No. To successfully referee women’s matches a referee must understand some fundamental differences between the male and female soccer players.
1. Loyalty to team and teammates
2. Management Considerations
3. Differences In Play
4. What Coaches Want to See From You as a Referee
1. Loyalty to team and teammates: Women tend to develop very strong interpersonal relationships. Teammates often become very close friends, much like a second family.
To illustrate this point: - Women often share much more than their soccer lives with one another and there is genuine care and concern between members on a team.
The next time you watch a women’s match, notice that at an injury, many of the injured player’s teammates will gather around to check on her status. - Conversely, in a men’s match, unless the injury is very serious, rarely does a teammate come over to check on the fitness of a teammate.
Usually there is only a crowd around the water bottles as the injured player is being attended to!
While male players can and often do play alongside teammates that they dislike, in a women’s team this is often very difficult and creates a great deal of interpersonal, emotional dissention.
A women’s team with players who do not get along off the field is very unlikely to be successful on the field.
What Does This Mean?
1. Female players tend to take a hard foul committed against a teammate as an attack against their entire team.
2. Women “feel” fouls suffered by their team members.
3. Female players can have VERY LONG memories regarding rough treatment by opponents. --Refereeing men, however, has taught us that men will very often retaliate for a hard or unfair challenge almost immediately. --So, watch for the male player’s eyes and body language immediately after physical play for an indication of any violence to come. --Women, on the other hand, are much more patient than men to “seek revenge.” --It is not uncommon as a referee to deal with an incident in a match between opponents only to discover later that it is retribution for a clash (or dispute off the field) which may have occurred more than a year ago.
2. Management Considerations
Pre-game Observations:
--Consider which gender you are refereeing and what that entails.
--Discuss tactics with the rest of your crew that will help you deal with gender issues on the field.
--Should you run differently?
--How should you interact with the players?
3. Differences In Play Men:
--Faster paced level of play
--More fouls—lower body
--Lots of ankle and leg tackles
--Long air balls
Women Level of Play:
--Slower paced
--Less fouls—upper body
--More tactical
--HIP tackles!
--Run and play with arms extended—handballs!
Men
--More Vocal –Directed to referee
--Harder tackles
--Retaliate quickly and alone!
--Show emotions immediately
Women
-- Less Vocal – More Sarcastic, indirect to referee
-- More apologetic
-- “get you later !” w/help of teammates
-- Less likely to show emotions
--More positive with their teammates, even when mistakes occur.
Men Game Control:
-- Faster paced –Entire field
-- Less space needed
-- Holds with elbows
-- Handling - Obvious
Women Game Control:
-- Slower paced – Compact
-- More space needed
-- Holds with hips
-- Handling – Knee jerk reaction—Chest trap?
4. What Coaches Want to See From You as a Referee
--This could not only depend on the gender of the players, but the gender of the coach as well!
Men Coaching Men:
--Want us to allow the game to flow
-- More advantage “That was not a foul!” “Let them play!” “This is not a women’s game!”
Women Coaching Women:
- Want the game called the same as the men’s game—however expectations of less contact
- Insulted by having game officiated differently—call the fouls, give the cards!
- Want officials to be sensitive toward the players – no yelling/cursing
Men Coaching Women:
Call the foul “That was a foul!” “Call it tighter!” More paternal/protective
How Do We Referee A Women’s Game With These Differences In Mind?
Positioning is very important!
During Active Play:
--Generally referees can expect to run wider in women’s matches as play doesn't move up and down the field quite as rapidly.
--Running a wide diagonal (and staying out of the middle of the field) also decreases your chances of being struck by the ball.
--Estimates are that the distance covered by a referee is similar in a women’s game compared to a men’s, and the work rate of the referee should be comparable since it is necessary, in general, to position yourself wider during active play.
Goalkeeper Punts/Goal Kicks:
--It is recommended that referees position themselves opposite the Assistant Referee in the SAME half of play as the goalkeeper or team kicking the ball because the ball ordinarily will not travel into the opponent’s half of the field.
Throw-Ins:
--Require observation early in a match to determine how far the ball can travel.
--Many female players have the ability to throw the ball as far as men.
--Women who utilize the “flip throw” may be able to launch the ball 40 yards or more in the air.
--So, the referee’s distance down the field from the point of the throw-in is dependent on how far the referee predicts that the ball can be throw.
Free Kicks:
--Free kicks also require consideration for referee positioning.
--Male players have much more success on free kicks using their physical strength while in women’s soccer, free kicks regularly offer intricate passing or great position.
--In addition, it has already been noted that women’s games are made up of many more short passes than you would normally see in a men’s match—this can be attributed to the physical strength differences, but also to the pleasure women seem to derive from playing and connecting with their teammates.
Truly Understanding the differences between the men’s and women’s game mean:
Learn the differences in styles of play.
Learn the differences in methods of game preparations.
Learn the differences in body structure, mental approach to the game;
Learn the differences in intensity, emotions and level of each game;
Learn that soccer is the same game, only played differently!
Are you ready for your next women's match?
What would you do different if anything?
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