There is a national shortage of referee's for youth sports in Massachusetts. Many seasoned referee's are walking away from the sport we all love, and many younger adults are too intimidated to go through the training because of sideline behavior.
We want to ensure that games are fair, positive and enjoyable experiences for all of the children and adults involved. A soccer game should be friendly - a spirited social and athletic occasion for players, coaches, referees and spectators. To comply with MAYS conduct polices, we jointly expect all coaches to conform to this Code of Conduct:
NYSA would like to stress two points:
Referees - especially young and inexperienced ones - are like your players and yourself, in that they need time to develop. There is a national shortage of referees. You can play an important role in helping them to improve by letting them concentrate on the game. You can help by encouraging them, by accepting their inevitable, occasional mistakes and by offering constructive post-game comments. On the other hand, you could discourage and demoralize the referees by criticizing their decisions, by verbally abusing them and inciting - or even accepting - your own players' overly aggressive behavior. Remember, that no soccer game has ever been won or loss on a throw in from mid field.
Your example is powerful- for better or worse. If you insist on fair play, if you concentrate on your players' enjoyment of the game and their overall, long term development, and if you support the referee, your players and their parents will notice. If you encourage (or allow) your players to play outside the rules, if you're overly concerned about results, and if you criticize the referee harshly, your players and their parents will also notice.
Think about what you're doing during a game! Uphold the Spirit of the Game! If you follow the expectations described above, the spirit of the game will be alive and well in Massachusetts and will grow, along with the enjoyment of all.
We want to ensure that games are fair, positive and enjoyable experiences for all of the children and adults involved. A soccer game should be friendly - a spirited social and athletic occasion for players, coaches, referees and spectators. To comply with MAYS conduct polices, we jointly expect all coaches to conform to this Code of Conduct:
NYSA would like to stress two points:
Referees - especially young and inexperienced ones - are like your players and yourself, in that they need time to develop. There is a national shortage of referees. You can play an important role in helping them to improve by letting them concentrate on the game. You can help by encouraging them, by accepting their inevitable, occasional mistakes and by offering constructive post-game comments. On the other hand, you could discourage and demoralize the referees by criticizing their decisions, by verbally abusing them and inciting - or even accepting - your own players' overly aggressive behavior. Remember, that no soccer game has ever been won or loss on a throw in from mid field.
Your example is powerful- for better or worse. If you insist on fair play, if you concentrate on your players' enjoyment of the game and their overall, long term development, and if you support the referee, your players and their parents will notice. If you encourage (or allow) your players to play outside the rules, if you're overly concerned about results, and if you criticize the referee harshly, your players and their parents will also notice.
Think about what you're doing during a game! Uphold the Spirit of the Game! If you follow the expectations described above, the spirit of the game will be alive and well in Massachusetts and will grow, along with the enjoyment of all.