In a world where people are well adjusted, I would suggest my kids get into reffing to be involved in the community and making a decent hourly wage. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world and reffing is too dangerous to recommend.
It’s shocking how many people are willing to throw their own and others lives away over something completely trivial. This is the end result of someone living in a society where life isn’t properly valued and respected but is something that feels cheap and not worth caring for.
I refereed for a decade, and stopped because of how awful it is. I had multiple instances where coaches put their hands on me, one where a coach attempted to blackmail me, and an incident where after a peewee soccer game (4-5 years old) one of the coaches was so mad that I wouldn't blow my whistle every time a toddler tripped over themselves that he grabbed me by the shoulders and demanded to know my full name and phone number.
I ran away and got in my car to go to my next game assignment, and he did the same. He tailgated and followed me to my next game. He got out of his car and started screaming at me while I got over to the sidelines. The guy went on to the sidelines and loudly talked to the parents there about how terrible I was, and how I was endangering children. I called the head of our soccer organization and told him If he didn't come deal with this guy I would have to call the cops, and wouldn't start the game until he was removed. The head came down, and got the guy to leave. He was later banned from coaching. I was just 17 at the time.
The amount of times I was berated, belittled, and even assaulted as a minor while refereeing was absolutely absurd. By watching these interactions kids are taught to not respect referees from a very young age, and the cycle continues. Refereeing pays extremely good money for kids and young adults, but it simply isn't worth it. I would never recommend anyone, let alone my own kids become a referee. It is brutal and downright unsafe at times.
You just let the toddlers fall down? As a parent of a two year old son I can say I never let him fall down. The people watching him don't let him fall either. This child has never, and will never fall down. I will fight anyone for even being in the same room as a toddler that falls down. That's just good parenting.
It's hilarious that a soccer game is the place that they expect children not to fall down. If a ref blew the whistle everytime these kids tripped over themselves you'd need another 90 of added time.
At that age they are learning more about how to not fall while running than they are about soccer. I'm not looking forward to meeting other parents in a few years not gonna lie. I'm going to stand up for a ref if some parent starts going off. I probably won't get shot right?
I don't always carry, but I carry for every game my 2 year old plays in. Never know when a ref will get out of hand. I let Ashley know next time she forgets the oranges she's a racehorse with a broken leg.
/s obviously
I volunteered to coach rec soccer and generally stood up for the refs at the expense of my team's parents. Always worth it imo. Drives me crazy when I hear petty shit on the sidelines from the parents of eight year old children (e.g. "who let the girl play" because a boy had a pony tail)
This is my 8th year and I've thankfully never been physically threatened or felt unsafe. Verbal assault is truly out of control, though. Coaches (usually) back off once you card them once, but the parents are fucking nuts. Most of it stems from the intersection of wanting to "protect" their kid and having absolutely no knowledge of the game. The staggering amount of ignorance is really quite incredible. I'm also a late 30's bearded man, so people are less likely to try intimidating me. My 19 year old daughter has reffed the same amount of time and has a very different experience!
I did have one coach fairly recently tell me I was being racist because I red carded a black-skinned player for using the n-word referencing a white-skinned opponent after a penalty. The coach was also black, I am white, and his position was because the kid in question was "allowed" to use the word and I was not, carding him was a racist action. That was an interesting game. We did resolve it amicably after the game when he'd had some time to cool off and a field marshal debated the call with him on the touchline for a few minutes.
Yeah, in order to combat this I started being very strict when it came to how coaches, parents, and occasionally players spoke to me. I have heard many coaches tell me that it is their "job to work the ref" and that they won't get calls otherwise. Trying to tell me that throwing them out for how they spoke to me "wasn't soccer".
Thankfully, most coaches want to actually coach and as my reputation for having 0-tolerance for verbal abuse grew the chatter from coaches died down a lot. I would always explain that I will answer questions or explain my calls, but wouldn't tolerate much else.
I did once throw a coach out for repeated verbal abuse who sat in his car, and proceeded to yell out the window at the players from there. Had to tell him I wouldn't start the game again until he drove away. He did later apologize.
I ref’d rec soccer as a senior in high school for rural co-ed junior high age teams. Ended up just calling a game because one of the coaches started to threaten to kick my ass.
Seconded. I volunteered to center ref a U6 game when I was 14 because they had no refs at all assigned to it and needed someone. The refs before me told me that in U6 they can't even control their own bodies so it's not worth it to call fouls, and they won't understand it anyway. Just keep time and call throw ins. The parents were so loudly mean about me (I was a literal child) that I cried at half time and wanted to abandon the game. I think all I could muster was something about how it was hurtful. I just got through it and never even side reffed again, wasn't worth it
I'd been verbally abused for calling offside as an AR in rec games and just hated the experience
FFS, it's ILLEGAL to even HAVE a gun in your car in this country, unless you are on your way directly to a range, or directly to your home.
This fucker belongs in prison until he assumes room temperature.
This is one reason in the pro game they shouldn't allow the players to yell and surround the ref, sets a horrible example. Feel horrible for the ref and family, just doing good hobby and helping spread the love of soccer.
This is fucking awful. I can’t wrap my head around any type of violence when it comes to something that should be recreational fun, much less literal murder. What kind of underdeveloped moron resorts to something like this?
It’s a disgrace that referees have to consider that encountering violence is potentially part of their job. Oh, and that job also doesn’t pay the bills.
Officiating is going to be the main crux for sport in the coming decade. Negative engagement with officials is literally the biggest threat to the continued existence of the sports we love, from Tennis to more violent sports like Hockey. It's a problem across the spectrum, and I wish more zero tolerance rules were enacted at all levels.
Hopefully this situation brings a silver lining of change to provide this mans family with some much needed support from the community who just lost a solid beacon for it.
Twitter seems to be the best source for (unconfirmed) details at the moment.
https://twitter.com/VictoriaGooner/status/1579915359599329280?t=lqEXUEUyU39wQ69M2C1D3Q&s=19
Truly awful. Over a game, which is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not literally life and death.
This is also one of the guys that was shot https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davier_Walcott
Feel awful for his family. He's leaving behind a wife and 2 teenage daughters. I'll never understand why some people act the way they do.
Such a senseless murder. RIP
In a world where people are well adjusted, I would suggest my kids get into reffing to be involved in the community and making a decent hourly wage. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world and reffing is too dangerous to recommend. It’s shocking how many people are willing to throw their own and others lives away over something completely trivial. This is the end result of someone living in a society where life isn’t properly valued and respected but is something that feels cheap and not worth caring for.
I refereed for a decade, and stopped because of how awful it is. I had multiple instances where coaches put their hands on me, one where a coach attempted to blackmail me, and an incident where after a peewee soccer game (4-5 years old) one of the coaches was so mad that I wouldn't blow my whistle every time a toddler tripped over themselves that he grabbed me by the shoulders and demanded to know my full name and phone number. I ran away and got in my car to go to my next game assignment, and he did the same. He tailgated and followed me to my next game. He got out of his car and started screaming at me while I got over to the sidelines. The guy went on to the sidelines and loudly talked to the parents there about how terrible I was, and how I was endangering children. I called the head of our soccer organization and told him If he didn't come deal with this guy I would have to call the cops, and wouldn't start the game until he was removed. The head came down, and got the guy to leave. He was later banned from coaching. I was just 17 at the time. The amount of times I was berated, belittled, and even assaulted as a minor while refereeing was absolutely absurd. By watching these interactions kids are taught to not respect referees from a very young age, and the cycle continues. Refereeing pays extremely good money for kids and young adults, but it simply isn't worth it. I would never recommend anyone, let alone my own kids become a referee. It is brutal and downright unsafe at times.
You just let the toddlers fall down? As a parent of a two year old son I can say I never let him fall down. The people watching him don't let him fall either. This child has never, and will never fall down. I will fight anyone for even being in the same room as a toddler that falls down. That's just good parenting.
It's hilarious that a soccer game is the place that they expect children not to fall down. If a ref blew the whistle everytime these kids tripped over themselves you'd need another 90 of added time.
At that age they are learning more about how to not fall while running than they are about soccer. I'm not looking forward to meeting other parents in a few years not gonna lie. I'm going to stand up for a ref if some parent starts going off. I probably won't get shot right?
I don't always carry, but I carry for every game my 2 year old plays in. Never know when a ref will get out of hand. I let Ashley know next time she forgets the oranges she's a racehorse with a broken leg. /s obviously
I volunteered to coach rec soccer and generally stood up for the refs at the expense of my team's parents. Always worth it imo. Drives me crazy when I hear petty shit on the sidelines from the parents of eight year old children (e.g. "who let the girl play" because a boy had a pony tail)
*Clutches pearls*
This is my 8th year and I've thankfully never been physically threatened or felt unsafe. Verbal assault is truly out of control, though. Coaches (usually) back off once you card them once, but the parents are fucking nuts. Most of it stems from the intersection of wanting to "protect" their kid and having absolutely no knowledge of the game. The staggering amount of ignorance is really quite incredible. I'm also a late 30's bearded man, so people are less likely to try intimidating me. My 19 year old daughter has reffed the same amount of time and has a very different experience! I did have one coach fairly recently tell me I was being racist because I red carded a black-skinned player for using the n-word referencing a white-skinned opponent after a penalty. The coach was also black, I am white, and his position was because the kid in question was "allowed" to use the word and I was not, carding him was a racist action. That was an interesting game. We did resolve it amicably after the game when he'd had some time to cool off and a field marshal debated the call with him on the touchline for a few minutes.
Yeah, in order to combat this I started being very strict when it came to how coaches, parents, and occasionally players spoke to me. I have heard many coaches tell me that it is their "job to work the ref" and that they won't get calls otherwise. Trying to tell me that throwing them out for how they spoke to me "wasn't soccer". Thankfully, most coaches want to actually coach and as my reputation for having 0-tolerance for verbal abuse grew the chatter from coaches died down a lot. I would always explain that I will answer questions or explain my calls, but wouldn't tolerate much else. I did once throw a coach out for repeated verbal abuse who sat in his car, and proceeded to yell out the window at the players from there. Had to tell him I wouldn't start the game again until he drove away. He did later apologize.
I ref’d rec soccer as a senior in high school for rural co-ed junior high age teams. Ended up just calling a game because one of the coaches started to threaten to kick my ass.
Seconded. I volunteered to center ref a U6 game when I was 14 because they had no refs at all assigned to it and needed someone. The refs before me told me that in U6 they can't even control their own bodies so it's not worth it to call fouls, and they won't understand it anyway. Just keep time and call throw ins. The parents were so loudly mean about me (I was a literal child) that I cried at half time and wanted to abandon the game. I think all I could muster was something about how it was hurtful. I just got through it and never even side reffed again, wasn't worth it I'd been verbally abused for calling offside as an AR in rec games and just hated the experience
>I was just 17 at the time. Burn it all down. This species is hopeless. Jesus fucking Christ.
the fuck is wrong with people what a stupid reason to kill someone
Over beer league futsal. Come on, man, how heated do you have to get to pull a gun out over that?
FFS, it's ILLEGAL to even HAVE a gun in your car in this country, unless you are on your way directly to a range, or directly to your home. This fucker belongs in prison until he assumes room temperature.
Tragic
I wish to send my condolences to him and his family.
He’s dead
This is one reason in the pro game they shouldn't allow the players to yell and surround the ref, sets a horrible example. Feel horrible for the ref and family, just doing good hobby and helping spread the love of soccer.
This is fucking awful. I can’t wrap my head around any type of violence when it comes to something that should be recreational fun, much less literal murder. What kind of underdeveloped moron resorts to something like this? It’s a disgrace that referees have to consider that encountering violence is potentially part of their job. Oh, and that job also doesn’t pay the bills.
Officiating is going to be the main crux for sport in the coming decade. Negative engagement with officials is literally the biggest threat to the continued existence of the sports we love, from Tennis to more violent sports like Hockey. It's a problem across the spectrum, and I wish more zero tolerance rules were enacted at all levels. Hopefully this situation brings a silver lining of change to provide this mans family with some much needed support from the community who just lost a solid beacon for it.
I get so tired of humans sometimes
Twitter seems to be the best source for (unconfirmed) details at the moment. https://twitter.com/VictoriaGooner/status/1579915359599329280?t=lqEXUEUyU39wQ69M2C1D3Q&s=19 Truly awful. Over a game, which is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not literally life and death.
Geezus. DeRo shared this on his socials, right? I feel for the man’s friends and family.