The Coaches' Room
3v3•U7•Matchday

Should the adults tell children when a goal has actually gone in?

Asked by JamesInHove
4339 views 2 replies
weve had a couple where the ball went through a little pop up goal so fast half the players carried on. without a referee, is the facilitator just expected to call goal and reset it? sounds obvious but we had one parent shouting that the adult was 'refereeing' by doing it.

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@CoachRyanC

UEFA C Coach

Grassroots session design

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Yes. If the children genuinely do not know whether a goal has been scored, the facilitator can simply say “goal” and help them reset. That is very different from refereeing every tackle or telling players what to do next. The current 3v3 guidance gives the pitch facilitator responsibility for helping players understand the rules and stepping in when needed. A ball going through a pop-up goal so quickly that half the players miss it is exactly the sort of moment where a short bit of adult help keeps the game moving. I would make it as low-key as possible: “Goal, back to the line, off we go.” If somebody on the side calls that refereeing, I’d explain that the adult is there to support the children with the game rules, not to control their football decisions.

COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

Join the football discussion. 2 replies

D

Dan10

Coach

Calling 'goal' is not coaching the game. If nobody knows what happened, just tell them and restart.
A

AishaN

Coach

exactly. our problem was a parent treating any adult decision as refereeing. once we said facilitator helps with what happened, not what to do next, it made more sense.

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