Welcome to the Soccer Newsletter. Today's subject deals with the Laws of the game.
The final training sessions of the Full Season Training Sessions are now online. They will be available for purchase here at finesoccer.com until December 21 so please don't hesitate to check it out by going to
http://finesoccer.com/full_season.htm
In looking at the most frequently asked questions, many of them involve a lack of understanding of the Laws of the Game.
It's funny because when I watch games inevitably I hear some fan yelling at the ref because of what they perceive to be a missed call. However, in most cases, it's not a missed call at all but rather a lack of understanding of the laws of the game by the fan.
There are some excellent online resources to get a better understanding of these laws (along with the interpretations that go with them). The first one I would recommend is FIFA's official site. You can find the laws and the interpretations in various formats by going to
http://www.fifa2.com/scripts/runisa.dll?S7:gp::67173+refs/laws. When I get an email with a question about a law of the game, this is the first place I always go.
Another great resource is
http://www.asktheref.com/. Here they have the laws explained in very simple language plus the ability to ask specific questions and get other peoples interpretations of the laws.
If I'm a player or a coach and I want to get a better understanding of the game of soccer, one of the first things I would do is take a referee course. Not only will you learn the laws of the game but you will also get a better understanding of why some calls are made and why others aren't. Plus, there is always a need for good refs so next time you think you are seeing bad refs, go take a course and become one yourself. You will get a better understanding of the game plus increase the numbers of level of refs.
