Tag: Refereeing

Pre-season starts here!

It really does not feel like that long ago I was piling in the games at the end of the 2010/2011 season. The snow and other bad weather meant there was a backlog so quite a few midweek evening games were available. This was great for me as it means I have already hit my required quota of 20 games since March in order to hit one of the promotion criteria.

Now, here we are in pre-season mode! I’ve been keeping up my running and have been involved in a couple of games but now the ‘real stuff’ begins. I have a pre-season schedule coming together with a mixture of referee and assistant positions at various levels. Referees need a pre-season just like players do! It is a chance for us to get the fitness in line (both physical and mental stamina), perhaps try a few new things and ensure we are confident when the season truly begins.

I had my first game this week as Assistant Referee. This was a valuable learning experience as the other two officials are both active supply league referees. In addition, the game was frenetic due to lots of triallists wanting to prove their worth!

The teams themselves are at a higher level than I am currently permitted to referee. Some notes on that:

  1. FITNESS AND SKILL: A lot higher than ‘parks’ football! I was able to keep up just fine and it was a great test of my sprinting ability. The ball would be kept in play for a lot longer as well which made it a more interesting game overall.
  2. MORE PHYSICAL PLAY: The challenges and general play were a LOT more physical. However, there were no complaints as most of the time it was controlled and the players were just getting on with it. This took adjusting to. At ‘my’ level, I would be giving fouls for that sort of contact and the players would be expecting that to happen as well.
  3. ADJUST ASSUMPTIONS: A couple of times I flagged for offside way too early. I was in ‘parks’ mode where I would assume (correctly) that the offside applied because no other player could be involved. I needed to wait to absolutely sure in this game because another player could EASILY zip through, or the advantage could shift IMMEDIATELY and should be considered. A great learning experience.

A summary of the game is that my fitness was easily up to the task but that it took me longer to get my mental sharpness in line, especially with not flagging for offsides too soon. As the players are faster at this level your assumptions have to be a bit different. Things flowed a lot better during the second half. My concentration had also been a hit a little bit due to a ‘flag malfunction’ in the first half….

Lots more games to come. It is going to be a busy and productive season and I am really looking forward to it!

p.s. I’ve also been nominated by Surrey FA for consideration to FA Competitions for this season which is really exciting!

A belated County Cup Final

Shiny!
I was really happy towards the end of last season to be appointed to officiate at the Surrey FA Sunday Premier Cup Final. These appointments are made on merit based on a referee’s performance throughout the season. Various things are considered, including marks from teams on the referee’s leagues and administration. It was a great game and occasion.

I was therefore a little surprised to be given a second Final…. in July! This is normally the ‘closed season’ where everyone is relaxing and eating too many biscuits. Or is that just me? The Final had even already been played. However, it had been later revealed that the winner had fielded an ineligible player and as a result were removed from the competition. A losing semi-finalist was pulled into the final to replace them. All seemingly very political but the rules on the eligibility of players are very clear.

Thankfully, I’ve been keeping up my fitness and as it was to be an Under 11s game it was never going to be too stressful. It was a good gauge of where I am though, both in terms of physical and mental stamina, both of which are vital to a referee. I am happy to report the game went very well with good conduct from all involved.

This is essentially the beginning of my run-up to the next season. I have a schedule of adult games from this point forward, with a combination of ‘running the line’ or being in charge. It will allow me to build up my fitness and concentration, so that when September comes, I will be completely in the zone. This is very important as my remaining two assessments both need to be done that month. There will be no room for excuses!

Are you doing anything to work on your own physical and mental sharpness at the moment?

CHASE Charity Match 2

Last season is over but I need to be able to hit the ground running when the 2011/2012 season kicks off. I’ll be acting as Assistant Referee on the local supply league from August but ‘my’ leagues for refereeing will not start until September.

I’ve been accepted onto the Accelerated Promotion scheme which means my remaining assessments for the first phase must be completed by October. It is highly likely I will be assessed on my first game back so it is not the time to be rusty!

As a result, it was great to be asked back to referee the Fans Focus XI v Woking Peacocks charity friendly, in aid of CHASE. The teams had met before.

It was a good-natured game which has allowed me to highlight the sorts of things I want to work on ready for September.

What do you think of the penalty call at 03:15 ?

Promotion Season: One month in…

I am going for a refereeing promotion this season. It is the first time I have been eligible (length of service requirements) and I am currently a level 7, with my eye fixed on a minimum of level 6 as my target.

Being promoted will allow me to officiate at a higher level of game, so the quality of football will increase as well as the refereeing challenges.

The promotion season runs from March 2011 until the end of February 2012, so we are currently one month in. I am racking up the games (A certain number must be refereed) so that won’t be a problem. I have also had two assessments which are a key factor in whether a candidate gets promoted or not.

The first assessment identified quite a few things that I needed to tighten up and I have been working solidly on these. By the time the second assessment came along I had really taken the previous advice on board and did much better and I received some very strong compliments! Naturally, advice for further improvement also featured so now I am working on those items.

Only a relatively small number of my games will be assessed so the marks from club officials also come into play. So I need to be please the teams I am refereeing to keep a trend of high marks.

There is a long way to go but the suggestions from assessments plus the advice from my colleagues and mentors is going a long way.

Assessors’ Handbook.

See you on the other side…

O Captain! My Captain!

The Respect campaign, courtesy of The FA, has been running for a while now. Most recently it has spawned Respect FC to continue buy-in from the public.

One of the edicts of the campaign is for Captains to be a focal point of their team in terms of interacting with the Referee. A key aspect here is that the Captain has no formal responsibilities in the Laws Of The Game but by working together it can really help with control of the match.

However, this really does depend on the just how good the Captain is. In general, I have found that there are two types:

  1. Will lead by example. Will work with the referee to calm down members of their team as required. Will assist with communicating the referee’s preferences to the team.
  2. Will have been nominated due to being the loudest member of the team. Most likely to criticise decisions they don’t agree with (loudly). Will be leading by example but the wrong sort of example! Leading the charge for the first caution of the game.

A strong captain is worth their weight in gold. If both teams are blessed in this way then a game will pretty much run itself!

Here is some general advice in handling captains in the best interests of the game:

  1. Make contact before the coin toss. This doesn’t have to be much. Perhaps just ask who they are during the equipment inspection?
  2. Get them involved when briefing the Club Assistant Referees. They can raise any queries plus it will help there be no surprises with the way you work with the Assistants.
  3. Brief the teams on any expected behaviour during the equipment inspection. Explaining it just to the captains prior to the coin toss is okay but… When does the captain have the subsequent chance to tell their team? If everyone knows from the beginning what your views are then the captain will find it easier… and so will you!
  4. Get the captain involved when disciplining as much as possible. They will be more likely to be able to calm down team-mates than you. Remember the stepped approach: This doesn’t just have to be when showing the cards!
  5. Keep in touch with the captain during the game even when there is no misconduct. Are they doing a good job? Tell them! Thank them!
  6. Captain not helping? Stop trying to get them involved. There’s only so much you can do.

I hope you find this useful and please do post any of your own advice with working with Captains in the best interest of having a great game!

Some county youth cup action

I was happy to be appointed to referee a Round 4 match of the Surrey FA U16s Youth Cup.

In the early rounds of county cups there can be some big skill mismatches between teams. I spotted a Round 2 game with a 23 – 0 result, for example. On paper, this match looked like one as well: AFC Wimbledon were against a side who were quite a few divisions lower down.

The match certainly did not start as expected: The ‘lower’ side scored in the first minute of the game. By the end of the first half it had ended up a 1-1 draw but hardly the one-sided affair that may have been predicted.

This changed in the second half. AFC Wimbledon truly came alive and the skill, speed and fitness of their players was obvious. It ended up 7-1 to them.

However, what impressed me was the attitude of both teams. It was a competitive game with everyone there just to get on with it. Only one caution for a blatant pull on the shirt. AFC Wimbledon’s opponents were outright winners in their own league yet they maintained their discipline during their ‘learning experience’ on the day.

The management teams were top notch as well. Leading by example. It is rare for a manager to come up to me and apologise for one of his players needing to be cautioned, but nice when it happens!

I had a good game. Main development point for myself was that I missed an offside flag which led up to a goal. The goal was correctly disallowed but naturally the attacking side were annoyed about the delay. Completely my fault and I kept a sharper eye out for the rest of the game!

Some other good youth news: I’ve been appointed to referee the U16s final of the NE Hants Youth League. Yay!

When a game goes right

I had an excellent game yesterday. It was one of those where everything just goes right.

It looked like a promising game from the beginning. The home side is one of the oldest football clubs in Surrey and so has a lot of tradition and is entrenched in the community. They also won the Sportsmanship and Assistant Referee trophies the previous season.

The club has a great setup and the pavilion bar was packed from the off. The vibe was right from the beginning. I was welcomed and in my changing room everything was ready (balls, flags…). Most of the time I have to chase these things which is an unwelcome distraction.

It also became apparent early on that many of the club officials were active or ex-referees! This was nerve wracking. However, it just made me more focused. Some games you are more aware of the eyes on you, such as the cup finals I did last year.

The game was excellent. Both sides there to play football and despite the 0-3 scoreline it was a very competitive game. It could easily have been 3-3. I had a good rapport with the players and managers and any dodgy tackles just needed words with the players to get them to calm down. It worked. One caution was needed for a deliberate pull back on the shirt (which was as blatant as these can possibly be) and it was accepted in good grace. Admittedly, the away side did try the “It’s his first one, ref!” trick but deep down they knew it was a mandatory caution. This was handy as in one of my games last week a player who did the same thing just didn’t understand why I could not let him get away with it!

The mood changed when I gave a penalty against the home side. It was a clear ‘freight train’ barge after the ball had gone. Yes, the away player made a meal of it but there was no way he was staying on his feet. The protests resulted in a dismissal for OFFINABUS (“You f*cking cheat”). Very surprising to see such a switch considering the tone of the game so far, so naturally I got to thinking, “Hmm, did I get that one wrong?”.

Thankfully, after the game the watching officials agreed that it was a definite penalty, and that their own player deserved to be dismissed! This was so refreshing. I’d have been more than happy to accept a difference of opinion but they agreed with me. This was a real boost to my confidence, as naturally in many games penalties are disputed until the end of time.

It just goes to show how clubs such as the home side stand out. Great facilities, people and attitude. An absolute credit to the game. I should point out that the sportsmanship of the away side was exemplary as well.

It’s a shame that this game was not assessed. However, the club marks should be high which is going to help.

A challenging weekend

It has been great to have a weekend with a decent amount of refereeing in it. So many of the games that I have been appointed to have been postponed in recent weeks. The latest weather reports do not make me very hopeful about this coming weekend either.

On Saturday, due to a glut of referees, I was seconded to a different open age league. It is the second time that has happened this season but also the second time with the league that I’ve had the pleasure of two teams there to play football!

There was really only one incident of note. Two players stumbled together as the ball went out for a throw-in. Some pretty minor handbags arose as a result so I told both of them to calm down. Unfortunately, one of them wanted to appear to be the ‘bigger man’ so as soon as the ball went to his opponent he deliberately clattered him. A no-nonsense caution right in front of his own technical area (who had no argument!).

Sunday proved to be more challenging, starting with Veterans in the morning. Within one minute I had not given a penalty that the away side were seeking (in my opinion, the attacker ran into the defender and was looking for it). Cue the complaints. In particular there was one player who would constantly moan when things went against his side, but amusingly would completely over-compliment me when he ‘won’ a free kick. In retrospect, I really should have cautioned for Dissent to cut this out early… the opposition commented, “Ignore him ref, he always does this!”.

Next up, I was following play when I head an altercation behind me, and turned to see a home player on the ground with an opponent standing over him. My instinct cried out that he had been struck. However, I can only give what I have seen! I explained the situation to both sides. The home side were happy enough (Several of them had no idea what had happened either).

One caution did come out of the game. Two players came together and were stumbling down but one lashed out a bit towards the other. Considering the earlier alleged strike it had to be cut out. That said, this being veterans Sunday football, nobody was happy that I was cautioning! “You don’t want to put the paperwork in, ref” was a typical comment. This is typical even of the most ‘nailed on’ caution at this level and perhaps exactly why I have been advised from senior referees to stop doing Sunday morning football if I am serious about promotion.

A clear penalty in the dying minutes nearly forced the game to be a draw… but the goalkeeper saved it.

On to my Sunday afternoon game. Under 18s. Most games that I have done at this age have been good with it being about the football. Sadly, although there was certainly skill evident, so was a certain amount of immaturity.

First caution was for a blatant pulling on the shirt to break up an attack. “It was my first one” was the expected reply. This was followed by cautions for: Not respecting the distance (Standing on the ball stopping the quick free kick), dissent, and delaying the restart (running off with the ball). Oh, and a studs high challenge. There would have been one for a Maradona-style handball into the goal but although I definitely saw an attacker do it, they were all in a mob so I couldn’t be sure which one!

There could have been a dismissal for abusing one of the club assistants but sadly the club assistant was aggravating the players. It would not have been fair to bin the player under those circumstances. A stern warning sufficed and of course I also spoke to the assistant to tell him to cut it out! The players were happy that I had been fair on that one.

It turned into a 4-0 result and as a result the winning side starting messing about and the defending side just couldn’t be bothered any more.

A challenging yet energetic weekend! It is all good practice for when the promotion aspects kick in come March…

Dealing with loud youth coaches

SHOUTY SHOUTY

Following on from refereeing a feisty Sunday morning match, I had an Under 15s game.

Youth football is interesting as the attitude of a team is clearly imprinted by those involved in coaching them. This isn’t just the coach. It includes parents, school environments and others involved in helping out.

Everyone involved in this game had their heart in the right place, including the players. There was just one caution for kicking the ball away which was very blatant (The captain ran up and did it just as the opposing team was going to take the free kick!)

However, this game did feature a Loud Youth Coach (LYC). My default attitude is ‘Yay!’ when it comes to refereeing but following on from my morning game I was not going to take any stick either. Following a free kick against his team (late challenge on the goalkeeper) he was loudly dissenting from the sidelines: “How is that a free kick? Are you not allowed to touch the ‘keeper nowadays?”.

He was loud enough for anyone to hear so I clearly shouted back “That’s enough, xxx. I will not tolerate any more criticism of my decisions from you!”. I was setting my stall out very early on this one. This worked and things calmed down for the rest of the half. He did approach me in a friendly manner at half time and I happily explained my decision and he accepted it. I am always happy to discuss my decisions with those who ask in a calm manner (I hear some referees will not!).

The second half was interesting as I became aware of some raised voices from the same area of the pitch again. Someone had approached the coach and there was a loud discussion. Fearing a confrontation, and preferring a pre-emptive approach, I stopped play and sprinted over. It turned out to be an official from the opposition who was having a gentle word about the coach’s conduct as well! Nothing to worry about and the game continued.

I did chuckle later on when one of the coach’s players went down in the penalty area. I didn’t give the penalty and he was not impressed! However, one of his own players then turned round and said: “Shut up, xxx, he just slipped!”.

The key here is to deal with the slightly more ‘vigorous’ coaches early on. Like with many things, it is important for the referee to set his standard for the game EARLY.

What sort of message would it send if the referee just lets the coaches loudly berate him or her during the game?