Quote Originally Posted by Imyourhero View Post
Northern has been a mess this year with policies and processes such as these not well thought out & no pragmatism to support safe and competitive football each weekend. Should policies such as these not be clear & thoughtful? Furthermore, greater structure to outline suspensions etc for u18s & senior football needs to be a focal point. I've heard many examples of u18s players copping suspensions via red cards or yellow card accumulated in seniors without being allowed to serve suspensions in those grades, but also not being able to safely play without fear of northern changing rules. Many examples of inconsistent application with many times young players missing the chance to play up, or down, & ultimately missing more potential games than the suspension actually indicated.

Policies should be aimed at maximising games. Of course players need to take punishment for incidences however over-punishing due to inconsistent understanding or development of policy is not a supportive environment for the development of young footballers.
Notwithstanding many younger refs are not totally familiar with the rules and are extrememly underdeveloped for the role that NNSW have placed them in.
They are too scared to control the game. Then the players take the suspension through frustration.

I agree with zero tolerance/abuse but this needs to be balanced with knowledgeable & competent match control.