to find out how referees are to enforce the required distance.
FIFA memoranda are available:
Summary of 2006 meeting 50 kB.
Associated with this summary is a depiction of the misconduct (1 MB).
2002 152kB.
more to come.
USSF memoranda are available:
2005 80kB.
2005 Español 80Kb.
2005 Power Point 176kB.
2004 50kB.
2003 71kB.
2002 52kB.
The laws can be open to interpretation. USSF has published the 2006 version of the Advice To Referees. This is a link to the USSF site. The Document is approximately 4MB in size. You need Adobe Reader 6.0 or better to view the document. It may be only viewed on your computer. Your may not print it nor cut and paste quotes from it into other documents. 2006 ATR
Previous versions are available:
- 2005 Advice to Referees (900 kB)
- 2003 Advice to Referees (749 kB).
Joseph Cohen has made a comparison between the 2001 and 2003 versions (77 kB)
- 2001 Advice to Referee (975kB).
Another USSF document is the Guide to Procedures for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials, year 2003 ed. (158 kB).
The USSF publishes memoranda and position papers on various topics of interest to referees, including:
Time Management,
43 kB,
Mass Confrontations,
52 kB,
Misconduct and Language,
53 kB and
Restarts after Striking
70 kB.
Additional papers may be found on the USSF web site. On the home page, click Laws of the Game (found in the left side menu); then click Position Papers.
AYSO has published the Rules and Regulations (1.8 Mb)
Previous versions are avaialble:
- 2004
(116 kb)
Injuries and Substitutions
AYSO has published a Guidance for Referees and Coaches. From page 59 and the Q & A section are the rules governing injured players and substitutions:
If the referee allows a coach, parent, or other responsible adult to enter the field to assess an injured player, must that player leave the field and, if so, when may the player reenter?
Law 5 requires the referee to stop the match if, in his or her opinion, a player is seriously injured. Law 5 also requires the referee to ensure that the player leaves the field of play.
The determination of what constitutes a ‘serious injury’ should take into account the player’s age. The younger the player, the quicker the referee’s whistle to stop the game. The referee should then beckon the coach to come assess the injured player.
If the referee believes the player is only slightly injured, play should be allowed to continue until the ball is out of play. In this case the injured player is not required to leave the field of play unless someone has entered to assess the injury.
As soon as it is safe to do so, the person responsible for checking the injured player’s condition must escort the player off the field of play. This allows time for determination of the player’s ability to safely continue playing.
If a goalkeeper is injured but not being substituted, he or she may be treated on the field of play and is not required to leave. Injuries involving a goalkeeper and another player and any severe injury to a player such as a concussion, broken leg, swallowed tongue, etc., may also be treated on the field of play.
Before an injured player may return to the field of play, the match must have restarted and the referee signaled permission for the player to return. If the ball is in play, entry must be from a touch line; if the ball is not in play entry may be from a goal line or a touch line.
It is important that the referee remain alert as to when the player is ready to return and give permission at the earliest opportunity so that the player’s team is returned to full strength.
Section 11 and Area K stand behind the above policy.
Various summaries for referee students are available:
- Assistant Referee Guide (52kB)
- Diagonal System of Control (78kB)
- Fouls and Misconduct (94kB)
- Mechanics of Set Plays (60kB)
- Offside (98kB)
As a student, you will be interested in any information concerning the written test. Here are sample tests. Not the real test, but similar questions, style and format.
- Intermediate (22kB)
Basic Referee Instructor Course Material
Referee Education
Region 5 has acquired vhs tapes of the World Cup 2002 showing all misconduct and all goals. Entertaining and educational. Talk with the Region 5 Referee Administrator to check out the tapes.
Area K has acquired the following training tapes/cds/dvds Talk with the Area Referee Adminstrator to check out the information.
- Painting the Gray Area. Produced by John Nielsen, former FIFA Assistant Referee. 2003. DVD. A series of vignettes showing questionable events from the prior world cup. You are tasked to decide what the call is. A great presentation for the experienced referee in a learning and disscussion environment.
- Euro 2004. Produced by John Nielsen. 2005. DVD. Clips from the Euro 2004 games showing foul vs no foul, careless vs reckless, foul vs unsproting behavior, send off examples, dangerous play and offside examples. Another good (but poorer in quality compared to Painting the Gray Area) training aid for a group discussion.
- Angle of View. Produced by Cal North. Narrated by Robert Evens, FIFA referee 1979 - 1987. CD. Runs on both Mac and PC (so i've been told. haven't tried it on a Mac). Evens argues that the angle of view that the referee has is more important than the distance from play. He supports his position with six videos and computer simulations of violent fouls. One of which was not called by either the referee or the assistant referee. It can be played from the CD, but the computer animation is jerky. Takes 230 Mb of your hard disk space. (a zipped file, at a mere 190Mb, is on the CD in case you want to keep a copy.)
- Fine Tuning the Thinking Referee. Produced by John Nielsen. 2005. DVD. Clips from various games showing offside, misconduct, fouls, keeper play, and others. Best presented in a group so that discussion of the incidents can ensue.
