To eliminate any confusion, here is what it means if you are listed as the Home Team or the Visiting Team. And, a few other field etiquette items.

Home Team - gets to choose which touchline they want to set-up on. Teams are required to be on opposite touchlines. The touchline is the sideline.

Referees DO NOT get involved with settling who sits where.

Visiting Team - the captain will get to call the coin toss to see which sides of the field the teams will take for kickoff.

Please have your parents remain on your side of the field during the game. It just creates constant trouble and squabbles otherwise.

FIELD SET-UP
BOTH teams who have the FIRST game help with field set-up...recruit parents for this, you'll be busy with your players.

a) Arrive early enough to get this done...

b) Retrieve the field container, it can be left at one of the corners of the field during the game

c) Move the goals to the goal area with the portable wheels that you will find in the field container

d) PLEASE DO NOT drag the goals across the fields

e) Lock the chain and lock to the back bar of one of the goals so the folks who close can find them!

f) Put the portable wheels back in the field container

g) Attach the nets to the goals, there are clips along the top and side frame to hook the nets to.

h) Secure the bottoms of the nets to the sides and back bars, there should be bungees in the field container

i) Make sure all four corner flags are in the corners

j) Make sure the goals have the sand bags counterweights on the back bars

k) You will find the match (game) balls in the field container

 

FIELD BREAKDOWN
BOTH teams who have the LAST game help with field take-down...recruit parents for this, you'll be busy with your players.

a) Remove the nets from the goals, place in the field container

b) Get the portable wheels from the field container

c) PLEASE DO NOT drag the goals across the fields

d) Put the goals back in the area where you last saw them. If on the grass rotate the position they are in so the mowers can mow the long grass.

e) LOCK the goals with the chain that you will find attached to the back bar (see e) above)

f) Put the portable wheels back in the field container

g) Be sure to put all the bungees in the field container

h) Remove all four corner flags and put them in the field containers

i) Remove the sand bags from the goals and place them in a spot along the edge of the field where they won't interfere with the mower.

j) Find all the match balls and put them in the field container

k) POLICE the area for trash. Again, we get to use the school fields for free as long as we are responsible.

COLE GRADE - the last teams are responsible for emptying ALL the trash cans at that facility. Parks and Rec does NOT clean up after us. We will do the best we can to make sure there are trash bags there to replace the ones you are going to remove and put in the dumpster that is located on School Bus Road over by the other softball field. If there is no new trash bag empty the trash can anyway. Janis or I always police the fields, we'll get a new one in.

If your fields are not set-up correctly the referees are instructed not to start the game until the problems are corrected. Any delay is taken away from your game time, as the follow-on games MUST start on time.

Coaches, your Technical Area, the area from which you can coach, is ten yards on either side of the halfway line. The size of the center circle on the Middle School and Cole Grade fields, two yards on either side of the center circle on the El Lower and El Football field. We are a bit liberal with this on the Division 6 field as long as you behave yourself but certainly not closer to the goal line than the top of the penalty area.

NO ONE may coach or be behind the goals during a game. Use the penalty area boundary lines as the area to stay out of.

Elementary and Cole Grade fields - you will retrieve and return your field containers to the back of the snack bar building

Middle School - you will retrieve and return your field container to the smaller container box at the far end of the football field. It is possible when you arrive it might be at the softball backstop. All depends if I get around to all the fields that morning.

I referee a lot so may be on a field but I do listen for my phone...if you have any problems (you cannot solve) call my cell phone (760) 518-0535.

PLEASE remember, your players (and you) are supposed to have FUN!

Thanks again for all you do! Let me know if you have any questions.

Tom
referees@vcys.org