Mass Youth Soccer New Heading Rules

robssecondjob

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Just got this. Effective immediately.

For all Mass Youth Soccer and all Member Organizations the following will be adhered to:

Heading Not Permissible
a) Players by Age

(1) All players age 10 years old and younger, regardless of what age group program they are playing in, shall not engage in heading either in practice or in games.

b) Programs by Age Group
(1) All players in single year age groups of U11 programs and younger shall not engage in heading either in practice or in games.
(2) All players in dual year age groups which incorporate a U11 program (e.g. U11/12) shall not engage in heading in games. Training is permissible for player age 11 and 12 per limitations noted below.

Limited Heading in Practice, No Limit in Games
a) Players by Age
(1) For all players between the ages of 11 and 13, heading training will be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes per week with no more that 15‐20 headers per player, per week. No limit of heading in games.


Heading Infraction
For those players designated as not being permitted to head a ball in games as identified in the above section Heading Not Permissible the following modified law 12 will apply. An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player, in the opinion of the referee: Deliberately heads or attempts to head the ball.
If, in the opinion of the referee, a deliberate header or attempt to head occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick will be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If, in the opinion of the referee, a player does not deliberately head or attempt to head the ball, then play should continue.
 

BillWarDamnEagleJay

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In Alabama we're waiting until Fall 2016 to implement the header changes, along with the new age group classifications (teams by birth year, not school year). Most people I know are in favor of the header change while being opposed to the new age groups.
 
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robssecondjob

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MYSA helpfully decided to formally adopt the header changes slightly less that two weeks before our first games. If I have to hear another parent say "Why did you change the age groups?" I am going to scream. As if I have the power to unilaterally change something like that!
 

CPT Neuron

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This is in response to the class action lawsuit from CA that was resolved out of court - USYSA and US Club soccer have implemented these rules universally. It is going to be a bit of a cluster for sure.
 

robssecondjob

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First game under the new rules for my U11s. Other team was called for one header. The kid knew it right away and kind of smiled. We were clean, but it was frustrating to watch high crosses into the area go wanting.

Unintended side effect is that there was a lot of high boots trying to knock down balls. I'll need to work that one out.
 

Humphrey

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So we can add to the cries of "hand ball" from the uneducated fans the term "head ball", I guess.

Remember the head is supposed to play the ball, not the ball play the head. In other words, the ball hitting someone's noggin is not necessarily a violation.

There would be no signal for this save for the referee's arm going straight up, like is supposed to happen for any other indirect kick.
 

DJnVa

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In other words, the ball hitting someone's noggin is not necessarily a violation.
Well, it's not necessarily a "violation", but play is stopped whenever a ball hits a kid in the head.

This is from official guidance sent to my son, who's a soccer official:

Whenever the ball strikes a player in the head, play is stopped. The proper restart depends upon whether the player deliberately played the ball with his or her head. If deliberate, the proper restart is an indirect free kick to the opposing team. If this occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If the play by the head is deemed inadvertent, then the proper restart is a dropped ball.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Dawg, who's advising a drop ball on inadvertent headers? It goes against what robssecondjob posted above, and AFAIK against the guidelines that came out from national.

EDIT: NM, found it: VYSA, whose home office I coincidentally happened to drive by a few weeks back at a tournament in Fredericksburg.
 
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Humphrey

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Thank goodness Mass. is not implementing the drop-ball-on-inadvertent-header provision...opens up a real can of worms. Of course if the ball hits a child in the head hard, by all means stop the game then and there.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Heading out to a Northern Counites (NJ) pre-season ref meeting soon. Guessing they're going to touch upon this subject (but not that much, as there appears to be new gameday paperwork/procedures in place for the spring season, and they are sticklers for paperwork)

EDIT: yup, quickly explained the actual rule (discussing only deliberate, with no talk of inadvertent heading or of inadvertent whistles), but spent even more time discussing how to handle repeated infractions, coaches or parents loudly encouraging heading, acknowledging that many u11s will ignore the rule since they can legally head a few months from now when they turn U12.
 
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robssecondjob

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What was the discussion of repeated infractions? I had an opposing player get called repeatedly in my match this weekend. I would have thought that it would be considered a persistent infringement type of call.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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What was the discussion of repeated infractions? I had an opposing player get called repeatedly in my match this weekend. I would have thought that it would be considered a persistent infringement type of call.
Kept referring to it as a personal safety issue, so players can head all they want to and will just get called for it every time with no further penalty. They used the analogy: if a player is constantly called for off sides, is there anything else you can or should do to discourage it further (IOW, would you card them?)? Nope......
 
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Humphrey

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In Mass. repeated headings would be construed as persistent infringement according to my local BAYS assigner.

And in BAYS the ban goes up to U12 because more towns than not don't separate U12 and U11.

I'm not expecting it to happen very much, if ever.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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In Mass. repeated headings would be construed as persistent infringement according to my local BAYS assigner.
Which means what, exactly? And what would it result in?

Doesnt persistent infringement usually relate IIRC to laws 12 and 14? Seems to me that the closest you could come with those two laws would be unsportsmanlike behavior? At that age,you could hardly call it delay of game, as it's not that different then killing the clock by repeatedly kicking the ball out of bounds.
 

DJnVa

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I've watched a lot of U11 and younger games---there simply isn't that much heading anyway, at least the kind that would be considered intentional. I can't believe there's really going to be some 10 year old kid that heads the ball enough over a 50 minute game to have a ref call it persistent infringement.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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My son played in first U11 game if spring today. A kid headed one (badly, barely grazed it), and ref basically told the player not to do that in a very polite way, no game stoppage, no penalty. No more headings occurred. This is competition travel level, so one level down from our leagues premier team, althiugh we have a couple premier players who play with other premier programs on the team.
 

04101Seadog

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Not in Mass, but in my son's NEPL game last weekend there were 3 calls against our team for heading, 2 of which resulted in indirect kicks less than 5 feet from the goal mouth. We ended up losing 5-3 based quite a bit on those calls as they scored on both.

Watching it though the boys were generally confused - it hadn't been called other games in the season yet - so there were plays that were reflex that they ended up being called on. For example both calls in the box were off corners which our defenders were able to clear. It lead to a lot of plays where the ball was coming down in the air and the kids were hesitating and ultimately making some really awkward plays on the ball. In general after the game both coaches were pissed, the boys were all pissed, and it wasn't a fun scene. It will be interesting to see how it's applied, if at all, this weekend.

Edit: Interesting reading how the rule is applied in the goal mouth as both of ours were given at the spot of the foul, rather than on the line. The result was in one case that the wall was set up on the goal line because the defenders couldn't go back any further, and they were still only 3-4 feet back.
 
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Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Edit: Interesting reading how the rule is applied in the goal mouth as both of ours were given at the spot of the foul, rather than on the line. The result was in one case that the wall was set up on the goal line because the defenders couldn't go back any further, and they were still only 3-4 feet back.
Your coach should REALLY stress that in his ref assessment/eval. My 16 y/o son is a grade 8, and if he ever incorrectly spotted the ball that way (multiple times, no less), he'd have at least two scathing emails waiting for him from our league board.
 

robssecondjob

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They got that call wrong for sure. Ref assignor needs to know about that one for sure.

I had to physically restrain a coach last weekend to prevent him from going onto the pitch to confront a ref that made the correct call in an example much like yours. Defensive header in area. He was convinced it should have been a PK not an indirect on the line.
 

Humphrey

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My first weekend where I was officiating a level where the heading rule came into effect. (U12 for BAYS, U11 for Maple).

Didn't like it, especially where there is above average skill level for the age group.

Got a mixture of the following:
1. Kids forgetting and heading.
2. Attempts to chest and very top of shoulder (next to neck) the ball, some of which were good and some of which missed connection and ended up being handling.
3. People raising their foot and trying to kick it which in at least one case ended up being an indirect kick for a high foot with someone close enough that you have to call that.
4. One of two that just hit someone's head but the kid had no intent of it doing so.

The one I really hated was #2... kid tries like hell to not head it and ends up giving up a DIRECT kick, not an INDIRECT kick. That could mean a lot in a closely contested game.
 

twothousandone

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My son played his first U11 game with the new rules this weekend. He's above average in a very weak league -- meaning he's one of the few who has ever even tried to head the ball. The rule is the rule, but for these kids there are no corners that make it to the goal mouth on a fly. The one header called came up on a bounce, and the kid barely even reacted -- it was more of a misplay. No big deal with the call, but the refs admonishment to everyone that heading was no longer permitted seemed off. No one was trying to head the ball.

He's got to set the tone, though.
 

04101Seadog

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So week 2 of the new rules was as much of a cluster as week 1, but without the game altering consequences. We had:
  • Two kids trying to play a punted ball at midfield with their feet which ended with one getting kicked in the ear.
  • A bouncing ball was played from head to foot by a member of the other team at midfield while making a odd-man rush (it was actually a beautiful play) and was whistled for a direct kick.
  • Every corner was a mess as both coaches yelled for no one to head the ball, and each time the kicker just lofted the ball into the 6. Legs flying everywhere, kids making awkward tries, it was cringe worthy. It led to goals on 2 of 3 corners against us and 1-3 for us when quite often corners were cleared with the head and sent out.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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Latest - 11u CT game, one of our players headed ball...twice! One of them was about waist high, other could have been played off chest. He immediately knew he messed up both times. Mid field locations, so it was free kick, not a big deal made.

The kid who pulled our player down from behind (in front of sidelines ref), and only got a yellow, who was pushing all game, and then did late tackle in the box for second yellow and expulsion was another matter altogether. Ref let this kid get out of control, coach didn't do anything about it until after it was too late. Oh, on the late tackle, one of our best players was carried off field, luckily only a sprain, but on crutches and out a couple weeks at least. The offending player wore pants on a 60 degree day where everyone else wore shorts. Have you guys seen a situation where a player will wear pants to reduce own wear and tear when wreaking havoc on other players? Something to look for in a game as a player potentially dangerous/an issue?
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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The offending player wore pants on a 60 degree day where everyone else wore shorts. Have you guys seen a situation where a player will wear pants to reduce own wear and tear when wreaking havoc on other players? Something to look for in a game as a player potentially dangerous/an issue?
Odd that you mention it today: it was very noticeable that a U15 EDP boy was wearing pants yesterday. It was cool and overcast with an on/off drizzle, and only one other player even had leggings on, but this boy had on real sweat pants to play the field. He wasnt a dirty player, and I just assumed they threw their backup GK onto the field on a moment's notice, but that's a great point you bring up.
 

robssecondjob

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My wife is convinced that she can find the dirty player in the U11-U13 age group by locating a player wearing a headband. In many of my matches this season she has been accurate.
 

DJnVa

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Any of you soccer-involved folks going to be participating in the North American Sand Soccer Tournament in 2 weeks in Va Beach?
 

DJnVa

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Some mid Atlantic types could have a conflict with the EDP Showcase in Hammonton that same weekend.
That's a pretty high ranked tourney. Wow. Worlds ahead of the one my daughter just played in this past weekend.

Anyway, if anyone is down here in 2 weeks, let me know, we can grab a drink.