Loudoun Soccer coaches are expected to maintain control of themselves, their players and their team spectators at every game.  Dissent toward game officials and offensive behavior directed toward the opposing team will not be tolerated.  Similarly, misconduct by opposing coaches, players or spectators from other SFL clubs will not be tolerated as well.

Ø      If you have issues with a game official (referee):

v      Never shout at a referee or express dissent regarding his calls while the game is in progress.  Keep your comments to yourself and don’t incite your players or team spectators.

v      Calmly discuss the issue with the referee after the game to understand his point of view.  If you still believe the referee made an error or showed particularly poor judgement, document your complaint in an E-Mail message to SFLmanager@loudounsoccer.com .  Be sure to include the game date, time and location and referee name (if known), and provide a clear explanation of what happened.  Complaints regarding Loudoun referees will be reviewed with the Loudoun Soccer Referee Association.  Complaints regarding referees at non-Loudoun sites will be forwarded to the appropriate SFL club representatives.

v      Note: Game protests must be based on procedural errors made by a referee, not on judgement calls. For example, if a referee calls a direct kick when it should have been an indirect kick and a goal is scored without another player touching the ball, the game may be protested.  However, the judgement by a referee regarding whether or not to call a foul cannot be protested (e.g. the opposing team scores a goal and you think the attacker was off sides, but the referee did not see it that way).  Any game protests submitted directly to the SFL by coaches will not be accepted.  All protests must be made through the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager.

Ø      If you encounter problems with opposing coaches, players or spectators:

v      Avoid confrontations that could escalate into shouting matches (or worse). 

v      Never attempt to discipline a player on the opposing team yourself by grabbing, striking or berating the player for what you perceive to be poor behavior on his/her part.

v      Notify the game official so that he can be aware of the problem and take appropriate action if necessary, or at least note the incident in his game report.

v     If you believe the incident is particularly bad and warrants disciplinary action, document the incident in an E-Mail message to the Loudoun Soccer SFL Manager.  Be sure to include the game date, time and location, and provide a clear explanation of what happened.  You should also note the names of the offending parties whenever possible (e.g. if the complaint only references the “opposing coach”, how would an investigator know whether that is the coach of record, or someone who is standing in for the team coach on that day?).  If there are any witnesses to the incident, you should note their names as well so they can be contacted later by investigators.