Republic of the Philippines

Tarlac State University

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Lucinda Campus, Tarlac City
Tel. No. (045) 493-0182; Fax No. (045) 982-0110
Re-accredited Level IV by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of
the Philippines (AACUP), Inc.

Role of the Officials and Hand Signals in

playing Soccer

(BPED 116 – Teamsports: Soccer/Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Baseball, Softball, Non-

Traditional: Ultimate Handball, Floorball, Futzal, Sepak Takraw)

Submitted by:
Tanda, Aira Mae L.

Submitted to:
Mr. Victorino G. Espinosa
I. Introduction
Soccer also known as football in many countries is one of the world’s popular sport. It is
a sport that combines strength, speed, and skills. Soccer is a game that is played on a field
between two teams. Each team is composed of 11 players with one goalkeeper each. Soccer is a
team sport that connects people together for friendly competition. It's a game that can be enjoyed
by both short and tall players, which makes it special.
Just like any other sports, Soccer also has different officials which consist of a referee,
assistant referees, fourth officials, and video assistant referees. These officials have different
duties and responsibilities during the game. They play a large part during the game. They ensure
that all the game’s rules are followed in every match. They’re doing it by using different hand
signals.

II. Learning outcomes

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
 Explain the roles of the officials.
 Appreciate the roles of the officials by following the laws of the game.
 Demonstrate the different hand signals in playing soccer.

III. Learning Content

Any sport places a significant amount of value on officials. Most sporting events would
not be possible without officials giving up their valuable time. It can be challenging to officiate,
and sadly, some officials have to deal with rudeness from players, spectators, and other people.
They must be able to play their part effectively and filter out the harsh comments from
spectators.
The roles of officials during competition staging are crucial. In addition to ensuring that
the competition is handled in a safe and fair manner, they offer leadership and guidance to
participants. The official's job requires them to possess traits like honesty, respect, integrity, and
decency. This covers their behavior and interactions with others before, during, and after
competition, as well as how they handle themselves in their professional duties.

Soccer has four different officials with different roles and these include:
1. Referee
2. Assistant Referees
3. Fourth Officials
4. Video Assistant Referees

 Role of Head Referee

The head referee stays on the field and moves with the run of play. They are responsible
for enforcing the laws of the game, controlling the match, act as timekeepers, reporting
disciplinary actions, supervising, and restarting play. They are in charge of handing out penalty
cards, calling fouls, and communicating with players on the field.
 Role of Assistant Referees
As the name implies, assistant referees’ job is to make sure that the head referee does their
job right. They assist the head referee in taking decisions about fouls, offsides, throw-ins, corner
kicks and a few other things. Assistant referees also use a flag to communicate their decisions to
the head referee and to the audience watching the game.

 Role of Fourth Officials

Fourth officials assist the head referee at all times. They must also indicate to the head referee
when the wrong player is cautioned because of mistaken identity or when a player is not sent off
having been seen to be given a second caution or when violent conduct occurs out of the view of
the head referee and assistant referees. They have the authority to inform the head referee of
irresponsible behavior by any occupant of the technical area and have the authority to advise the
head referee in matters of game management and player control.

 Role of Video Assistant Referees

The Video Assistant Referees (VAR) technology is a supporting tool to help the on-field
referee and officials make better decisions regarding goal decisions, penalty decisions, direct red
card decisions, and mistaken identity. VAR is used to review plays that may have been missed or
miscalled.

Different Hand Signals that the officials use in playing Soccer or Football
Evaluation
1. On a clean sheet of paper, enumerate the four different officials in playing soccer and explain
their duties and responsibilities before, during, and after the game.
2. Give 10 hand signals in playing soccer with their meanings.

IV. References
Soccer Officials And Referees (rookieroad.com)
Football Officials and Their Duties (liveabout.com)
What are the duties and responsibilities of soccer referees? | Marca
Match Officials in Soccer (Explained!) - Soccer Knowledge Hub
Officials in Football | Roles and Responsibilities of a Referee (theukrules.co.uk)