Refereeing in the LRL and LKA Local Leagues 2016-2017 Season

Teams playing in LRL matches can use rolling subs.

  • Substitutions can only be made during a break in play.
  • A substituted player can return to the match and a maximum of eight (8) changes are allowed without the approval of the referee.
  • The coach or captain, if there is no coach, must inform the referee of intended player substitution. Failure to inform the referee of a substitution shall be deemed to be misbehaviour.
  • A player coming off cannot return in the other zone at the same time. The player must wait until play has re-started and then stopped again.

Guidelines for Clubs and Referees Refereeing matches in LKA 2 and 3

For the 2016-2017 season the referees for matches in LKA 2 and 3 will be provided by the home club.

Whilst this has worked well in general over the past three seasons, the main area for criticism is that the home club has sometimes failed to have an experienced person on the side lines to provide support to inexperienced referees. There have been instances where a player with little or no refereeing experience has appeared to have been given a whistle and simply left without any help or guidance from fellow club members. This has resulted in an unsatisfactory experience for both teams and the referee.

The LKA requires all clubs with teams playing in LKA 2 and 3 to abide by the following guidelines when providing referees for matches in those divisions.

The home club should provide somebody with refereeing experience to give support to the referee. Please prepare your referee by discussing any points that he/she is unsure of.

Prior to the start of the match please make sure that the ref is aware of the following:

  • The home team has choice of ends and throw off.
  • Matches in LKA 2 and 3 are 25 minutes each way.
  • Half-time should be 5 minutes maximum.
  • There are no timeouts.
  • Each team may use up to 4 substitutes.

Please make sure that the referee has the following:

  • A whistle
  • A watch
  • A pad and pencil/pen to write down the score
  • Yellow and Red cards

The referee should also check that the posts are in the correct place and that lines indicating the pitch boundaries are clear to everyone and there are no obstructions such as bags or non-players on the pitch.

When the referee blows the whistle prior to the match to ask the captains to meet, the referee should ask both captains to ensure that their players remove all items of jewellery. If during the match the referee notices that a player is wearing jewellery, the player must be told to remove the item or cover it with tape, e.g. a wedding ring.

During the match the referee should:

  • blow the whistle with authority.
  • Indicate the nature of any offences and which team has the restart.
  • When there is an out ball, indicate who has possession for the restart.
  • When there is an offence in favour of the attack indicate whether you have given a restart, a free pass or a penalty.

At half-time briefly discuss the first half, compliment them on things they did well, such as positioning, good decisions. Also discuss areas for improvement.

After the match has ended please discuss the referee’s overall performance, again, complimenting where appropriate and discussing areas for improvement.

Misbehaviour

When appropriate, misbehaviour should be punished with either a yellow or red card. The official list of misbehaviour offences with their codes follows at the end of this section. Amongst other offences it covers infringements against the referee and includes dissent and facial expressions. Please make sure that your referees are aware of these offences and their codes.

In the event that a referee shows a yellow or red card the offence code should be written on the match form at the end of the match. Should a red card be given the referee has to write a report detailing the reason for the red card which should be sent to Graham Crafter at . Disciplinary offences are punished by EKA. Should a referee require any help after showing a card please contact me at .

Misbehaviour Offences

To assist referees in deciding which offences merit yellow cards and which merit the giving of an immediate red card, a general list of offences has been prepared. In addition, by giving each offence a code the recording of an offence can be made easier, particularly in matches where the language of the referee may be an issue (e.g. international matches).

Suggested code to be used:

The code shall consist of three parts (e.g. PP4, CG3, XR2).

The first part is a letter and indicates who has committed the infringement: –

P = a player;

C = a coach;

X = another person attached to the team (supporter, team manager, substitute players etc.).

The second part is a letter and indicates the kind of infringement: –

G = a general infringement during the game;

P = an infringement directly against an opponent;

R = an infringement against the referee or his assistant;

X = an infringement against another person.

The third part is a digit and indicates the type, severity or heaviness of the infringement.

General infringements during the game

1 By players

PG1 continual, intentional non-aggressive infringements (examples: not taking the correct distance; influencing the taker of a penalty);
Note: When a distance infringement is done for the first time the referee will give a "normal" free pass. It should only be considered to be an instance of misbehaviour after repetition or intention.

PG2 intentional, non-aggressive infringements with the intention to influence the play of the opponent or the result of the match (spoiling tactics);

PG3 rough play showing a serious lack of care (including continual unintentional rough play).
N.B. Unintentional rough play is an infringement which must be punished normally during the game. However, when unintentional rough play becomes repeated then there is a serious lack of care and consequently misbehaviour.

PG4 continual intentional rough play; this includes continual intentional and/or violent demeanour like clinging to, holding off and running down an opponent.
Note: It would be expected that each of the above offences would lead to a yellow card. Offence 4, however, may lead to either a yellow or immediate red card depending on the severity of the circumstances.

2 By coaches

CG1 refusing to take their place on the bench after being ordered to do so by the referee;

CG2 to continually come into the field of play in an annoying manner;

CG3 actual physical interference to the game, either from outside the field of play or inside the field of play after entering the field of play.
Note: Whilst offences 1 and 2 would merit a yellow card, offence 3 could lead to an immediate red card for the coach.

Infringements directly against an opponent

These offences can be committed either during play or during an interruption of the game. The codes for these should be pre-fixed by the letter P, C or X depending on who committed the offence (e.g. offence P4 by a player would be PP4, by a coach CP4 and by another person XP4).

P1 use of a strong phrase or incorrect use of words; irritation, provocation and instigation;

P2 indirect insult (ridicule, remarks with a hidden insult, light forms of insult – either verbal or by gesture);

P3 direct outrage (serious kind of insult either by gesture, or verbally, or lack of physical respect);

P4 threat by attitude, movement or remarks;

P5 knocking or kicking movement with little or no contact being made;

P6 aggression with physical contact like clinging to, knocking away an extending hand, pushing away;

P7 serious aggression: – e.g. kicking, knocking or punching an opponent; intentional fast throwing or kicking the ball against an opponent;

P8 sexual intimidation; racial or sexual discriminatory remarks.

Note: Offences 3, 7 and 8 would probably lead to an immediate red card for serious misbehaviour.
Offences 5 and 6 may lead to either a yellow card or immediate red card depending on the severity of the circumstances.

Infringements against the referee, his assistant or other persons

“Other persons” is defined as the other people who may be involved in the game directly or indirectly like the jury, official in charge of the hall, those accompanying a team (doctor, manager, physiotherapist, etc.), the supporters and substitute players of the opponents, spectators and such-like.

The codes for these offences should be pre-fixed by the letter P (for players), C (for coaches) or X (other persons) depending on who committed the offence and R (against the referee or assistant) or X (against another person) depending on whom the offence was committed against. (E.g. offence 2 committed by a player towards the referee would be PR2 but by the coach towards another person would be CX2).

The same criteria as used for players and coaches are valid in cases of infringements by other persons who are authorised to sit on the bench (either in accordance with § 8c of the Rules of Korfball or the IKF Match Regulations), e.g. the substitute players, the team manager and such-like. In these cases the code shall start with X.

1 non-insulting criticism (e.g. dissent, facial expression, critical remarks, excessive interference in the control of the game by the captain, use of a strong phrase or inappropriate use of words);

2 indirect insult (ridicule, remarks with a hidden insult, light forms of insult – either verbal or by gesture);

3 refusal of co-operation, insufficient response to requests, omitting informing the referee of the substitution of players (prefix 1 if done by the captain, 2 if by the coach);

4 aggressive attitude (e.g. obstruction);

5 direct outrage (serious kind of insult either by gesture, or verbally, or lack of physical respect);

6 threat by attitude, movement or remarks; knocking or kicking movement towards the official;

7 aggression with physical contact like clinging to, knocking away an extending hand, pushing away;

8 serious aggression: e.g. kicking, knocking, or punching;

9 sexual intimidation; racial or sexual discriminatory remarks.

Note: Offences 5 to 9 would normally merit an immediate red card for serious misbehaviour.