[Junior] Dealing with 'sledging'

[DocY]

Is it just me, or is the amount of (for want of a better word) 'sledging' increasing? I had a youth game at the weekend and from the first scrum players started hurling abuse at each other.

I stopped play, called the main culprits (one of whom was a captain) and the other captain over and told them to shut up, but there was this low-level abuse going on throughout the game. Fortunately it didn't escalate into anything more.

Does anyone have any good ways of dealing with this? Since both sides were always doing it I didn't feel I could penalise one or the other and was loathe to go straight from no penalty to two yellow cards and I also don't like threatening to hand out yellow cards in case I don't think the next offence really needs one.

Thanks in advance

 

[BigClothesSir]

Is it just me, or is the amount of (for want of a better word) 'sledging' increasing? I had a youth game at the weekend and from the first scrum players started hurling abuse at each other.

I stopped play, called the main culprits (one of whom was a captain) and the other captain over and told them to shut up, but there was this low-level abuse going on throughout the game. Fortunately it didn't escalate into anything more.

Does anyone have any good ways of dealing with this? Since both sides were always doing it I didn't feel I could penalise one or the other and was loathe to go straight from no penalty to two yellow cards and I also don't like threatening to hand out yellow cards in case I don't think the next offence really needs one.

Thanks in advance

I've reffed quite a bit of junior rugby due to being a parent as well as a ref. This seems to increase as the lads get older and have a bit more testosterone in their veins. If it's low-level and trivial, I give them a warning and it usually stops. "Save your breath for playing rugby" etc.

If it is genuinely nastier get the coaches onto the park with the captains and explain that you're not going to have it and if it continues you will card people. Get the coaches as well as the captains to explain this to their players.

If it continues, you've given them fair warning and therefore a card sanction is not out of place.

Do not tolerate it just because both teams are at it, it can escalate to physical confrontations.

 

[DocY]

Do not tolerate it just because both teams are at it, it can escalate to physical confrontations.

Thanks - yes, my concern is that it's going to escalate. My reluctance to penalise is just an issue of fairness - if both teams are doing it at the same time I'd struggle to justify penalising one of them over the other.

Maybe that's it! "Captains, I don't like what I'm hearing from both sets of players - if you're both at it, I'm not going to penalise one team over the other, but if your boys are quiet and theirs aren't, I'll penalise them".

I'm not sure about the value of speaking to coaches, unless it's close to half time. They don't generally come onto the pitch during the game at youth level. At least not that I've seen.

 

[BigClothesSir]

Thanks - yes, my concern is that it's going to escalate. My reluctance to penalise is just an issue of fairness - if both teams are doing it at the same time I'd struggle to justify penalising one of them over the other.

Maybe that's it! "Captains, I don't like what I'm hearing from both sets of players - if you're both at it, I'm not going to penalise one team over the other, but if your boys are quiet and theirs aren't, I'll penalise them".

I'm not sure about the value of speaking to coaches, unless it's close to half time. They don't generally come onto the pitch during the game at youth level. At least not that I've seen.

You'll find some are quite keen to come on if it is an end to preventing cards. Depending on the age group but certainly at U15 and below I'd consider involving them. They can often have more influence than the captains over the players.

 

[Dan_A]

I coach u14s at the moment. I'd have no problem what so ever with a referee asking the coach to be present for the warning. For me, at this level the captain is more ceremonial than really a leader with influence.

Also, if I would then have the opportunity to take the message back to the sidelines for the benefit of any 'over enthusiastic' parents, others coaches etc. I would also substitute any player offending after the warning.

Seems like a good way to take the heat out of the situation for me, at least at the level I am dealing with.

 

[BigClothesSir]

I coach u14s at the moment. I'd have no problem what so ever with a referee asking the coach to be present for the warning. For me, at this level the captain is more ceremonial than really a leader with influence.

Also, if I would then have the opportunity to take the message back to the sidelines for the benefit of any 'over enthusiastic' parents, others coaches etc. I would also substitute any player offending after the warning.

Seems like a good way to take the heat out of the situation for me, at least at the level I am dealing with.

^^^

Very much this. Especially getting information to "excited" parents. I find the coaches are usually very supportive if you come to them first rather than banging them with penalties and cards,

My lad is U16s this year and I've been reffing them since the U7s. This is the first year I've not gone to the coaches regularly to diffuse situations like this as early as possible.

This year the captain is seen as a genuine leader on the field as well so have only spoken to coaches to explain the odd decision or clarify a card.

 

[Taff]

.... My reluctance to penalise is just an issue of fairness - if both teams are doing it at the same time I'd struggle to justify penalising one of them over the other.

Penalise the first one you hear offending. By definition, there is only one of those.

Generally, I used to hear a deaf ear to it, but life gets easier if you knock it on the head early. An useful phrase picked up from here "Ask. Tell. Penalise" seems to work well.

 

[Dickie E]

I also don't like threatening to hand out yellow cards in case I don't think the next offence really needs one.

Think about how you can say this without backing yourself into a corner. Avoid "the next time I hear this will be a yellow card" and say, instead, "if things don't improve I will have to consider escalating with cards"

 

[BigClothesSir]

Think about how you can say this without backing yourself into a corner. Avoid "the next time I hear this will be a yellow card" and say, instead, "if things don't improve I will have to consider escalating with cards"

^^^
This.

"Hedge" with your choice of language so you don't commit yourself.

"If this continues I MAY have to consider a card" is far more non-commital than "If this continues I will issue a card"