In my previous post about my pre-season starting I wrote about adjusting assumptions. I am going to elaborate a little about that today.
A key skill for a referee, or in fact anyone in pretty much any situation, is to show appropriate empathy. The Laws of the Game are immutable but a key skill is to apply them in a which which does not alienate the referee from the players, officials and supporters. Two referees could make the same technical decisions during a match, with one ending up loved and the other hated by the end.
This has been made very clear to me during my pre-season so far. I have been acting as Assistant Referee on various pre-season ‘friendlies’. As is traditional when acting as an Assistant, you can work on a game that you not allowed to actually referee. It is a great learning experience to watch higher-level referees in action.
The game at the semi-professional levels is a different beast to the ‘park’ football that I mostly referee. Applying the same refereeing touch would be a bit of a disaster. Why?
It comes down to the different expectations of the players. The higher level players are more athletic and play in a more physical manner. There is a lot more ‘man-handling’ going one and the players just get on with it! Now, there may still be the desperate appeal for a little shove but it tends to be a quick shout and then instantly forgotten about. In short, they are trying it on.
In my first such pre-season game, there was a tussle in front of me, and I flagged for the foul. In ‘park’ football, it would have been the right decision and the players would have been screaming for it anyway. At this higher level? Neither player had any idea what I had stuck my flag up for! The referee correctly waved play on and I played my ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ card to the players (“I was too close to have a proper view of it”).
As my pre-season continues, I will need to be very aware of showing appropriate empathy for the skill and fitness levels of the players. This is also a requirement when being assessed, under ‘Match control’. It will have to vary from game to game, and especially from league to league!
How have you demonstrated good (or bad!) empathy in a situation?
Have you started off on the wrong foot and then managed to ‘win’ a situation around?
I would love to have your comments!