Okay, here’s my take on the “should high school soccer have VAR” practice, written in a personal, blog-style format:
So, I’ve been kicking around this idea in my head for a while: Should high school soccer games have VAR? Like, the Video Assistant Referee thing they use in the pros? I decided to actually, you know, do something about it instead of just thinking. So I started digging.
My Little Experiment
First, I watched a bunch of pro games, and some college ones too, paying super close attention to when VAR got called in. I wanted to see, plain and simple, what kinds of calls were getting overturned. Was it mostly offsides? Penalties? You know, the big stuff.
- Goal/No Goal: Obvious, right? Did the ball cross the line or not?
- Penalty/No Penalty: Was it a foul inside the box? This seemed huge.
- Red Card Incidents: Was that tackle REALLY that bad?
- Mistaken Identity: Did the ref card the wrong player? It happens!
Then, the fun part. I started going to a bunch of local high school games. Armed with my newfound “expertise” (ha!), I watched the games, and mentally marked every time I thought “VAR would have changed that.” I even brought a little notepad and pen with me.
My Not-So-Scientific Findings
I was surprised. I really started keeping count, I went to five games last week. I was using my phone, making notes as I went.
Here’s what I jotted down, more or less:
- Game 1: Two iffy offside calls that led to goals. One penalty shout that looked legit.
- Game 2: A red card that seemed super harsh. Could have been a yellow, maybe.
- Game 3: Chaos! Missed handball in the box, another questionable offside.
- Game 4:Pretty clean game, surprisingly. Only one potential VAR moment.
- Game 5: A goal that was called offside, but the player looked level on my phone replay.
I even tried to record some of the games on my phone, just to see if my eyes were deceiving me. Let me tell you, it’s harder than it looks to be a one-man camera crew and analyst!
The Verdict (For Now)
Honestly? It’s a mess. I can see how adding VAR could be a game-changer, It’s those big, game-deciding moments that stick in your craw. I even started to talk to some of the parents, other spectators, and got some nods. But is it practical? Could a high school even afford it? The gear, the trained operators… It’s a whole other can of worms. It’s a long way.
My little experiment didn’t give me a definitive answer, but I definitely lean to it could improve the games. It got me thinking, and it showed me that even at the high school level, these calls matter. It’s their Champions League final, right? It’s not easy to implement, that’s for sure. I’m going to keep watching, keep thinking, and maybe even try to talk to some coaches. Stay tuned!
