Two players are challenging for the ball during a youth game when one player falls to the ground. What the parents of the down player “saw” was a foul, illegal play, and something that the referee should be whistling in their favor.
Conversely, the other player’s parents “saw” a legal and fair challenge and no reason for a whistle to be blown. Parents being naturally protective of their child tend to see what their child does as acceptable and what is being done to their child as unfair.
Unlike what players and parents see in training films, on television, during live contests, and the like, the youth game dynamics are much different from those at the older and professional levels. Read on>>>
