The ECNL has grown tremendously over the past six months. As part of that growth, we have been working to educate all new (and returning) ECNL Directors, providing resources to guide them through pre- and post-game responsibilities, calling out any and all specific changes as necessitated by COVID-19.
In the ECNL Resource Center, we have an overview that encapsulates all protocol. This Referee Procedures Form should be reviewed by all referees assigned to ECNL matches.
Please review the following key points which can be used to educate the referees you assign to manage ECNL league fixtures in the 2020-21 season:
CHECK IN: - Clubs should each provide a Match Report to the referee and have him/her check both teams in using the Match Report and player and staff passcards. Note that referees should NOT handle passcards, but instead, use the Match Report to identify players and staff, comparing them to the passcards in possession of the coach during check-in. This check-in process is vital and no ECNL games should commence without completion of this step.
- Referee should place a check in the box marks “☑️” to indicate the player is playing in this particular match and is wearing the appropriate jersey number. Any notable alterations to uniform numbers should be denoted on the Match Report.
- Referee and/or Team representative should cross off (strike through) any players not participating in the match who are listed on the Match Report, for suspension, injury, or other. If players are on the roster but not striked through, they will count toward the 18 player maximum.
POST GAME: - Referee should be given time and space to fill in the Match Report at the completion of the game. IMPORTANT: please include printed names of center referee and both A/Rs
- Referee should fill in:
- Match Score (goals in first half, second half, and final score)
- Goals (player number and minute-mark for each goal scored)
- Yellow and/or Red cards in the game (player number and minute-mark for each issued card)
- Brief incident report if double yellow or red card is given (this can be done on the Game Notes section of the form or on the back of the form). For any serious matters, or incidents that require additional discussion, please email schedule@theecnl.com
** Home Team should keep the Match Report and/or Incident Report upon completion by Referee - it is their responsibility to submit to the ECNL **
Overview of pertinent points: - Check In: all ECNL players and coaches must be checked in prior to ECNL matches, with a GameDay Match Report filled out by the referee to show all carded coaches and players have been properly noted. No match should take place without the referee checking in valid passcards against the official GameDay Match Report that includes the active rosters of both teams, home and away. As noted above, the referee should not handle the passcards at any time.
- Substitutions: Substitutions in all ECNL matches, Under-13 through Under-18/19, all follow the same procedures. There is no re-entry per half. Due to COVID safety precautions, Referees should not collect the cards of those players starting each half and then the cards of the 7 (maximum) subs that check in during each respective half. Instead, the substitutions should be tracked by the officials to ensure all standards are upheld.
- Head Injuries: In the case of head injuries, a player deemed to require evaluation for a potential head injury may be removed from the game and temporarily replaced by a player during the evaluation period as long as the club has an available sub at that time, and it is an available sub that checks-in for the evaluated player. If the team does not have an available sub, the team must play down a player during the evaluation period.
- Game Durations: Under-13 matches involve 35 minute halves, Under-14, Under-15 and Under-16 matches involve 40 minute halves, and Under-17 and Under-18/19 matches involve 45 minute halves. The only exception to this rule is in the Texas Conference, where Under-13 conference matches involve 40 minute halves in the ECNL Boys only.
- Arrival Times: It is asked that all referees arrive at matches no later than 30minutes prior to kick off for ECNL matches in order to properly facilitate team check-in processes. All matches must include three (3) sanctioned referees.
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