Officials will rely on signals to communicate- sportsnet.ca

Officials will rely on signals to communicate
If the play gets boring at the World Cup, watch out for the secret signals between the match officials running the game.

Although radio communications between the referee and his three assistants have been tested in top European competition this season, they will not be featured in Germany, although it appears inevitable they will soon play a part in elite soccer.

However, electronic devices are not the only way for match officials to communicate.

Over the years referees have developed discreet ways of passing or receiving messages, often involving the assistants helping out the man in the middle when he or she may not have seen an incident.

A player tumbles to the ground in the penalty area and the referee, his view of the play blocked by a crowd of players, looks quickly at the linesman. If he raises his flag to his chest briefly, then it's a penalty. If the linesman places his hand on his breast pocket -- where yellow and red cards are kept -- then he's recommending a yellow or red card.

The players have most probably not realized the assistant has given the decision and so do not charge at the linesman in fury, leaving the referee to take the flak, as is his duty.

Next example: The ball hits the crossbar, then bounces down. Did it cross the line? The assistant referee is best placed to see and the sight of him running back toward the halfway line for a restart tells the referee it's a goal.

If he stays where he is, then the ball has not crossed the line.

For years referees have run what they call a diagonal system to keep up with play, ensuring they are always looking across toward the linesman, with the run play in between. Now, however, as the game has sped up, referees are under instructions never to be more than 15 yards from play.

Sometimes, however, that's impossible and the linesman has to help out while the referee catches up. For those few moments -- and whenever he is closer to play than the referee -- the assistant has much more power than the spectator realizes.

At the elite level, the referee, unless he is absolutely convinced to the contrary, will accept the decision of the linesman faithfully. At the World Cup, the officials are a team, almost all from the same country, and a group that often officiates together in their national league, so they know and trust each other.

Winnipeg assistant referee Hector Vergara is Canada's official at the Cup., His officiating team includes two Mexicans.

The latest trend in refereeing is for the 10-minute clampdown. Soccer games inevitably have flashpoints when the referee needs to be at his most alert and firm.

For the first 10 minutes of a match, especially if it's a grudge game, the referee will be tough on everything, blowing his whistle for every misdemeanour. As the game progresses and players settle down, the referee will also start allowing play to flow and speed up, ignoring some challenges. But when tension suddenly erupts, the 10-minute clampdown returns.

Look out in Germany for the referee holding his arm rigidly by his side with his fist clenched as he alerts his linesmen that they need to be on the same wavelength.

A few minutes later, as calm is gradually restored, the referee will make a similar signal with a rigid arm, only the fist is replaced with an open hand and the officials can relax a little.

While several other methods of communications exist between a referee and his linesmen, the most important remains eye contact. Every referee, in his prematch instructions to his co-workers, will stress how crucial it is for them to be looking at each other.

Ever wondered why it's not very often a referee points one way for a throw-in and the linesman points the other? Watch the hand of the linesman without the flag in it. If it's raised slightly, it's a signal for the referee to give the throw-in that way.

But the assistant will also be looking at the referee's left or right hand and will always opt for a majority decision rather than be seen to disagree with his boss.

It's also very rare that a referee does not see his linesman waving the flag. But if he doesn't, the final weapon in the assistant's armoury is a button on the end of his flag which, when pressed, sets off a loud buzzer on a strap concealed under the referee's sleeve.

That's a surefire way of attracting the referee's attention.

Scrum

Scrum

A member of the Hanover Strikers (in white) battles his AC Fiorentina opponent Tuesday night at Steinbach Bible College. The game was to be the Division Three season opener, but the referees did not show up for the match and the two teams decided to play a pick-up game. The Hanover Kickers open their season Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at A.D. Penner Park vs. NKMB Saints

Scrum - The Carlon

Scrum
A member of the Hanover Strikers (in white) battles his AC Fiorentina opponent Tuesday night at Steinbach Bible College. The game was to be the Division Three season opener, but the referees did not show up for the match and the two teams decided to play a pick-up game. The Hanover Kickers open their season Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at A.D. Penner Park vs. NKMB Saints

Scraping under way, but more help needed for soccer pitches - Carman Valley Leader

By Heather Baril & Gene Still
Friday May 26, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — Seeding is scheduled for this summer, but the ‘under-construction” soccer pitches west of Carman won’t be playable this year.
Tara Brennan, Carman-Dufferin Recreation Commission general manager said work is under way on levelling the land.
“We’ve hired a couple of people to put in some time with their scrapers and start to work on levelling out the ground and getting it set up to grade,” Brennan said. “We’ve ordered the grass seed and have it in storage right now, so as soon as the time comes when we can put it in, we’ll be raring to go.”
As well as planting the grass seed, Brennan said planting trees and shrubs to establish a wind break is also part of the upcoming plans for the pitches.
However, CDRC member Dennis Young who is helping co-ordinate the construction of the pitches, said they are behind schedule.
Young said part of that reason is good news for local producers but not so great for the CDRC.
He said a lot of the help they’re receiving with driving the heavy equipment to prepare the land is donated in most instances, by area farmers.
But since this spring has been – as of press time – one of the most favourable for seeding in recent memory, they’re having a hard time getting volunteers out to help drive the machines.
“We’ve fallen behind and we need some help,” Young said. “Anybody who is willing to spend the time should call me (745-8811).”
Despite the setbacks, he said they will continue to work towards getting the fields ready as soon as possible. But he added they “must have” the two full-size and one mini-size pitch ready at the very least by the fall of 2007 in time for the following year’s PowerSmart Summer Games to be hosted by Carman.

Depth key to Kickers success-Carman Valley Leader

By Gene Still
Friday May 26, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — The Carman Kickers have pretty much decided who will and who won't be a member of this year's upcoming 2006 version of the Manitoba Fourth Division Soccer League club.
However Kickers' Coach William Hoogerdijk said while they fully expect to have their 20 eligible roster spots filled, they also realize that there will be times during the season when they will need to have access to all 20 players to hit the field with at least 16 athletes.
"Some of the guys are restricted somewhat in how often they're able to show up because of conflicts with their jobs and other scheduling," Hoogerdijk said. "But they also know it's up to them to let us know as soon as they can if there is a conflict and they aren't able to make it out for a game. That gives us enough time to try and fill their spot on the roster or game plan to deal with a temporary shortage of players in our lineup."
Hoogerdijk said they prefer to have a lineup featuring at least 16 players for each contest which is just under the limit of 18.
"Our goal is dress 16 a game and that way we can get everybody involved and in the flow of the game itself," he said.

Available talent
The overall numbers for their latest pre-season tryouts were down slightly from last season when they had averaged about 27 players to around 23 for this upcoming 2006 season.
"There weren't a lot of cuts to make, but we had some tough decisions to make about who we're going to start out with having active for games to start the year," Hoogerdijk said.
Carman was set to get their regular season under way on May 24 against Reservoir Dogs but results weren't available as of press time.

Building team chemistry
Hoogerdijk added that they’re hopeful about significantly improving upon their 2005 mark of 5-10-3 which earned them sixth place and a post season berth.
"It's an especially enjoyable atmosphere this year with the guys and from what I've seen so far, they seem to have a lot of chemistry on the field," he said. "Hopefully that will add up to an even better finish for us."

Chill, Lucania in final

Chill, Lucania in final
By Emmanuel Moutsatsos
May 21, 2006, 00:05

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Wilson Rodriguez of the Thunder Bay Chill (3) heads the ball against Winnipeg-Lucania at Chapples Park on Saturday. (Sandi Krasowski/The Chronicle-Journal)
Chapples Park resembled a scene from the Wizard of Oz Saturday afternoon with Wilson Rodriquez playing the part of Dorothy.
“I don’t think we’re in Brazil anymore, amigo,” Rodriguez told his southern hemispheric teammates, who make up part of the Thunder Bay Chill.
With winds gusting with enough force to knock your uncle’s hairpiece into Winnipeg, Rodriguez waited until the last possible second to take to the pitch against Thunder Bay Italia-Juventus, but no one could find shelter.
“It was unbelievable out there,” said Chill defender Wilson Neto. “The game got tough. There was no real strategy, it was pretty much a physical game.”
And what the ferocious wind did was level the playing field between the two clubs to some degree as Juventus mustered a 2-2 tie, but a tie is what the Chill were hoping for anyway.
Coupled with a 0-0 draw they had with Winnipeg Lucania earlier in the day, the Chill only needed a tie to advance to today’s final, which will be played at 1 p.m. and against Lucania.
“We wanted to ensure that we got a tie, so we did very well to keep possession and we didn’t let them take it away from us,” said Chill coach Tony Colistro.
In what was an almost comical opening 10 minutes, with both teams trying in vain to adjust to the winds that had picked up increasingly as the day went on, Chill forward Guilherme De Souza sprung loose to flick the ball over Juventus keeper Tony Notarbartolo’s reach at the 15-minute mark to open the scoring.
“That was probably one of the worst winds I’ve had to play in. The ball was going everywhere,” said Notarbartolo.
But unlike their professional peers, who are embroiled in a match-fixing controversy in Italy, Juventus needed no help from the referees as Anthony Lombardo was the recipient of a well-placed Kyle Kawahara cross at the 31-minute mark to even the game. And then they gained the lead only minutes later when Ron Badanai did well in veering off the defence of Chill defender Preston Pierce to give Juventus a 2-1 edge heading into the second half and cause eyebrows to raise from the few that were in attendance.
Just who is Thunder Bay’s best team?
Colistro answered that by subbing in his usual starters, who proceeded to control the second half right from the start — Chill midfielder Marcelo Santos scored in the half’s opening minute — and if it wasn’t for the outstanding play of Notarbartolo the scoreline would’ve been much more lopsided.
“He stood on his head for us today,” Juventus coach Frank Lacaria said of Notarbartolo.
Juventus will play the Ottawa Fury in the bronze medal game slated for 11 a.m. in what promises to be a good affair considering when they met yesterday it was 2-2 with 40 seconds remaining before the Fury scored on a freekick.

© Copyright by Chronicle Journal.com

Hockey's Fasel warns NHL about soccer threat

RIGA (Reuters) - Soccer's rising popularity is ice hockey's biggest threat in the increasingly competitive North American sports market, says Rene Fasel, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

"We have to be aware, soccer in North America is getting bigger and bigger and bigger," the Swiss told Reuters in an interview on Thursday during the world championships.

"I don't think the NFL will lose people, NBA will not lose fans, but the market will be even more difficult for hockey.

"Wake up North America, soccer is coming. I tell you, they sleep while it's coming...They should be very careful in North America about soccer."

The Toronto Maple Leafs, one of NHL's most storied and successful franchises, certainly sees a growing and lucrative market for soccer.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Limited (MLSE), a billion dollar sports conglomerate that includes NBA club Toronto Raptors, recently added Major League Soccer's newest franchise to their empire while constructing a new 20,000 soccer specific stadium in the city's downtown core.

They are also expected to make a bid to host FIFA's 2007 under-20 championships final, which will be staged across Canada.

OLYMPIC PARTICIPATION

For Fasel, the key to the global promoting of ice hockey hinges on the NHL's continuing participation at the Winter Olympics.

Since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) opened its doors to NHL players at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, hockey has been among the Winter Games' most high profile eventswith huge television ratings.

After the bitter labor dispute wiped out the last NHL season, the league used the Turin Winter Games to help publicize its return and promote its new carefully crafted image.

But after the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver when the current collective agreement expires, there is deep concern that the NHL will end its participation in the Olympics.

The compact schedules forcing players to play eight games in 12 days resulted in numerous injuries and fatigue, which left a bad taste in many NHL owners' mouths.

"I think personally the NHL cannot say we don't go," said Fasel. "I think the NHL needs the Olympics as much as we need the NHL.

"It's the biggest sporting event in the world. With three billion viewers you can really promote the sport of hockey on the Olympic stage. There is nothing like the Olympics.

"That is the only way we can show our sport to our fans in the world. And you would like to miss this opportunity? This makes me nervous.
"On one side we need them, on the other side they need us. But either way we will have a great hockey tournament with or without the NHL."

CLUB COMPETITIONS

While the NHL appears to be easing back from its international commitments, Fasel wants the league do more to support the game globally, including participating in an international club competition.

"We are missing this type of competition," he said. "If I want to be number one after soccer I need an international club competition and there I need the help of the NHL.

"We have the McDonalds Cup in basketball, we need something similar. We could do much more, especially on the club competition."

Fasel, also the president of the Olympic winter sports federations and chairman of IOC's coordination commission for the 2010 Games in Vancouver, has assumed an increasingly influential role within the IOC and has been tipped as possible future president.

"The next IOC election will be in 2009 and I think and I hope that (current president) Jacques Rogge would be a candidate," said Fasel. "He is doing a great job and why should I run for that. But you should never say never."

Kickers ready for new season - Carman Valley Leader

Kickers ready for new season
Club kicks-off against Reservoir Dogs

By Gene Still
Friday May 19, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — The Carman Kickers are in the midst of putting the finishing touches on preparations before hitting the field for real for the 2006 season.
The Kickers start their Fourth Division schedule on home field as they entertain the Reservoir Dogs on Wednesday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Carman Collegiate Field.
"They play an aggressive game," Kickers' Coach William Hoogerdijk said. "We know we're going to have to work hard to come out on top.
"We know what these guys are like and we're capable of beating them. But they're just as capable of doing the same thing to us if we aren't on our game."
Meanwhile, Hoogerdijk said they've essentially decided upon their 16-man roster for the upcoming season.
"It looks like we've filled all the roster spots," he said. "We've got a good core group of returning players and we've added some youth to the line-up."
High-scoring striker Lyle Vanveen is back for another season and he's joined by striker-forward Kendall Ferris. Other returning veterans include: stopper Dale DeWit and centre-fullback Ian Bergsma. Goaltender Rich Vanderveen also is back for another year between the posts.
Among the newcomers are a trio of local players; Clayton Morgan (left-midfielder), Todd vanDijk (right fullback) and Tyler Termeer (left-midfielder). A fourth is a player from MCI Matt Zacharias who is a midfielder striker.
"We've got some new guys coming and we'll wait-and-see how much they're able to contribute whether it's right away or later on," Hoogerdijk said. "We had a taste of the playoffs and we don't want to squeak in this year.
"We've got a bunch of dedicated individuals so we should do well.

Storm gearing up for new campaign - Winkler Times

Storm gearing up for new campaign
After a fourth place finish in the Manitoba Major Soccer League’s 12-team First Division in 2005, the Winkler Storm are gearing up for a better season.

By Ashleigh Viveiros
Friday May 12, 2006

Winkler Times — After a fourth place finish in the Manitoba Major Soccer League’s 12-team First Division in 2005, the Winkler Storm are gearing up for a better season.
With a pre-season practice pool of as many as 30 players to choose from, coach Henry Enns is optimistic about the club’s chance to field a stronger team this summer.
“There’s a huge interest (in the team),” he said earlier this week. “The guys have prepared themselves very well physically. Now it’s up to us to make the team.”
The team has been holding tryouts for the last few weeks, and Enns plans to formulate his 2006 team this weekend. While there could be quite a few new faces on the 18-man team, Enns estimates many of last year’s players will be returning.
“We have a couple of older players coming back and some younger ones as well,” he said.
The Storm will have a fair bit of competition in their bid to climb higher in the standings.
While first and second place finishers United Weston and Eritrean move up to the Premier Division this year, the third place Southend Celtics - who beat out the Winkler club by just three points last year - will remain in the First Division with the Storm.
The club will also have to contend with the Winnipeg Dynamo Kyiv and Polonia S.C. clubs - the two former Premier level teams who are dropping down into the First Division after bottoming out in Premier last year.
“We know it’s going to be competitive,” said Enns. “But we will try hard.”
The MMSL schedule is due out next week, with the season slated to begin after the May long weekend

Veteran international referee Hector Vergara goes to World Cup again.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Veteran international referee Hector Vergara goes to World Cup again.

HECTOR Vergara, chief administrative officer of the Manitoba Soccer Association, has again been selected by FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, as an official for 2006 World Cup, which begins June 6 in Germany. He is the only CONCACAF assistant referee to make it back to the World Cup from the group that took part in the 2002 tournament in Korea and Japan.
"I am extremely proud and pleased with having earned a spot for the World Cup," Vergara said. "All the sacrifices that have been made by my family and me have paid off. Four years of preparation, and what seems to be a lifetime of devotion to refereeing, has once again rewarded me with this opportunity."

Laurent Eloy, chairman of the MSA referee development committee said: "Being able to return to the World Cup shows that FIFA highly regards Hector as one of the game's best assistant referees."

Throughout his career, Vergara has worked more than 90 international matches, including four world championships, the 2002 World Cup, the 2004 Athens Olympics, three Gold Cups and numerous World Cup qualifiers.

Vergara's appointment indicates how highly he is regarded within FIFA, especially when one of the trio he belonged to at the 2002 World Cup -- the Guatemalan referee -- was injured.

"I was not so sure that I would earn a spot, considering that our referee was injured and likely would not be selected," Vergara said.

Southport soccer teams lacking bodies - The Daily Graphic

Southport soccer teams lacking bodies


By Julie Horbal
The Daily Graphic
Tuesday May 02, 2006

The prelude to the soccer season has hit full tilt in Southport, though some of the local soccer community seems oblivious.
Southport Aeros and Southport United, which play in Manitoba Major Soccer League’s Second and Fourth Divisions, respectively, opened their joint spring training and tryout camp nearly two weeks ago.
But according to organizer and Aeros veteran Cam Scott, attendance has been inconsistent and there hasn’t yet been enough players to properly stock the pair of teams.
“The turnout is not where we expected it to be yet,” said Scott, who estimated 20 to 24 players have shown up for each of the three tryouts to date.
Southport Soccer is looking for at least 30 players to fill the two squads’ rosters and Scott emphasized any interested athletes need not worry about having missed the first few dates and instead should just show up ready to work out.
The majority of the practices consist of training and drills, with only 20 per cent of the time spent on scrimmaging.
Through observing the drills and scrimmages that have happened, Scott said -- save for the low numbers of bodies -- both teams have the potential to be competitive this year.
“What we’ve got seems pretty solid on both sides. There are definitely some stronger players who are going to take leading positions on United and try and bump that team up,” said Scott, referring to last season’s 10th-place finish in Fourth Division (1-13-4).
United avoided relegation to Fifth Division for this year only due to the folding of Boni Vital Inferno and the expulsion of Sudan-Nile during last season, which meant there was no need to drop any Fourth Division team lower down the MMSL totem pole. The Aeros, meanwhile, won seven of its last nine games and finished in fifth place in Second Division with a 10-8-4 mark.
The camp will likely start to be divided into Aeros and United groups later this week, but Scott noted a relegation to United now does not mean there is no potential to one day play in the higher division.
“We have the luxury of being able to call players up. We’re allowed 10 call-ups per year,” said Scott.
“As for players making the jump, there are no guarantees. But if someone from United were to have a tremendous camp, they could push someone from the Aeros out. Everyone is fighting for a job.”
Both teams are open to players aged 15 years and up, though Scott added Southport is also looking at taking a couple of under-15 players on as strictly training players to develop them for the future.
The teams next meet at the soccer fields besides the former High Bluff School tonight at 6:30 p.m., with camp also scheduled for Thursday and Sunday and the start of the season set for after the May long weekend.
Any players looking for more information should contact Scott at 871-1441. Those with coaching inklings should also contact Scott, as the Aeros are currently looking for a coaching staff.
A full-time commitment to the position is not required, as last year’s head coach, Mitch Walker, will handle the reins on a part-time basis. But time restraints leave him unable to commit to running the show alone.
The team functioned with player-coaches last season, but is looking for coaches to work strictly from the sidelines this year.
According to Scott, the team is not necessarily seeking someone with extensive coaching experience, just someone who can help out and adhere to a few guidelines.
“We’re looking for someone with a pretty good understanding of soccer and someone who is not afraid of coaching men. We aren’t boys,” he said. “We need to put the egos in check and we need a coach who can enforce the ‘coach’s way or the highway’ mentality.”

Decision is near for Kickers - Carman Valley Leader

Decision is near for Kickers


By Gene Still
Friday May 05, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — It's fast approaching decision time for Carman Kickers head coach William Hoogerdijk.
"We're getting to the point where we have to make decisions about our roster," Hoogerdijk said. "We need to figure out who will be our main 16 players to start the season."
With about 20 players trying out for this year's squad during pre-season practices, the coach will be busy evaluating players over the next week to ten days.
Some decisions will be easier than others. One player who should be secure is veteran striker Lyle Vanveen. Along with Kendall Ferris, Dale DeWit and Ian Bergsma, the foursome will be among the core veterans back for another year in the Manitoba Soccer League's Fourth Division.
Hoogerdijk noted that these veterans also make it a lot easier when it comes to getting ready for the upcoming season.
"Chemistry seems to be pretty good and the guys get along pretty well. They are accustomed to each other and have a good idea what to expect on the field," he explained.
The familiarity has allowed the club to focus more extensively on certain aspects of their game such working on offensive strategy and having "more finish" around the opposition's net turning scoring opportunities into goals.
Meanwhile the head coach also has high hopes for Rich Vanderveen who will be back between the pipes in net for the Kickers after having picked up some valuable experience last season.
"He's really improving and has another year of experience," Hoogerdijk said. "We should be all right back there."

Kickers getting ready to kick-off new season - Carman Valley Leader

Kickers getting ready to kick-off new season


By Gene Still
Friday April 28, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — The Carman Kickers are looking to build upon 2005's success when the franchise qualified for the post season after coming up just short of a playoff berth the previous three years.
And there was another first earlier this year when as the Fourth Division soccer club started their 2006 preparations with indoor practice sessions at the Dufferin Christian School gymnasium in Carman. But with the recent arrival of spring the team is now back in more familiar surroundings of having outdoor training camp practices.
Coach William Hoogerdijk said they've got 16 players who are trying out for this year's squad which is down slightly from the 23 that they had vying for roster spots last season.
"This year it's been more or less the veterans that we've had coming out, which is a good thing because you know what to expect from them and they know what it takes to play in the league," Hoogerdijk said. "But I'd like to get some new blood as well to challenge the guys and bring in more depth and talent.
"You get a fresh new perspective and it adds a new life to the team."
Despite a slight decline in the number of players trying out so far, Hoogerdijk noted that it's not unusual to add a few more bodies at this time of the pre-season.
The coach added they're planning on having two practices a week and he expects to start making some cuts by the first week in May.
Hoogerdijk said they're also considering organizing one or two exhibition games but for the time being the plan is to focus on spring practice and on developing on-field tactics and strategies.
For information on trying out with the Carman Kickers, call William Hoogerdijk at 745-6973.