I was privileged recently to attend Pompey playing Birmingham at Fratton Park. This was the league game within days of their victory over the same team in the FA cup. Naturally, Birmingham had a score to settle…
Privileged for several reasons! As I am gainfully employed under the subtext of ‘Head Geek’ for the team’s shirt sponsor I went along under corporate hospitality. Even before the match began, the enthusiasm and drive of pretty much everyone from the club I had contact with was evident. It was clear they genuinely really cared for what they were doing and there wasn’t a detectable hint of worry. Sadly, just the following day, more than 80 employees of the club were made redundant.
The match itself was entertaining although Pompey clearly were not at their best. Birmingham had also clearly learned from the loss at the previous weekend and their back four were particularly tight. Final score: 1-2. Jamie O’Hara was the clear outstanding player to me, playing with real passion as well. We nominated him for the Partners’ Lounge Man of the Match. He was a nice guy in person as well, especially since I arrived late back from the dressing room area to see him.
Why was I in the dressing room area? Well, I am a qualified football referee myself but not anywhere near Premiership level at this point! I queried via our hosts whether it would be possible to meet the referee team after the match. I knew this would depend on a lot of variables but in particular whether they had a ‘good game’ or not. If any managers were furiously trying to beat their door down it would be particularly unlikely to happen…
Thankfully, they DID have a good game and I was taken down post-match. This meant waiting in the dressing room corridor for five minutes so I got to see the players milling about, and also to talk to the Match Assessor. So far the occurring theme in this entry is just how positive and nice everyone was and it applies here as well! The Assessor is there to report on the referee team’s performance and he took me in to see them.
He jokingly introduced me as being from the Surrey FA (well, this is technically true…) and there to conduct the assessment but there was no way I could keep that pretense up. I got to have a chat with the team and up close it really did strike me just how physically fit they were. This should hardly be of a surprise but I guess you only really ‘see’ it up close. During the game I thought Mike Jones was in his twenties: It was hard to believe that he is really 42. His two assistants typically work with Howard Webb and also featured in the Les Arbitres documentary, so to meet them as well was a particular thrill!
Really, seeing the fitness level on display has served to energise my own efforts in that area. I aim to be professional in all my dealings as a referee and projecting an appropriate level of fitness is a big part of that. After all, it’s a demonstration of making the effort.
I was even gifted some neat little Premier League lapel badges which I will be sporting on future match appointments until I am ordered to take them off 😉
So much positivity in one evening: From the club, the players (especially Mr O’Hara) and the referee team (who had clearly enjoyed the match as well). If I can take just an ounce of that and apply it to my own life then great things are bound to happen…