Handling Bad Calls – How to Help Your Player

Parents are going to see bad calls. Some of these calls will actually be bad calls, but most will just seem that way. Officials have a difficult job to do and cannot see everything that happens. Sometimes this is because they were not looking where the problem occurred. Other times they were not focused on watching for the penalty. Officials cannot call all penalties, just the ones they see. Here’s what you can do to help your player when you think an official makes a bad call.

To keep the game moving along with younger players, officials may also take into account a player’s intent and avoid calling every penalty. Officials are often kids themselves, learning skills just like the players. The turnover for youth officials often approaches 50% to 70% annually. After just one year, many youth officials find something better to do than deal with adults.

Yelling at an official in a youth game should never be allowed or condoned by parents, coaches, or league officials. Not only does it set a bad example and create potential embarrassment for kids, it also escalates negative emotions and greatly increases the risks of a confrontation. If parents see something they believe is unfair, they should express those concerns to league officials after the game. However, if parents see something they believe is unsafe, they should express those concerns to the coach and let the coach handle the situation.

Special thanks to Sports Esteem for the above article.