So today I officiated my first soccer game of the year. Actually I officiated 4. I have tried, pretty successfully, to stay away from the pitch since the end of high school season, but was called into action a hand full of times. Who can resist a state 4A semi-final and the opportunity to work with your family. Since mid-November I have done 2 indoor games, which is a significant time off for me. However I can use some extra cash, had an itch to do some games and wanted a little exercise. I will state now that the pay is nice, but I truly do it becuase I love the game. That last statement will be contradicted later.
Indoor soccer, however, is a different breed. At its best it is a face paced, high scoring game, and very entertaining. However because indoor soccer facilities are businesses they have to make decisions to keep their customers happy. As a result every facility seems to have different rules and some facilities take away from the true spirit of the game. This is why my attention span for indoor lasts about 2 games. There is limited running as an indoor official, and timeouts are offered to teams indoor, which is a major difference than the outdoor game. So why do I mention this?
I breezed through games 1 and 2. In both games there was a superior team, which wond by 5 or more games. yawn. Game 3 was the most closely contested. However I am convinced that the coaches of these u-14 teams went to the closest skate park and convinced the best skateboarders there to play on his soccer team. Those who weren't skaters were football player rejects or taken from the computer labs. Needless to say they lacked skill and the final score was decided by 3 goals.
So, I'm on game 4 of the day. The home team shows up with 7 guys, which means they have one sub. The game started off competitive, but as the game wore on it was apparent they were the better team. With 6 minutes left in the home team is up 9-2. So here is my question. Was it classless for this team to call a timeout?
In my mind, I am a referee snob. I do not feel that I posses the aura that I must get a certain game or mock others who do "lower" games. I will gladly accept most assignments. However, when I do indoor I often think to myself "this game sucks" and "why did I agree to do an under 12 game". At the end of the day I am reminded why I did these games... $$$. I guess indoor soccer sucks (as a referee) because there is little or no running and you essentially stand in the same place for 4 hours and watch one team kick the other's ass badly.
As I stated earlier, I did the state 4A semi-final this year. Trust me driving 1 hour and 45 minutes, one way, for $80, is not doing it for the $$. Indoor... it's about them money. Does this make me a referee snob?
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