Nightmare scenario

[3rdPersonPlural]

I suppose that I'm coming at this from a naive prespective. Most of my games are between Prep Schools, I KNOW the coaches, and the fans are more tweedy than trailer park, if you know what I mean.

However, I also officiate a league that draws from the great unwashed and last year I had the indignity of having to listen to some bawdy drunken mom in the stands reinterating her only remaining coherent refrain "Hey ref, you SUK!!"

Now I'm sure that some of you are stifling laughter: oh my gawd, he has ONE drunken obnoxious mom and he's looking for a panacea solution! Welcome to the big leagues!

Nonetheless, I'm searching for a method to deal with an orderly game infested with disorderly fans. I know that we can go to the coach of the team with the offensive fan and ask for resolution, but let's say that there's multiple offensive fans and the coach is unable to quell their bile.

What do we do?

I know that there are options for officials to penalize a team with offensive fans, but I'd be a rookie all over again trying to fix this. My principle is that I don't tolerate idiot fans, but I have no clue how to deal with them.

I contend that there are several of us refs who take a fat hourly pay cut to officiate games because we love the game, and we gravitate toward the 'respect the game' school of officiating. Until we get replaced by thick skinned professional refs who know nothing (and care less) about the dignity of the game, what are we to do?

[eme]

Bring the two coaches (and, if you are lucky, the Home AD or school rep at the game)
and share your concern with them and have them deal with it. That will usually take care of it. If not, end the game and make an immediate report to your assignor.

[BlueJaysLaxFan]

What eme suggests (getting the coaches and the AD involved) worked for me at 2 different games for similar fan(atical) situations.

[inblack]

Up here the referees are empowered to remove the fans from the area.
We have them head to their car, they can watch the game from behind the glass.

Stop the game (I like to wait till their team, better yet son has possession of the ball) speak directly to the fan, be firm, stern, calm, and direct, "You have said enough, and You are no longer welcome here. This game will not continue until You have left the area." You cannot swear (obviously) or start into a yelling contest with the clown. Just calm and in a loud stern voice that all can hear.
Then wait.
they come back, you stop the game again.

many will go 40-50 yards away and clam up. That is usually fine with me.

Don't have to penalize the teams, the players don't suffer, and you establish your authority with the fans.
Once or twice and word will spread that you don't mess with 3PP

[CardinalPuff]

"i remember my first beer....it wasn't very pretty either."

j/k...what eme suggests works best....i have, on occassion and only at the sub-varsity level, quietly sent the offending parent's child (with coach's permission, of course) over to correct the problem...i've found this very effective....

[Woodenstick]

All NFHS referees have the authority to suspend the game "for any reason deemed necessary for the proper ... conduct of the game. " Also, the referee has "control and jurisdiction" over everyone, including spectators, under rule 2-6(2). Therefore you have the power to stop the game until the spectator leaves.

The ADs or their rep will usually step in if they are there. If you have had a problem or expect one, good idea to contact them in advance.

I question whether you could directly penalize a team for bad spectator behavior. USC and conduct fouls are limited to people officially connected to the team. NFHS Rule 2-3(3) does require that "coaches shall assist the officials in keeping the game under control at all times. It shall be their duty upon request of an official to control effectively actions of spectators not in conformity with standards of proper conduct."

Based on this rule, you might be able to penalize a coach for failing to act upon the referee's request for assistance. But I question whether you could penalize a team directly for a spectator's behavior, or penalize the coach if you had not asked for assistance and he was not encouraging the behavior.

[LaxRef]

All NFHS referees have the authority to suspend the game "for any reason deemed necessary for the proper ... conduct of the game. "

You know as well as I that this rule refers to blowing the whistle to stop play and not to send everyone home for the day. So, while I agree that you could stop play until some jerk was taken care of, I'm not sure that I would agree that you can justify under the rules terminating the game (for the day at least).

This is why I posted the poll. Another official told me that his local soccer assignor was fond of telling his officials, "If you ever terminate a game, you shuld go home and burn your uniform, because you'll never work another game for me." This attitude, combined with no official procedure for terminating a game early, makes me think we need such a procedure.

This is not to say I wouldn't end a game that needed ending. Fortunately, I have never seen such a game, but if the time comes I'll send everyone home.

Actually, I sort of did it once. It was a summer league game, played under NFHS rules with a running clock, and the teams did not have enough mouthguards, arm pads, chest protectors, etc., to put a legal team on the field. I explained that if they didn't have the proper gear, I wouldn't officiate it. They didn't, so I went home. But I'm sure they went ahead and played without officials.

[3rdPersonPlural]

I question whether you could directly penalize a team for bad spectator behavior. USC and conduct fouls are limited to people officially connected to the team. NFHS Rule 2-3(3) does require that "coaches shall assist the officials in keeping the game under control at all times. It shall be their duty upon request of an official to control effectively actions of spectators not in conformity with standards of proper conduct."

Based on this rule, you might be able to penalize a coach for failing to act upon the referee's request for assistance. But I question whether you could penalize a team directly for a spectator's behavior, or penalize the coach if you had not asked for assistance and he was not encouraging the behavior.

I agree with your (and LR's) implied opinion that punishing a coach, and thereby a team, with an USC for failing to control folks who aren't beholden to the coach is an option of last resort.

It's good to know the chapter and verse of the rules that enable us officials to suspend play until the problem is fixed. Thanks to everyone for the constructive input. :worship:

[Woodenstick]

"Suspend" means to stop temporarily. I would interpret the power to "suspend" to mean that the referee could stop the game and send everyone home, but could not declare the game final and done with. If the referee suspended the game at some point, it would be up to the league or other authorities to decide what to do with the rest of the game. But that is my naked opinion, nothing to back it up.

In contrast, under rule 3-5, the coaches with the referee's approval may declare the game "terminated" (i.e., over and final). Apparently the referee on his own cannot do so.