Open Age First games of the year this Sunday!

[MattyontheWhistle]

Can't wait, although I think I am running the line for both.

Both are pre-season friendlies, one is a 1:00pm KO, and is u17s, then there's a 3:00pm KO open age, although at a higher level than I have officiated at before.

Am still waiting to hear whether they are going to be 45 mins each way, or as is often the case here pre-season, 3x30 min periods. If the latter, each official is on the whistle for one period of 30mins.

 

[SM]

Wow that is not messing about! Just about enough time to use the toilet between games!

More seriously, Good luck with it.

What is the weather like with you at the moment?

 

[MattyontheWhistle]

Lol...toilets are miles away!

But it's so hot here at the moment, I don't think i'll need it - it's been pushing 30 most days.

 

[MattyontheWhistle]

Well, that's that over with.....was good to be out and running, but the pitch temp was 27 degrees for the first kick off.

First game was played in 4x 22.5 min periods as the players all wanted a 'drink break' which we certainly didn;t argue against! We were supposed to rotate the whistle each period, as there was a Coach there for us, but, the period before mine, I managed to find a hole to run into and went over on my ankle ouch.

2nd game we played 3x30 min periods, and was a superb standard of football. One guy got a bit gobby with the ref, but no cards and game played in good spirit.

Overall, I think I put in a good performance, missed one off side in the 1st game according to the coach, because I was looking down the touchline for an OOP, I don't think he was off, but hey ho......also, missed a throw-in in the second game because I was following the coach's advice about body position following the first! Was a tough one for the ref to call as well.

So, I am now 2.5kgs lighter than I was pre-kick off, and my ankle seems to have settled down enough for me to consider a training run tomorrow.

Hope to get another game this weekend, then it's fitness tests the week after that!

 

[Ross]

27 degrees sounds like paradise compared to te -4 we had here.

What you got to do to pass the fitness tests?

 

[MattyontheWhistle]

27 degrees sounds like paradise compared to te -4 we had here.

Not with two games back-to-back!!!!

What you got to do to pass the fitness tests?

I think NZF use the 'standard' FIFA recommended ones, maybe with a few tweaks for the level you are at. My current Level 1 allows me to ref at the lower two league levels (Bay 2 & Bay 1) although I am 'graded' as a Bay 1 Ref. I don't need to pass the fitness to maintain this level, but with only 8 teams of officials out of 12 needed in the top two Federation Leagues, I think they are trying to get as many as possible through the tests now (we only have the FIFA timing gates for a short while) so that after assessments we can be utilised as ARs in the higher Federation Leagues.

I think it's 20x 40m sprints all under 7secs ten, 6 x 150m sprints all under 28 secs