How to Be a Soccer Lineman

A soccer lineman helps the soccer field referee oversee the game. The field referee is the ultimate authority on the field. Most field referees, however, accept the calls of the lineman in the areas over which they have authority. The lineman may also assist the field referee in cases where a play may have been outside the referee's field of vision. A lineman may use a flag to indicate to the field referee what is happening on the sidelines. The duties of the field referee and the lineman are somewhat analogous to the responsibilities of a crew that referees American style football.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lineman flags

Learn to Be a Soccer Lineman

1. Understand that your duty is to support the field referee and ensure that the field ref has the proper information to make calls.

2. Maintain flags and have them available for use on game days.

3. Work in concert with the other lineman to provide the field referee with information via your flags.

4. Know and use proper flag signals to communicate with the field referee.

5. Raise the line flag to indicate that play should be stopped.

6. Communicate the reason play has been stopped by the position of the flag.

7. Motion a ball out of play when it has been kicked or thrown outside the field of play.

8. Designate through the placement of the lineman's flag how the ball should be placed back in play. The soccer ball can be brought back into the field of play by a goal kick, a throw-in or a corner kick.

9. Monitor offsides infractions.

10. Signal when a goal has been made or signal that a goal was not made.

11. Inform the field referee with your flag that a team wishes to make a substitution.

12. Advise the referee should the need arise. Consult on fouls which the referee might not have been able to see.

13. Run with the forward progress of the ball and/or the movement of the defensive person, other than the goalie, who is closest to the goal.

14. Enter the field of play to assist the field referee at the request and discretion of the field referee.

15. Take on any other duties as requested by the field referee.

Tips & Warnings

• The field referee has the last say on game matters.
• If you disagree with the field referee do it respectfully and privately.
• A lineman is now often referred to as an assistant referee.
• Smaller games may only have one lineman.

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