The Ref Stop

Double headers

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Refollie

Well-Known Member
Level 5 Referee
Seems a bit early to me but my Sunday league is starting double headers this weekend. It’s been years since I’ve refereed one.

Any general advice? I’ve always disliked them in theory because if a player gets sent off in the first game they’re allowed to play the second one… which seems like a recipe for disaster.
 
The Ref Stop
Refollie said:
a player gets sent off in the first game they’re allowed to play the second one
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This should not be allowed in the comp rules. And if they do, they just have no regards for 'governance' (common sense).

Used to referee in club fixtures. 10 games of different age groups between two clubs in one day. It was common for players to play in two games, sometimes three. But if you get sent off, you are out of the entire fixture for that day.
 
one said:
This should not be allowed in the comp rules. And if they do, they just have no regards for 'governance' (common sense).

Used to referee in club fixtures. 10 games of different age groups between two clubs in one day. It was common for players to play in two games, sometimes three. But if you get sent off, you are out of the entire fixture for that day.
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In England a player sent off in the first game can still play in the second.
Not helpful for match officials but I think from distant memory it was something to do with the possibility of a successful appeal. That is far less likely now, but the rules haven't changed.
Very early to be playing double headers - most leagues in my area are just about up to date with fixtures.
 
RefereeX said:
Never even heard of this! They play 2 league games back to back?
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On my leagues it's just where they play the usual amount of football but essentially in quarters. Eg if the game is usually 80 mins, they play 4x20 and the first 2 are one game and the second 2 are the second game. I hate them with a passion for no reason whatsoever 😂. They're just really annoying. It's different everywhere by the sounds of it though.
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
Very early to be playing double headers - most leagues in my area are just about up to date with fixtures.
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Even if they were miles behind like some of mine it's still ridiculously early. There's teams by me who have only played 6 or 7 league fixtures all season and they'd sooner play 3 times a week with midweek games than play a double header, which I don't blame them for.
 
🤯 Is this only kids football or adults also?
As far as I'm aware, if our leagues fall behind they schedule midweek fixtures once the clocks change
 
It's far less common in OA but still happens in some leagues by me. Usually only youth though where floodlit pitches are harder to get and that means kicking off at 5:30/6 which is inconvenient for most people involved.
 
I remember the season after Covid was the only time I can remember a frantic rush to get games in for youth football. Even then they chose to have a 6pm kick off midweek before even considering a double header. I distinctly remember 16 yr old me doing as many as 9 games in one week in that period.
 
Samuel said:
. I distinctly remember 16 yr old me doing as many as 9 games in one week in that period
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My brother's youth team played Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday most weeks to get their fixtures in. It was possibly the most ridiculous thing ever. Some teams still do that come the end of the season. Never ceases to amaze me.
 
This is OA Sunday league… we’ve only lost 2 or 3 weekends to the weather so far so it surprised me to be doubling up so soon
 
Edit: Basically what @Gabriel said.

Glad I take Sundays off tbh 😂 Last DH I did, some 10+ years ago, didn’t have any issues thankfully but it was quite the mental reset for “match two” regarding to persistent / stepped approach. Teams were reminded ahead of the first match that the start of “match two” didn’t give them any freebies (for want of a better word).
 
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All I keep thinking of, is how mentally exhausting that could be for everyone involved. Imagine you've just lost 1 game 7-0 and the poor kids have to go out with it literally "still 0-0". Glad my leagues never adopted this.
 
Refollie said:
Seems a bit early to me but my Sunday league is starting double headers this weekend. It’s been years since I’ve refereed one.

Any general advice? I’ve always disliked them in theory because if a player gets sent off in the first game they’re allowed to play the second one… which seems like a recipe for disaster.
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Yes that happened to me and also went to court with the offended player taking the offender to the magistrates court, where I acted for both the prosecution (against the offender) as well as the defence (on behalf of the offender). Strange but true. Many years later & unbeknown to me, the offender did our roof conversion! Very strange but true. The advice I would give and what I said to the offender from being sent off in the first game was, I can’t stop you from playing but I will be watching you like a hawk etc etc. He was as good as gold.
 
ChasObserverRefDeveloper said:
In England a player sent off in the first game can still play in the second.
Not helpful for match officials but I think from distant memory it was something to do with the possibility of a successful appeal. That is far less likely now, but the rules haven't changed.
Very early to be playing double headers - most leagues in my area are just about up to date with fixtures.
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This could badly backfire. For instance if the red card was for physical aggression twards the referee or serious offinabus twards the referee, the referee may feel obliged to do the next game with that player in it (I woudn't). Hopefully there are some protocols around it to stop it from happening.
 
Hated playing in them as a kid and hated refereeing them.

As mentioned already, always a chance you send someone off and then have to let them back on for the next game. Fortunately this hasn’t happened to myself.

Other downside as @Samuel alluded to is that especially in youth football, very good chance first game ends 6,7,8,9-0. The kids then have to go through all that again. Had that happen many a time as a player and referee. Was not much fun for anyone (well, apart from the winning team)
 
one said:
This could badly backfire. For instance if the red card was for physical aggression twards the referee or serious offinabus twards the referee, the referee may feel obliged to do the next game with that player in it (I woudn't). Hopefully there are some protocols around it to stop it from happening.
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Correct. And yes, it's awful.

I've fortunately never had this situation with a red, but in one of the rare double-headers I have done, I booked someone in the first game and then when I also booked him in the second game, went as far as showing the red card before realising the first yellow was no longer relevant and having to rescind it! And that's far from the worst aspect of them. I simply wouldn't do one any more.
 
I think the biggest issue if there are no reds will be remembering to reset my persistent infringement radar between matches.

I’m on a top v bottom clash so a drubbing is possible… at least it’s not really my issue.
Runner Ref said:
Other downside as @Samuel alluded to is that especially in youth football, very good chance first game ends 6,7,8,9-0. The kids then have to go through all that again. Had that happen many a time as a player and referee. Was not much fun for anyone (well, apart from the winning team)
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One plus side is they’re good for 7-6 6-5 promotion candidates. Two of your matches done in two hours.
 
They are usually a last resort, seems a little early to be in that category, especially as we haven't had an especially bad winter. It is correct that someone sent off in the first game can play in the second, which is far from ideal. I would say though if someone is sent off for serious VC you suggest to their manager that it would be a really bad idea him playing in the second game. You can't enforce it, but equally I think most appointments officers would back you if you refused to referee the second game if they didn't stand him down.

The only benefit for the referee is the fee, you usually get extra money for not a lot of extra work, unlike a cup game that goes to extra time.
 
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