Be the Referee: Penalty Kick Change

October 6, 2016

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how soccer penalty kick rules have been changed this year to dissuade players from hesitating before taking the kick.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Soccer Penalty Kick Change - Listen

In the game of soccer, goals are tough to come by. That’s why in some of the most important games, we see those contests head into overtime and ultimately get decided by penalty kicks – or P-Ks.

The rules dealing with penalty kicks have changed for this year. In years past, whenever a player would hear the referee’s whistle and start to move toward the ball to make a penalty kick, any hesitation, delay or stutter-step would make that kick illegal. In past years, that player always got an opportunity to take a re-kick.

But this year, there is no opportunity for that player to take an additional re-kick.

Past editions
Sept. 29: Preparation for Officials - Listen
Sept 22: You Make the Call: Returning Kickoffs - Listen
Sept. 15: Concussions - Listen
Sept 8: Equipment Covering the Knees - Listen
Sept. 1: Play Clock Experiment - Listen
Aug. 25: Clipping in the Free Blocking Zone - Listen

Be the Referee: Officials & Injuries

October 9, 2014

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains the official's role when it comes to player injuries.

"Be the Referee" is designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating and to recruit officials. The segment can be heard on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the school year on The Drive With Jack Ebling on WVFN-AM, East Lansing.  

Below is this week's segment - Officials & Injuries - Listen

Player safety is the number one topic in football, from the NFL level to college to high school, all the way down to the youth levels. We often get the question, what is the official’s role when it comes to player injuries?

Officials have no role in diagnosing injuries. However, they must be constantly aware of what’s taking place on the field, and whenever a player is showing signs and symptoms of a possible injury, the game needs to be stopped and that team’s staff alerted to a possible injury.

The decisions on that injury are made by the team’s staff, which often includes a doctor, certified athletic trainer and members of the coaching staff to be certain that the best interests of the student-athlete is being followed in every case.

Past editions
Oct. 1 - Overtime - Listen
Sept. 25 - Field Goals - Listen
Sept. 18 - Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 11 - Pass Interference - Listen
Aug. 25 - Targeting - Listen