REFEREE'S CORNER 

Being a Good Youth Soccer:                               Referee Referee Responsibilities:

1. Study and learn laws of the game                Pre-game conference with coaches
2. Have proper uniform and equipment          Pre-game conference with assistants
3. Respect other Referees                                 Pre-game conference with players
4. Know the rules for each division                  Inspect Field
5. Stay Calm                                                           Inspect Players
6. Be Fair                                                                  Keep Time
7. Sportsmanship                                                  Positioning
                                                                                   Make Calls
                                                                                   Substitutions
                                                                                   Observe Post Game


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MORE LAW 11 [OFFSIDES]:
It is not an offside violation if a player in an offside position gets the ball directly from
                                              -a throw-in
                                              -a corner kick
                                              -a goal kick 

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LAWS OF THE GAME  OFFSIDES - LAW 11:

This Law seems to confuse the most people. The first principle to embrace is to understand that there is a difference between these 2 things:
Being in an OFFSIDE POSiTION and
Being called for "offsides."
An attacker (A) is in an offside position when his teammate has the ball and
(A) is closer to the opponent's goal than the ball AND
(A) is closer to the opponent's goal than the opponent's (second-to-last) defender (accounts for GK) AND
(A) is past midfield in the opponent's half of the playing field.
Being in an offside position in itself IS NOT ILLEGAL!!!!

(A) will be called for "OFFSIDES" when he/she becomes involved in the play (in the referee's opinion).

Examples:
The ball is passed to (A).
(A) gets in the way of an opponent defender.
(A) screens the GK.
(A) affects the opponent in some way.
More on OFFSIDES next week. 

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I recommend the following publication to all soccer enthusiasts who are learning the game:
"Laws Of The Game (Made Easy)," 2005/2006.
United States Soccer Federation