Authority: The referees shall be the sole judges on the field of play.
Rules of play: All referees shall be familiar with and honor the rules of play and the laws of the game as defined by F.I.F.A. unless otherwise noted in the OCWSL bylaws.
Order: The referee must maintain order before, during and after any game. It is the responsibility of the coaches, Executive Board members, and Team Reps to maintain the highest standards of conduct for them self and their players, as well as any and all supporters at all matches. It is also the responsibility of the coaches, Executive Board members, and Team Reps to fully support the referee at all times.
- Abusive and obscene language, violent play, violent conduct, fighting and other behavior will not be tolerated.
- In cases where the fans are, in the opinion of the referee, getting out of hand (verbal abuse to the referee, opposing players, coaches, and/or spectators) the referee has the power to stop the game and ask the appropriate Executive Board member and/or Team Rep to get her fans under control. In no case will the referee deal directly with a spectator.
- If after the appropriate individual has tried to comply with the referees’ request and the problem still exist, the referee may terminate the game and make a full report to the President.
- In cases where spectator affiliation cannot be determined, it is up to the home Team Representative(s) to address the situation. If the situation is not corrected, the referee, again, may terminate the game.
- All players and coaches must stay within 10 yards of the midfield line. Spectators are expected to stay 5 yards from the touch line.
- Penalties for unruly fans will be recommended by the Executive Board to the OCWSL, and could include having a team play all away games, suspension of a team from the league, or requiring a team to play without any spectator support.
