What Law 6 The Assistant Referee says:    

Duties:

Two Assistant Referees are appointed whose duties, subject to the decision of the Referee, are to indicate:

·          when the whole of the ball has passed out of the field of play

·          which side is entitled to a corner kick, goal kick or throw-in

·          when a player may be penalised for being in an offside position

·          when a substitution is requested

·          when misconduct or any other incident has occurred out of the view of the Referee

·          when offences have been committed whenever the Assistants are closer to the action than the Referee (this includes, in particular circumstances, offences committed in the penalty area)

·          whether, at penalty kicks, the goalkeeper has moved forward before the ball has been kicked and if the ball has crossed the line

Assistance:

The Assistant Referees also assist the Referee to control the match in accordance with the Laws of the Game. In particular, they may enter the field of play to help control the 10 yard (9.15m) distance.

An Assistant Referee (sometimes referred to as a Neutral Assistant Referee) is a fully qualified Referee who has a very important part in helping the match Referee to control a game. Most new Referees will be expected to ‘run’ a number of 'lines' as Assistant Referees before attaining promotion. New Referees will need to gain as much experience as they can - both in the 'middle' as the match Referee, and on the line as an Assistant Referee. It does take some time to become comfortable with ‘running the line,’ and this can sometimes be more difficult than actual Refereeing. You need to concentrate 100%, all of the time; this is difficult when the crowd or the ‘The Technical Area’ occupants are shouting at you from behind your back. The ‘Technical Area’ occupants are very often difficult to control in the heat of a game. Assistant Referee will be expected to man-manage difficult situations, or seek help from the Referee if needed.

The Laws of Association Football bestow Assistant Referees with specific responsibilities and duties. But ultimately, it is the Referee who makes the match decisions. A Referee must control the match in co-operation with the Assistant Referees (if they are provided), and where applicable, interact with the Fourth or standby Official. Referees are expected to act on the advice of Assistant Referees, regarding incidents which the Referee has not seen.

Assistant referees are reminded that their duties are specified in Law 6, and their responsibility includes absolute support for the referee, to assist him in achieving successful match control. In every match, there will be many occasions when the Assistant Referee will be required to judge his level of involvement from the tolerance level set by the match Referee.

Concentration throughout the game is essential. An Assistant Referee must also be aware of the control being exercised on the players by the referee, and ensure that he offers support on match control either during or after the match. Opportunities should not be missed to evaluate performances on every occasion, and post-match or half-time debates are part of the normal match day process.

If the match Referee becomes injured, the Senior Assistant Referee will normally take over the Referee's duties. Senior Assistant Referees must keep a close record of the game. A Referee may hand over his notebook to the oncoming Senior Assistant Referee who should be prepared to take over in the middle, at any time.

Assistant Referees should never shake their head in disagreement when the Referee makes a decision that the Assistant Referee does not wholly agree with. Such signs, no matter how small, are picked up by the crowd, the players and the coaches, and will damage the team spirit that is essential to maintain between the Referee and his two Assistant Referees. If (as an Assistant Referee) you do not like the Referees decisions, keep your opinions to yourself, and do not openly show your disagreement. These can be discussed in private with the Referee after the game. The Assistant Referee should never undermine the authority of the Referee in any way, no matter how small the gesture may be.

DUTIES

To assist and not to insist.

Two Assistant Referees are appointed whose duties, subject to the decision of the Referee, are to indicate:

·          when the whole of the ball has passed out of the field of play.

The whole of the ball must be completely over the boundary line, either on the ground or in the air. The Assistant Referee indicates this, by raising his flag straight up, without waving it.

·          which side is entitled to a corner kick, goal kick or throw-in.

The Referee will hopefully have briefed the Assistant Referees as to how he wishes corner kicks and goal kicks to be indicated. Assistant Referees can use a combination of both flag signals and/or body language to indicate to the Referee whether a goal kick or a corner-kick should be given (e.g. body language - facing sideways and towards the half-way line, with the flag down alongside the innermost leg, to indicate a goal-kick). Some Referees like to see a flag signal for goal kicks/corners, other Referees prefer Assistant Referees to use body language. Flag signalling is the modern method.

·          when a player may be penalised for being in an off-side position - only if it is an offence, i.e. the  offside player is involved with active play.

Assistant Referees are normally given total responsibility for deciding when a player should be penalised for being in an offside position or not. The Referee will acknowledge the Assistant Referee with a raised arm/hand signal if he (the Referee) wishes to allow play to continue.

·          when a substitute is requested.

The Senior Assistant Referee (or the Referee on the side where the technical areas are located) is responsible for indicating to the Referee when a team wish to make a substitution. The Assistant Referee is then responsible for noting the substitute's name/number, and organising when and where the substitute can enter the Field of Play (from the half-way line). The outgoing player must leave the field of play before the oncoming substitute can enter. Use your common sense on local pitches where substitutes can sometimes forget (or do not know) the proper procedure.

Working with a Fourth Official:

If a team requests for a substitution to be made, the Fourth Official and the nearest Assistant Referee will work together to ensure that the substitution request is brought to the Referee's attention, and managed correctly. The Fourth Official will normally take charge of the actual substitution process. The Assistant Referee will indicate to the Referee by using his flag, that a substitution is required.

·          when misconduct or any other incident has occurred out of vision of the Referee. 

The Assistant Referees' are the extra sets of 'eyes and ears' of the Referee. If an Assistant Referee sees a notable incident that the Referee has missed and needs to be made aware of, it is that Assistant Referee's responsibility to bring this to the attention of the Referee. The Referee, in conjunction with the Assistant Referee will then discuss the incident, enabling the Referee to take the appropriate action against the player, which could be for example: a strong talking to: a caution: or a sending-off - depending on the nature of the incident.

An Assistant Referee will need to complete a report of any misconduct if he is the main witness of an incident.

Some County Football Associations also require the Assistant Referees to also complete and submit reports for all sending-off offences administered by the Referee.

·          when offences have been committed whenever the assistants are closer to the action than the referee (this includes, in particular circumstances, offences committed in the penalty area)

The Assistant Referee, can also indicate fouls, the position of free-kicks, deliberate hand-balls, penalties and generally help to control the match, depending on the pre-match briefing instructions given to him by the Referee. The Assistant Referees' task is to help the Referee to control the match in accordance with the Laws of the Game.

·          whether, at penalty kicks, the goalkeeper has moved forward before the ball has been kicked and if the ball has crossed the line

The Referee should have briefed the Assistant Referees prior to the game, to take up a specific position during penalties (normally) on the goal line, near to the goal post (where the goal area line intersects the goal line) to act as goal-judge, and to check that the goalkeeper does not move off his goal-line before the ball has been kicked. One method of communication is for the Assistant Referee to use body language by remaining perfectly still, if he (the Assistant Referee) has spotted an infringement during the taking of a penalty kick. This action indicates to the Referee that the Assistant Referee believes that the penalty should be retaken - and allows the Referee time to consult the Assistant Referee before allowing or disallowing a goal. Some Referees instruct their Assistants to raise their flag, if an infringement occurs at a penalty kick. If the Assistant Referee is happy that no infringement has occurred during the taking of the penalty kick, and the Referee is in agreement, the Assistant Referee should move quickly back to the touchline.