Hope you had a wonderful Easter last Sunday, washed your uniform, stretched and ready to go for the last four weekends of Spring Soccer. 

At this week’s meeting we focused on positioning. This weekend, let’s pay attention where we are on the field. Are you too close to play? Are you about 10 to 12 yards away from the ball?  Are you constantly moving? Parents and Coaches appreciate a referee that is involved, communicating and focused. 

Just a few reminders for this weekend:
1) Sunday will be hot. Ask the Coaches if they want water breaks. Stay hydrated. 
2) 0911 is the code for locks on the porta potties. 
3) U10 Rec Select age groups have free substitutions. No quarters.
4) Talk with your whistle! Short bursts for simple fouls. Loud long bursts for serious fouls. 
5) Have fun! Have fun! Have fun! 
I will release the next two weekends about 5 pm Saturday. Next in person Meeting is May 16

1) It’s going to be hot. Take water breaks. Ask the coaches in the pregame if they want one. Remind coaches it is not a coaching moment, it’s a 30 second hydration break and the clock is running. Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated! 

2) Be Safe. Keep your phone near you at the end of the game. Unfortunately, coaches and parents have approached refs at the end of games and unpleasant conversations have ensued. Tell them you are recording the conversation. Tell me about any encounters with coaches and parents. 

3) Be Calm, Stay Calm: the heat this weekend might make everyone a little edgy so if the sideline gets agitated, find your inner ref place and ask nicely: 1)  please coach, control your sideline. 2) Please coach I am asking you 3) please coach I am telling you. Caution and then red card.  Ask, Tell, Dismiss. 

4) Run with the play! Don’t be a “center circle” ref and make sure if you are the center, run the field. Kids, coaches and parents will appreciate your energy and your close up viewpoint. You want to be neither too close nor too far from the action: 10-12 yards is a good rule of thumb. If you are the AR, run along the touchline, between the halfway line and the goal line, keeping level with the 2nd-to-last-defender or the ball, whichever is closer to the goal line. Keep up! 

5) Call the Games Tight! Coaches and parents are complaining we are missing fouls. Don’t be afraid to blow your whistle. 

Let’s remain calm this weekend and have fun!
Keep these notes in mind:
1) Check the schedule. Check the schedule. Games change.
2) Player cards are required this weekend. All JUSA teams should have them. Please check the players against a game card. 
3) All 9v9 games: no heading. There are mixed ages in this group. 
4) Designated home team listed on the schedule pays 100% of the refs. Only collect from one coach. 
5) Substitution Policy: 50% playing time required for every player. U8, U9, U10: no free subs. only sub at quarter breaks and at half. 25 min games, stop the game between 12 and 13 min mark for quarter and allow subs. This policy allowed for easy accountability with 50% playing time. 
U11 and older: free subs. 

6) No dogs. No dogs. No dogs. 
7) It will be hotter than normal. Take water breaks if needed. 

200 teams from all over the county with over 2000 players kicked off spring soccer last weekend. JUSA runs one of the largest Rec Spring programs in CalSouth. Without Referees, kids can not play this great game. Thanks for making it happen.

Some coaches comments from last weekend:
“Referee did a Good job explaining his calls” 

“Only had 1 ref (for U8), but he was great, very fair and friendly. His primary concern was player safety and he took the time to teach players the correct way to 1) throw in, 2) off-side rules and made it a learning experience for the kids”

“Refs were fair and friendly and personable. I hope to have them again”
Here are few notes for the second week:

1) Player cards: all teams should have player cards. Go ahead and check the cards with the players please. 
2) Pre Game with coaches: make sure you talk with the coaches about sideline behavior and respect. 
3) Be on time: Coaches get nervous and start calling me if they don’t see a referee. 

4) Talk with your Whistle!  Be vocal. Tell the players and coaches about the foul. 

5) The designated home team listed on the schedule pays 100% of the fees!

Thanks for being a ref this weekend!

First Spring 2022 JUSA games will start March 12 and run for 9 weeks. Only Rec and Rec Gold (Signature or Strong Rec Teams) this season. No Club teams. There are about 100 referee spots open each weekend. Only sign up for three games per day and only two single whistle games.

Follow CalSouth Referee COVID protocols. It is the Referee choice to wear a mask on the field. Practice social distancing and do not share equipment. Perform proper hand hygiene before play, half time and after the game.

1) You need to have a 2022 badge. I am removing those refs without a badge from the approved ref list, and you will not be able to self assign. Contact  refereeregistration@calsouth.com if you have questions about your badge. 

2) Ref Fees: Home team will pay 100% of the ref fees. Spring Ref fees are attached. Pay is calculated at $1.70 per minute. U8-U10 games are single referee games.

3) Player Cards Cards are not required this weekend.  Hopefully everything will be sorted out by next weekend.  

4) Water Breaks: it is going to be hot this weekend. Work with coaches with breaks midway thru the half. It is not a coaching moment but a 30 second water break.

5) Home team chooses their sideline. There’s no “North”/”West” in the spring as teams travel to other cities and the home team providing the field should get their choice.

Coaches must stay in technical area. No parents/coaches can sit or stand behind goals. Parents sit on the left side of their team bench. ARs do not have parents behind them! In general do not talk to parents, only to coaches.

6) No Dogs, No Dogs, No Dogs. School signs on fields prohibit animals on field. At Park fields, Dogs need to be at least 15 yards away from the field.

7) Have Fun, Have Fun Have Fun. It’s great for the kids to be able to play soccer again!

All: Super thanks for being a JUSA Ref. The community really appreciates your efforts. Without you, about 1800 kids in Yorba Linda, Anaheim and Placentia would not be playing soccer. 

Remember to be a professional and when you see a foul, blow the whistle. Parents and coaches would rather have you blow the whistle than not. Be confident with your whistle! 

Please review Pre Game instructions as a reminder of topics we should be covering before the game. 

As always, enjoy the game and remember you have the best seat in the house! 

1) It’s going to be hot. Take water breaks. Ask the coaches in the pregame if they want one. Remind coaches it is not a coaching moment, it’s a 20 second hydration break and the clock is running. Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated! 

2) Be Safe. Keep your phone near you at the end of the game. Unfortunately, coaches and parents have approached refs at the end of games and unpleasant conversations have ensued. Tell them you are recording the conversation. Tell me about any encounters with coaches and parents. 

3) Be Calm, Stay Calm: the heat this weekend might make everyone a little edgy so if the sideline gets agitated, find your inner ref place and ask nicely: 1)  please coach, control your sideline. 2) Please coach I am asking you 3) please coach I am telling you. Caution and then red card.  Ask, Tell, Dismiss. 

4) Run with the play! Don’t be a “center circle” ref and make sure if you are the center, run the field. Kids, coaches and parents will appreciate your energy and your close up viewpoint. You want to be neither too close nor too far from the action: 10-12 yards is a good rule of thumb. If you are the AR, run along the touchline, between the halfway line and the goal line, keeping level with the 2nd-to-last-defender or the ball, whichever is closer to the goal line. Keep up! 

5) Call the Games Tight! Coaches and parents are complaining we are missing fouls. Don’t be afraid to blow your whistle. 

Thanks for being a referee!

It’s going to be hot this weekend. Make sure you drink lots of water. 
1) Water breaks are mandatory for all games. Running clock. Keep it under 1 minute break. 

2) Sideline Behavior 

Managing adults at a youth game can be difficult. Always be polite.

Here is the recommended procedure for handling irresponsible behavior.
1. Please
2. Please
3. Coach, irresponsible behavior is not acceptable. (Warning)
4. Behavior continues, issue a Yellow Card (Caution) to the Coach.
5. Behavior continues, issue a Red Card (Send-off) to the Coach.  

If the spectators are acting irresponsibly, ask them once “Please.”   Do not engage in any further discussion.  If the behavior does not improve, go to the coach and follow the above steps.

If you are no longer in control of the match, suspend it (Blow whistle 2 times), call the coaches together, away from everyone else (center circle works), explain to them they have a choice get control of their side or you will terminate the match (abandon is now used in the Laws) and report the incident to me. 

3) JUSA Rec Cards

Check player cards at check in. All teams should have cards now. If they don’t have cards, let them play but send me a note about the team and coach. Cards are an indication that they have insurance and are approved to play. 

4) Be at the Game 30 min early!

Coaches and refs start calling me when they don’t see refs at their games. Be respectful and get there early. Talk to coaches in pre game about game duration, sideline behavior. 

5) U8-U10: Subs: Talk to the coaches before the game and agree to sub at quarters. It ensures that all players play 3 quarters of the game as required by JUSA rules. Also, No punting at U8-U10. 
Call the U8-U10 games tight. Parents rather have whistles than worry about flow of the game. 6) Stay Hydrated! 

Welcome back to Fall Soccer!!

BE EARLY – At least 30 minutes prior to your first game. Coaches, and your crew mates, get worried and start calling me and I am working games too.

Double-check your schedules as there were some time/field changes.

FEES
A link to the fees is on the schedule login landing page. Print it and keep it with you. Teams pay half.

No Dogs: Schools do not allow animals on their fields. Please ask the coach to ask the parent to remove the animals. We rent the fields from the schools and can not risk losing the fields due to an animal. At City Park fields, animals should be at least 15 yards away from the field. 

PLAYER CARDS

Player Cards are not required the first weekend. Many coaches will have player cards. Some will not.

RULES

If you’ve never done U8 before, REVIEW THE Build Out line rules.
Recreational: NO HEADING in U8, U9, U10 or U12
Signature: NO HEADING in U9, U10 or U11. Heading is ALLOWED in Signature U12.

UNIFORMS
There are some Rec players who were added late and don’t yet have a uniform. They may play in any shirt that’s generally the same color as their team, or an appropriate pinnie.

Substitutions:

JUSA Recreational U8, U9, and U10 play QUARTERS in the fall. Substitutions may ONLY be made at the quarter break. Since all players must play at least 3 quarters, you should mark the players sitting out each quarter on the game card so that if you attempt to mark a player sitting out for a second quarter, you can remind the coach of the mandatory, minimum play time requirements.
All other age groups and all Signature and InterCity matches allow unlimited substitutions at any stoppage. Players must play at least 50% of the game – a responsibility of the coach to maintain, but point out any obvious issues.

Field Conditions
If you arrive at your field and the grass is long, please let us know so we can send a notice to the school district.
If field lines are faint, use cones to mark sidelines and boxes.
Game CardsCoaches should hand you a completed card for you to check players against cards. 

CSL/Signature Games on Travis Ranch and Yorba Linda Middle School Fields

Centers will need to record the score on the CSL app or mail in the match report. 
Coaches should give you a stamped envelope to mail in the match report. 
Refs who download the CSL ref app and use it to photograph and submit the match reports do not need to mail the match report but should keep the copy until the end of the season. 

HEAT
It will be very warm this weekend. Allow hydration breaks as needed. Running clock.

FALL 2021 SEASON CALENDAR

• Coaches’ Meeting – 7/26/21
• Team Parent Meeting – 7/27/21
• Practices Begin – 8/2/2021
• Friendship Games – Mid-August
• 1st Games – 9/11/21
• Last Games – 11/13 /21
• JUSA Cup Playoffs (U9 and older) – 11/20-11/21/21
• Rec AllStars – December