Game Reports: Best Practices for ASC Referees

Purpose & Importance

This document is designed to assist referees of Arlington Soccer Club with filing game reports with BAYS or US Officials that are clear, specific, and objective. Game reports are important for several reasons:

  • Game reports are necessary for referees to be paid at both In-Town and Grassroots levels.Game reports are a required part of refereeing a game.If you don’t file a game report, you will not be paid.
  • Game reports provide confirmation of game scores or cancellations. New games cannot be scheduled until the referee certifies that a scheduled game did/did not occur.
  • Game reports assist club and league officials to evaluate what happened in a game and whether there are consequences. This is especially important when referees must describe a yellow card, red card, Zero Tolerance (ZT) violation, or other instances of inappropriate conduct by players, coaches, or spectators. Red cards, ZT violations, and similar serious infractions are usually investigated by the involved club(s), BAYS, and/or Mass Youth Soccer. The referee’s report plays a very important role in those investigations.

Process

The process of filing a game report is different for in-town and BAYS/grassroots referees:

  • In-town: In-Town referees file game reports through USOfficials.com. Those reports are generally very brief and usually include just the final score. Filing a game report there generates an automatic copy to the referee, which can be ignored. There is an option to file a Supplemental Game Report, but ASC In-Town officials with major concerns should either contact Referee Director Chris Carlsmith or use the anonymous feedback form on the ASC website.
  • BAYS: Grassroots/BAYS referees file game reports through BAYS.org. Those reports include about a dozen questions, including the halftime score, final score, field and weather conditions, injuries, ZT/card violations, and referee comments. These game reports can be revised if necessary by the referee at a later date.

Best Practices

It is important for game reports to be: (1) factual; (2) specific; (3) professional; and (4) objective. It is not always easy to write according to these four points, particularly when a referee has been directly involved in the incident(s) and/or when the incidents provoke strong emotions like anger, fear, or frustration. The following DO/DON’T points should help ASC referees to write game reports that are clear and useful.

DO:

  • Be factual about what happened and who was involved.
    For example, write “the away coach threw his clipboard on the ground and yelled ‘Ref, are you blind!?’” rather than “the coach was mean to me”.
  • Be specific about locations, times, actions, and words.
    For example, write “the Arlington head coach in a blue jacket” rather than “some coach”; write “midway through the first half after a penalty kick” rather than “during the game”; write “I issued a yellow card to green #15 for verbal dissent” rather than “player was cautioned”. You should have a paper roster with coach names and player names/numbers. Use the coach’s name if you have it (but don’t insert player names in the narrative portion of the Game Report).
  • Use professional language.
    For example, write in complete sentences, check your spelling, and avoid slang.
  • Use neutral statements rather than making judgements.
    For example, write “the Arlington assistant coach yelled loudly at the opposing coach and demanded an immediate substitution while play was continuing” rather than “the Arlington coach acted crazy and should be punished”.
  • Be clear about what you saw/heard yourself, and what was reported to you by your co-referees, coaches, or others.

Both can be valid, but they should be described separately.

  • Report your own actions following the points above.
    For example, if you issued a yellow card or consulted with your AR to review an important call, include that information if relevant to the incident(s).

DON’T

  • Don’t skip submission of the game report or omit important details about an important incident like a yellow card, serious injury, or ZT violation.
  • Don’t criticize the coaches or players or yourself. Instead, write about what happened in a neutral and descriptive tone.
  • Don’t include player names in the open-response portion of the game report. For yellow and red cards, you must insert the player name, team, and jersey number in the appropriate box, but that is the only place to use a player’s name.
  • Don’t allow personal opinion or biases to influence what you write in the report.
  • Don’t worry if you can’t remember every detail.
  • Don’t feel that you need to write super-specific, extended game reports. A paragraph or two is usually sufficient, unless there are important extenuating circumstances.

Additional Support

The ASC Referee Director (Chris.Carlsmith@gmail.com) and the ASC Risk Manager (riskmanager.asc@gmail.com) are both available to help referees compose and revise game reports. Referees are encouraged to reach out to these club officials for guidance at any stage in the process of filing a game report.

Useful Links

Revised 22 Jan. 2025