Members Blogs

From time to time, life provides you with a reminder of things you know or knew but had allowed to slip from the forefront of your mind. Sometimes the realisation that you had forgotten them comes as an pleasant surprise, other times the memory stings a little as you realise you had been in denial about those forgotten facts. Here are some things that I "re-learned" this morning as I made my return to active refereeing in the local Sunday League ... - Credibility sometimes matters more than the correct decision - The ability to sell a decision is inexorably linked to your proximity to play - My eyes are faster than my brain which is in turn faster than my legs - Sunday League players are fantastic people as are the people who run...

No, not wrong law. We’re talking about your movement around the field! The top referees always seem to get into the best viewing positions on the field, but this does not occur by accident. It comes through years of good practice at one of the game’s basic skills. You can know the laws inside out, but if you are badly positioned at the vital moment you can easily attract the wrong kind of attention from players, team coaches and assessors. Your many games as a referee will confirm much of what you have been told about where you need to be to obtain the best views of all that is happening. You will learn when you need to be a little closer to the main action and also when to hang back a little in order to have a wider view. Yes, you can...

Is there any aspect of refereeing that makes the official look unsure of himself more than lazy signalling? We are speaking here not only of referees but of assistant referees also. Too often do we see a referee offer a directional signal with his arm held slackly out almost as if it contained no muscles to give it strength, and it is also probably a forearm signal rather than a full arm one. Upon seeing a few such arm-signals, a spectator was heard to say, “If I were playing in this game I’d start to give this ref a bit of aggro. He looks as if he’s frightened of upsetting everybody.” Lazily given signals — for that is exactly what they are — give confidence to nobody. Avoid them like the plague! When the ball goes out of play for a...

First of all, apologies for the lack of updates… I have been a busy bunny. Tomorrow I travel a short distance to a game of which I have been appointed as Referee in the Windsor Foods County Senior League Cup. As I have mentioned previously, this is my first season as a Level 5 referee whereby I do not usually get Assistant Referee’s appointed to the game. Level 7 and 6 assistants are usually assigned to the Premier League games that the Level 4 referee’s officiate in and the Level 5 referee’s are left to their own devices in the Division One and Two games. As tomorrow is a Cup Game, I have been treated to 2 “Official, Officials”, or Assistant Referee’s hence the title of the blog post. I have also had notification that I am being...

Wednesday brought about my 2nd game as a level 5 referee in the Windsor Foods County Senior League, and my first mid-week match along with a 6pm kick off. Lesson one: It gets dark quick this time of the year! If no flood lighting is available, consider reducing both halves by 5 minutes! Needless to say, we played the full 45 and finished in very dim light! I went in to the game far less nervous than my first match last Saturday, although there were some nerves on board as this was to be my first assessment of the Season! The boots were polished, the kit bag was meticulously checked and I started to think what I needed to try to get right to score well with the assessor: Jewellery checks. Body armour matching the kit colour. Caution to...

Today brings the first game of the new football season for me, and my first as a Level 5 referee. My first appointment is in the Windsor Foods County Senior Football League Division One. For some reason, I am feeling really nervous… how can this be so when I am simply doing something that I have done a thousand times before? I can only put it down to fear of the unknown. This is my first ‘middle’ in the County Senior League, but why should I treat this game any different from any other? All of the checks have been made meticulously. It is a good job really as I almost forgot my socks! Anyway, it is almost time to set off to the ground so I will update this post with some post match feedback later! Ciao for now! UPDATE: So the game...

It’s not every day that a member of the Media talk sense about Referee’s or refereeing in general, but that is exactly what Steve Wilson of the BBC has done. Thanks to ‘The Renegade Ref’ for pointing this out in your latest newsletter: Cut the men in black some slack BBC Sport blog editor | 14:27 UK time, Monday, 16 January 2012 I’m not sure that there is a European president, a cabinet minister or a city banker anywhere who is doing a tougher job under more critical scrutiny just now than Premier League referees. Every weekend there is a catalogue of evidence made up of slow-motion, frame-by-frame replays to prove that the men in black are becoming less adept at applying the laws of the game appropriately. Managers criticise them...

I haven’t blogged for quite a while so I thought that I would provide a mid-season update. Christmas has now been and gone and the goose is on a diet! Just before the Christmas holidays I was summoned to a meeting with the County FA in order to receive my mid-season bandings – both club and assessors. To put it shortly, I am right where I need to be therefore, without wanting to tempt fate, should the second half of the season go as well as the first, I will be in with a shout for promotion to Level 4. Having said that, the marking is that tight that one really bad mark could send me plummeting down the banding grade scale, and one very good mark could see me sky-rocket to the top of the banding scale, so it really is in my hands. I...

PROACTIVE Taking the initiative by actions, tending to make things happen. REACTIVE Reacting to events, situations and stimuli spontaneously. When the ball goes dead good referees come alive. All referees are reactive. The best are also proactive. The ball is dead for around 20 of the 90 minutes of a match. INITIAL GENERAL QUESTIONS FOR DEADBALL SITUATIONS Did my position make the decision credible? Am I in the best position for the restart? Do I need to check my watch? Do I need to keep an eye on a particular player? Do I need to watch a pair of players? Do I need to move closer to them? Do I need to check that assistants are OK? Do I need to keep an eye on those on the touchline? Do I need to speak to a manager/ coach/ club rep? Do...

Before considering a few useful comments that you might make to players on the field of play, you might think about a few general hints. Some of them you may already know about, but it will do no harm if you think about all of them. First of all, remember that your bearing will reflect your confidence. Do not slouch your way onto the field before the tossing of the coin, because if you do the players will notice it and your game will not proceed in the best possible way. Are you aware of the difference between confidence and arrogance? The first is your friend; the second is definitely your enemy. Nobody likes an arrogant referee, except those players who enjoying causing you some grief. Never watch the ball that is kicked high...

Frickley Athletic FC v Dinnington Town FC in the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup – 7:45pm ko. Frickley have announced that they have reduced admission prices: Frickley Athletic have reduced the normal admission prices for tomorrow’s Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup tie against Dinnington Town, k.o. 7.45pm. Adult admission will be £5 with Concessions £3 and Under 16s £2. The Blues will be without recent signings Steve Dickinson and Ben Turner as neither were signed in time to play in the tie whilst Leon Henry is suspended. Continue reading...

Last Sunday's game was never likely to be played once the temperatures fell below freezing on three consecutive nights, so my first action in my great comeback was to postpone a game! I went to watch a referee the day before the postponement, assessing if he was competent to step up to the next level. So much of Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent writing and re-writing his report. Since Wednesday I've worked through a presentation for work, based on a course I've been attending with our in-house training and development department. It's been a pleasant surprise to be on the receiving end of some training rather than delivering it. Just as I did when I became a referee and I couldn't help analysing the performance, I've been doing...

‘Referees in the media’ will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. “We should reflect on the experience tennis and rugby on their own methods including temporary exclusions (the sin bin), public explanation of referee’s decisions, or rugby’s penalty try for example.” FIFA’s former director of international relations Jerome Champagne has suggested changes in the world governing body in an interview with Reuters. “I’ll take all necessary measures to clear my name. What they did is so sneaky.” Says Bulgarian referee Raicho Raichev about Luchezar Yonov, a suspended referee, who used Raichev’s name to officiate the friendly match...

Being a "retired" referee has never sat too well with me and for a long time I felt I still had something to offer out on the green stuff. I get a lot of satisfaction from my work as a Referee Tutor working on behalf of The FA, converting players, coaches and volunteers into qualified referees in the hope that they will enjoy the "dark" side of football as much as I did. I also take a lot of professional pride in the reports I write after each time I have been out to assess a referee. I'm hoping that they take something of value out of the reports and it helps their game. I value the friends I've made through refereeing, some have reached the dizzy heights of the professional game in England and appear on my TV screen almost every...

A Danish fan has to pay the national FA a fine of about 250.000 euro’s. He attacked German referee Herbert Fandel in 2007′s match between Danmark and Sweden. Danish FA confirmed the court ruling that the man has to pay them because of the damage the FA suffered from the incident. According to DBU Secretary Jim Stjerne Hansen the fan has ‘attacked Danish football integrity’. The match was abandoned with 3:3 on the scoreboard by referee Fandel. Uefa decided that Sweden wins the match with 0:3. To fresh up your mind: here’s the situation. Continue reading...

‘Referees in the media’ will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. “I know it’s not easy to clinch another final match gig because there are so many good referees in Asia now. But I’m sure it’s the dream of everyone who will soon hang his whistle and I’m one of them.” Abdul Malik Bashir. Source: AFC Singaporean referee Abdul Malik Abdul Bashir who will turn 44 on Wednesday has two more years to achieve his goal. “There has been a personal discussion with the referee. He admitted everything, apologized, and said it does not happen again.” Says former Bundesliga referee Frank Fleske, now regional director, about a local...

Zanetti had a big smile on his face after he kicked the ball hard behind his own goalie. Just couldn’t stop laughing about this stupid action. But what he didn’t know that the goal in the match Parma – Inter didn’t count. Referee Antonio Giannoccaro took over the signal of his assistant Claudio La Rocca, who made an offside call for the attacker close to Zanetti. What would you say: stupid action by the defender or correct call by the assistant because the attacker is influencing Zanetti’s play although he didn’t touch the ball? Continue reading...

A 50 mile trip saw me arrive slightly after the referee but before both assistants at today's Supply League game, my first "active" trip to a football game since December 5. In the shelter of the wall alongside where the home supporters were standing, it felt fine, but on stepping out into the biting wind, it didn't take long for my feet to freeze. I say "active" as I enjoyed a trip to a South Midlands League game with my friend and colleague, Slim from my National Course for FA Referee Tutors from back in July 2009. It was nice to watch a game of football without having to write up a report afterwards. I did sit with the assessor and it was reassuring to note that he was picking up the same things I note in my games. The game today...

Adidas has released the new World Cup referee outfits. See full collection here. Continue reading...

‘Referees in the media’ will be published at the beginning of the week on the Dutch Referee Blog and provides remarkable or interesting quotes and links to articles worth reading. Best wishes for 2012. I wish you a good refereeing year! “My hope is that we can officiate the final of the tournament. Everything will depend on the performance of us on the field.” Neant Alioum from Cameroon about his appointment for the African Nations Cup. “I enjoyed it when a match went well and all persons involved gave me a handshake afterwards to thank me for the match. That’s the biggest appreciation a referee can get.” Michael van Praag, chairman of the Dutch FA and former amateur referee. “Sometimes the reactions of the players are clever and they...