Palmdale Youth Soccer League

Palmdale Youth Soccer League has witnessed incidents where coaches and/or spectators’ behaviors required referees to stop matches to deal with the situation. There were also unfortunate incidents where abusive behavior continued at the end of the games.

Because of these incidents, the PYSL Board of Directors would like to remind everyone, coaches, players, parents and spectators, referee abuse WILL NOT be tolerated.

Our zero tolerance policy applies to all referees and any PYSL volunteers and will be enforced as follows:

If a coach, player, parent or spectator becomes abusive towards game referees, the center referee may stop the match and have a conversation with the offending person.  The purpose of the conversation is to inform the offending person that his/her behavior is not acceptable and this is the only warning which will be given. 

After the conversation, the offending person has the following options:

• Return to the side line and refrain from further abusive behavior
• Leave the park

Should the person continue the same behavior; a send-off (red card) will be given to this person and he/she will be required to leave the immediate playing area. 

Youth referees will follow the same procedures accompanied by a PYSL board member.

Any coach, player, parent or spectator who is abusive toward referees may automatically be sent off (red card) by referees or board members without prior warning.  Abusive behavior may include but not limited to the following: foul language or gesture, racially or sexually suggestive comments.

If the abusive behavior continues at the end of the game, the referees in charge can and will issue a send off (red card).

Referees will report all sent offs and PYSL Executive Board (President, Vice President, Secretary, Registrar and Treasurer) will review the incidents and determine the appropriate follow-up actions.  Pursuant to the PYSL Rules of Competition, article IV, improper conduct may result in suspension or expulsion.  The PYSL Executive Board has the sole discretion in determining the outcome of the review.   

PYSL also reserves the right to investigate any and all reported misconducts during any league functions that are defined by the Rules of Competition, article IV.

Quick look at some of the changes.

A. 

In the current Laws, if a defender fouls an attacker in the defender’s own penalty area, and the referee determines that the defender should be sent off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, the defender (and their team) is subject to three punishments:

1.            The defender is sent-off (and the team must play with one less player)

2.            The attacking team is awarded a penalty kick.

3.            The defender is subject to a further suspension (which varies by league, but ranges from 1 to 3 games).

Under the revised Laws, if the defender is making a legitimate attempt to play the ball and simply mis-times a tackle, for example, the defender will be cautioned instead of sent off. This only applies to fouls committed inside the penalty area, and only when the referee determines there was a legitimate attempt to play the ball.  If the defender should, for example, grab the jersey of the attacker, the defender would still be subject to being sent off.

Further, if the foul occurs outside of the penalty area, the defender would continue to be subject to a send off, consistent with the current edition of the Laws.

B.  A kick-off may now be kicked in any direction, including backwards

C.  Goalkeepers who come off their line during a penalty kick will be cautioned if the kick fails, in addition to the kick being re-taken

D.  If the kicker of the penalty kick violates the Laws, the kick will no longer be retaken and play will be restarted with an indirect free kick for the defending team

E.  If opposing players are off the field of play (through the course of normal play) and one commits a foul, play will be restarted with the appropriate free kick, on the touchline or goal line.  Under the current Laws, play restarts with a dropped ball, as only misconduct and not fouls can be committed off the field of play.  Example, when a pair of opponents go off the field during the run of play, and one grabs the other to prevent him/her from re-entering the field of play.  The team of the player whose shirt was grabbed will now be awarded a free-kick on the appropriate boundary line.  Note that this could result in a penalty kick being awarded.

F.  Offside restarts will be taken from the point on the field where the offending player was when they became offside.  Under the current Laws, the restart would be taken from the point where they were originally in an offside position.  (Editor’s note: it will be interesting to see how the Assistant Referee mechanics might be updated to handle a situation where a player starts a play from an offside position in the attacking half of the field and then becomes involved in active play on the defending half of the field)