As part of the Front Range Invitational Tournament in Colorado Springs, I was officiating a match at the lower level of fields at the U.S. Air Force Academy. We could see bad weather was moving in and had heard the thunder and seen the flashes of lightning in the distance, but we all wanted to play on! Besides, the lightning was still a ways away and none of us had seen lightning hit the ground anywhere nearby. About midway through the second half of my game, the storm rolled over the mountains and lightning struck one of the upper fields. Scott Hamilton, a U-15 player from Denver was directly hit with the blast. Although he survived, he was critically injured and has permanent physical disabilities which have prevented him from returning to soccer in the ten years since the incident. Three other players and the center referee, a good friend of mine, were also hospitalized from the spread of the lightning after it hit the ground.

In a similar experience, I was refereeing a high school game at a local high school several years ago and had suspended the game because of lightning in the distance and an impending storm. Both coaches were displeased at my decision arguing that the lightning was still far away and posed no danger to the players or fans. Each impatiently asked if I was going to restart the game anytime soon. After waiting for 15 minutes, I was walking from my car to the field to discuss the situation with the coaches when lightning actually hit the stadium. Since both teams had been sent to the locker room, no one was hurt and the only damage done was to the stadium clock.

These two stories illustrate important points about officiating. You need to remember that the primary roll of the referee is to ensure the safety of the players, and properly identifying safe playing conditions is an important duty of the referee. Like the incident in Colorado, by the time you actually see lightning near-by, it may be too late. If you see lightning hit the ground within a mile or two of your location, you have already stayed outside too long. Soccer is only a game, and it's not worth the risk.

The second story has a message for both referees and coaches. Referees, you are the one who must make the decisions regarding the suitability of the playing conditions and should not succumb to the pressures of coaches when you think things are unsafe. Although it made me unpopular at the time, my decision to stop the game that night may have saved somebody's life. Coaches, you need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. You need to think about the safety of your players, not about the difficulty of rescheduling games or the hassle of coming out to play on a different night. Dont put players' lives in jeopardy because it's difficult to reschedule a rematch. It seems a little silly, doesn't it?

Finally, I have a note for everyone: parents, players, referees, and coaches. You need to work together to assess the suitability of the weather, but remember it is the final decision of the referee to decide if a game is going to continue. For you referees this is a big responsibility which you must take seriously. If there is danger to the players from lightning, even if relatively small, suspend the game and get off the field to a place of safety. For the rest of you, if you are at a game where you feel the weather is unsafe but the referee will not suspend the game, you have every right to leave the game and take your kids with you. The worst that can possibly occur if you leave a match before the referee has called for a suspension, is that you will end up losing a game by forfeit. This is a pretty small price to pay when compared to the alternative.

See letter to the editor concerning this article April 27,2000

See letter to the editor concerning this article May 14,2000

What do you think? Do you have any stories about abandoning matches that you want to share with us? Comments and suggestions regarding this article are appreciated please email suggestions@asktheref.com