Winter pre-match checklist – what's on yours?

[arnaudfrenchreferee]

Now the clocks have gone back and the pitches are getting heavy, I've tweaked my pre-match routine for the winter. I'm Level 6 in London, mostly Saturday and Sunday grassroots, so this is what I run through:

Before I leave

* Message the home club the night before (or that morning) to check someone has looked at the pitch. Saves a wasted trip.
* Check sunset time against kick-off. If a late start could run into the dark, I raise it with both managers before we start, not at 70 minutes.
* Base layer, gloves, and shirts in a dark and a light colour, because winter kits clash more than you'd think.

At the ground

* Walk the whole pitch: frozen or rutted patches, standing water, goalmouths, line markings. If it isn't safe, it's our call, and I note down why.
* Check the goals are securely anchored (Law 1). Wind and soft ground loosen them.
* Pencil, not pen, for the notebook: ink gives up in the rain.
* Longer warm-up. Cold muscles on a heavy pitch is exactly when hamstrings go.

After the game

* Write up any cautions in the car while the notebook is still readable.

What have I missed? Keen to hear what others add for the winter, especially anyone doing early-evening youth games with patchy floodlights.

 

[DavidObs]

Now the clocks have gone back and the pitches are getting heavy, I've tweaked my pre-match routine for the winter. I'm Level 6 in London, mostly Saturday and Sunday grassroots, so this is what I run through:

Before I leave

* Message the home club the night before (or that morning) to check someone has looked at the pitch. Saves a wasted trip.
* Check sunset time against kick-off. If a late start could run into the dark, I raise it with both managers before we start, not at 70 minutes.
* Base layer, gloves, and shirts in a dark and a light colour, because winter kits clash more than you'd think.

At the ground

* Walk the whole pitch: frozen or rutted patches, standing water, goalmouths, line markings. If it isn't safe, it's our call, and I note down why.
* Check the goals are securely anchored (Law 1). Wind and soft ground loosen them.
* Pencil, not pen, for the notebook: ink gives up in the rain.
* Longer warm-up. Cold muscles on a heavy pitch is exactly when hamstrings go.

After the game

* Write up any cautions in the car while the notebook is still readable.

What have I missed? Keen to hear what others add for the winter, especially anyone doing early-evening youth games with patchy floodlights.

Decent list. A few things that you may already do but just not detailed - ensure at the ground in very good time to undertake the checks you are making. Also, walking the pitch to take into account, touchline (for any AR - club or neutral), technical areas (for markings etc) & penalty spot (ensure there is one in each penalty area. Some Referees walk straight from one end to the other, but to cover more ground (including doggy do doos), corner flag (checking it’s height and to have a non pointed top) across face of goal to check goal net and to other corner flag on same side before diagonal to the other half and then same again, coming back on opposite diagonal - worked for me.