National Evaluator Group (NEG)

(2/15/16)

Posted 2/22/16

On their second conference call of the women's season on 2/15/16 the NEG discussed

1. Attendance on call: (n=16)

Bill Barnett

Randy Burgess

Mitch Carty

Bob Corb

Don Holbrook

Jack Horton

Allen Lorentzen

Sandy Nitta

Ed Reed

Gary Robinett

Larry Rogers

Terry Sayring

Randy Snider

Pete Snyder

Rick West

John Bugner (NCAA)

II. NCO Update

-Referee School: Still waiting to confirm support from all Conference Commissioners for making attendance mandatory; tentatively scheduled for 8/27-28/16 at four sites around the country

-Advantage website: Thus far have heard from Pete Snyder (Penalty throws) and Rick West (center forward), both seeking input from group on content

-NCAA paperwork (selection process): Supervisors reminded of important dates:

3/18/16: Initial Conference nominations due

5/1/16: Final Conference rankings due

III. First month of the women's season

-Stanford: Referees very receptive to feedback from evaluators; Questions raised about what constitutes an offensive foul (in transition vs. at center forward)

Posted 10/21/14

-Princeton: Younger group of officials; some discussion about collaboration, especially 4/5 side

-UCSD: Issues with collaboration and being in position to see "points of contact" between pairs of players (Who initiates contact and who gains unearned advantage); questions about when to call ball under and process for replacing caps

-Overall: (1) Whenever possible, tournaments should not be pre-assigned; assignments should be based on referees' performance; (2) To be effective, evaluations must include video review; (3) Instructions to referees on Rule 4-1 Cap Replacement and Rule 20-6 Ball Under are attached and will be posted on Advantage

IV. Evaluator concerns

-Fix Your Suit: Continues to be an issue but must be addressed by coaches and athletes, not referees or evaluators

V. Schedule next conference call: Monday, 3/5/16, 5:30 PM CA Time

VI. Adjournment

Future Dates:

2/27-28/16: UCI Tournament

3/5/16: NEG conference call

3/18/16: Initial Conference nominations due

4/29-5/1/16: Conference championship weekend

(BWC--UCSB; CWPA--Harvard; GCC--???; MAAC--Marist; MPSF--Bakersfield; SCIAC--Redlands*;

WWPA--CSUEB). *SCIAC Championship 4/22-24/16

5/1/16: Final Conference rankings due

5/2/16: Selection call for teams and officials

5/7/16: Play-In Games (TBD)

5/13-15/16: NCAA Championship (UCLA)

Respectfully Submitted,

Bob Corb, NCO

February 22, 2016

Instructions to Referees

Recently there have been a number of officials and coaches asking for additional clarification regarding two situations: (1) The timing and procedure for replacing a cap (Rule 4-1); and (2) The correct application of Rule 20-6, Ball Under. Below you will find first the rule as written, and then in bold the new Instruction to Referees. Within a week there will also be video clips to illustrate what is and is not considered ball under. As always, if you have questions please contact:

Bob Corb Brian StreeterNational Coordinator of Officials (NCO) Secretary Rules Editor (SRE).ncaacoordinator@earthlink.net bfs6@psu.edu(562) 773-7413 (814) 898-6379

Rule 4-1 Caps

Caps shall be worn throughout the entire game by all players on the bench and in the water, including any player on the bench who is no longer entitled to play. Caps shall be fastened under the chin. If a player loses the cap during play, the player shall replace it at the next appropriate stoppage of the game when the player’s team is in possession of the ball. At all times the referee should apply the advantage rule (Rule 7-3) in determining when to stop play.

Instructions to referees: It is expected that the process of replacing the cap will be handled quickly by the team affected. If the cap is broken or cannot be located immediately the referee may suggest that the coach use a replacement cap (if available) or use a cap with a different number in order to continue the game in a timely manner. If the player in the water will be wearing a different number the referee must notify the score table and the coach of the opposing team of the change in cap number. If the team is in possession of the ball, the coach may also call time-out and substitute the player. If in the referee's judgment either the player in the water and/or the coach are intentionally delaying the game, the referee has several options: (1) a verbal warning may be given to the coach; (2) a yellow card may be given to the player in the water or to the head coach; (3) if the problem persists a MAM may be issued to the offending player in the water.

**************Rule 20-6. Ball under

Referees and coaches are reminded that Rule 20-6 specifies two very different situations where this foul may be called. The first is:

To take or hold the entire ball under the water when tackled. The foul of taking the ball under when tackled refers to taking or holding the ball under water when, through bodily contact, the player in possession of the ball is forced to take the ball under against that player’s will or purposely takes the ball under and there is contact by the defender on the shoulder or arm or hand holding the ball.(snip) It makes no difference that the ball goes under the water against that player’s will. What is important is that the foul is awarded against the player who was in contact with the ball at the moment it was taken under the water.

Instructions to referees: (1) The hand in contact with ball is considered part of the ball and must be entirely underwater in order to award the foul. (2) Referees should be patient in whistling this foul to be sure the ball and the hand are entirely underwater, and to be sure of which player's hand is actually in contact with the ball. As a suggested guideline, if the ball is completely underwater long enough for the referee to say, "That's ball under." whistling the foul is appropriate.

The second situation is:

...if the goalkeeper emerges high out of the water to save a shot and then while falling back takes the ball under the water, the goalkeeper has committed no offense; but if the goalkeeper then holds the ball under the water when challenged by an opponent, the goalkeeper will have committed an infringement of this rule and if the goalkeeper’s actions prevented a probable goal, a penalty throw must be awarded under Rule 22-2.

Interpretation: “Challenged” refers to the situation where the goalkeeper takes the ball under water if the opponent goes after, chases, approaches, etc, the goalkeeper. This also applies to other field players in addition to the goalkeeper. A player cannot take the ball under to keep an opponent from getting the ball.

Instructions to referees: (1) The last sentence in the previous Interpretation is critical; a player who takes the ball under when challenged to prevent an opponent from getting the ball has committed a foul. (2) Patience is once again required so that the referee can be certain that the entire ball is under water and whose hand is in contact with the ball at that moment. (3) In this situation the referee must determine whether the act of taking the ball under by one player prevented that player's opponent from getting the ball, regardless of how long the ball was under water. If in the referee's judgment this action prevents a probable goal a penalty throw must be awarded under Rule 22-2. This applies to a field player as well as the goalkeeper.