A&H

Assistant referees changing touchlines

MJW89

New Member
Level 4 Referee
I am running the line for the first time tonight and just wondered what the procedure was regarding changing touchlines with the other AR at half time or whether I stick with the same left back? Can't see anything in the LOTG regarding this.

Thanks.
 
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Hopefully the ref will do a good job briefing you and he'll tell you what he wants you to do. Generally you'll never swap with the other assistant though, you'll stick to the same line both halves.

If you have any specific questions/nerves before you're fisrt line, don't worry, we all had them! You'll find all the support you need in here.
 
Good luck with the game but although first time questions are natural, I assume you have attended a football match before or seen one on the tv, and with an interest in officiating, which you clearly have, when did you ever see the ARs change halves ? What has planted that seed in your head that this might be the case ??
 
Generally the referee will have a chat with you beforehand and designate one of you as "senior" and the other as "junior" AR. I suspect you'll be junior if it's your first ever line!

The role of the senior is to manage the benches, usually to keep a full match record and be prepared to step in for the ref if he picks up an injury. The role of the junior is usually to be "eyes and ears", to make sure nothing happens behind the ref's back or while he's noting down goals or cards. As the junior, you'll almost certainly be on the opposite side to the benches for the entire match, meaning you'll be following one team's left back in the first half and the other team's in the second.
 
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The best explanation i have been given for the reason ARs don't swap sides (players do why no ARs) is to keep it fair and equal. Players get half a game to defend each half of the field for fairness, similarly they should get half a game to defend with each of the ARs.
 
Your mind set differs to mine.......yours is def what I class as a players, or ex players train of thought

They should get half a game to ATTACK with diff AR is the way I see it.......far too much negative goes on about, what if we concede an offside goal and so on......but on the flip side, what if you score one ! Which afterall, is the object of the game !!
 
For me at thw top level there's he fairness element but i think at our grassroots level it makes sense for senior ar to look after the benches in games where they are on the same side.
 
Never thought about it as being a negative mind set. As with everything you can see the glass half.... All defenders want an AR to flag an offside. So the 'positive' spin goes like "thanks for the call lino"
 
For me at thw top level there's he fairness element but i think at our grassroots level it makes sense for senior ar to look after the benches in games where they are on the same side.
Its agood point. Should also note in my neck of the woods sometimes the less experienced (but up and coming) AR is given the bench side for development purposes.
 
I am running the line for the first time tonight and just wondered what the procedure was regarding changing touchlines with the other AR at half time or whether I stick with the same left back? Can't see anything in the LOTG regarding this.

Thanks.

All good advice above - just to add, make sure you tell the ref it’s your first time. Don’t be shy about that, he/she will help you.
 
Its agood point. Should also note in my neck of the woods sometimes the less experienced (but up and coming) AR is given the bench side for development purposes.
I had this the other night. I was a late appointment and the ref asked me if I minded the U18 ref being senior to help with his development. I was fine with this biut if the ref had to go off I would have been in the middle as it was an U18 game. I allways accept ARs if offered as it is nice to work in a team, meet different refs and use it as a learning experience.
 
I had this the other night. I was a late appointment and the ref asked me if I minded the U18 ref being senior to help with his development. I was fine with this biut if the ref had to go off I would have been in the middle as it was an U18 game. I allways accept ARs if offered as it is nice to work in a team, meet different refs and use it as a learning experience.

There is a misguided concept that the referee can decide "who is the senior".

While the referee can decide who get which side and responsibility , the senior (who takes over if the referee goes off) is always the highest graded referee.
 
All good advice above - just to add, make sure you tell the ref it’s your first time. Don’t be shy about that, he/she will help you.

For the first few times its good to be non benches side, running the line is very different to being in the middle and requires a different level of concentration. You'll probably get caught ball watching a few times, then realise you're horribly out of position when the ball comes forward, so getting used to the "AR mindset" without having to worry about the benches, subs or numbers of people standing in the technical area is ideal.
 
Thanks for the advice everybody. The game went really well and I enjoyed it. A fairly quiet game however gave 3 offsides and clear ball out of play decisions. It was also good to see how the referee performed and handled the game.
 
There is a misguided concept that the referee can decide "who is the senior".

While the referee can decide who get which side and responsibility , the senior (who takes over if the referee goes off) is always the highest graded referee.

This always seems to happen to me when it shouldn't, I am level 7 and I get level 5's and 6's taking up the Junior role.

Yes I know it aids my development but it shouldn't really be happening. During the pre match talk I always seem to be leaned on to go Senior. In fact this season (including pre season) so far I have done 25 lines, I have been Senior on 18 of them.

I don't want to create a bad working environment by saying something but inside it is doing my head in.

Should I really be saying something about it?
 
This always seems to happen to me when it shouldn't, I am level 7 and I get level 5's and 6's taking up the Junior role.

Yes I know it aids my development but it shouldn't really be happening. During the pre match talk I always seem to be leaned on to go Senior. In fact this season (including pre season) so far I have done 25 lines, I have been Senior on 18 of them.

I don't want to create a bad working environment by saying something but inside it is doing my head in.

Should I really be saying something about it?

Not worth rocking the boat in my view.

Sometimes i get asked to go senior over L5's because i'm doing 6-5 promotion, other times the L5 might be much younger than me and just done a double jump and the referee wants to have someone with a bit more presence on the bench side. Other times, especially if no assessor there the ref will ask the least experienced to go and do it to help them get experience.

The other thing is sometimes the L5 is a proper old ref, thats been a L5 for years and isn't necessarily a great standard....
 
Not worth rocking the boat in my view.

Sometimes i get asked to go senior over L5's because i'm doing 6-5 promotion, other times the L5 might be much younger than me and just done a double jump and the referee wants to have someone with a bit more presence on the bench side. Other times, especially if no assessor there the ref will ask the least experienced to go and do it to help them get experience.

The other thing is sometimes the L5 is a proper old ref, thats been a L5 for years and isn't necessarily a great standard....

Good points raised, thank you.

Will continue to keep my mouth zipped then.
 
I don't want to create a bad working environment by saying something but inside it is doing my head in.
Genuinely surprised you see this as an issue. Personally I find being 'senior' even more challenging and interesting, enjoy the banter with the benches (sometimes!) .. and keeps you nice and warm on cold days with those sprints to the halfway line for substitutions :)
 
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