First couple of games

I am 2 games into my trainee ref career and have had a bad experience on both occasions. I'm hoping someone can assist.

Game 1: U11 7 v 7 game. My main issue was managing offside on my own. My understanding is that there are no offsides for a 7s game with no Ars. However, the teams were academy based teams and was informed they were playing offside. I found it very difficult to monitor offside on my own and getting in the right position. In the end, apparently I had missed blatant offsides. Can anyone provide advice on how to check for offside when you are on your own ? Irrespective of the format.

Game 2: Got roped into a pub league match. Big mistake. Very hostile. Decisions always always questioned. I did make a few errors. 1. A wrong pen call - I realised I messed up straight away. How would I restart from here ? (I am guessing the "victims" ball would be appropriate. I went with a gk to restart play).
2. Offside - same issue as game 1 but had 2 very slack cars on hand who didn't really support me.
3. If you are unsure of the law surrounding the issue you face, how do you get round it ?

I am feeling quite low about things and feel I'm not made for refereeing. It is very early doors but I am struggling mostly with applying the offside rule on my own. Positioning wise I am trying to get in a good place but then you sacrifice the wider play and being miles away from a break away or transition.

Am I alone in feeling like this ? Both times I feel like losing match control over a concept which is straight forward but very frustrating to apply.

Mattybuz said:

I am 2 games into my trainee ref career and have had a bad experience on both occasions. I'm hoping someone can assist.

Game 1: U11 7 v 7 game. My main issue was managing offside on my own. My understanding is that there are no offsides for a 7s game with no Ars. However, the teams were academy based teams and was informed they were playing offside. I found it very difficult to monitor offside on my own and getting in the right position. In the end, apparently I had missed blatant offsides. Can anyone provide advice on how to check for offside when you are on your own ? Irrespective of the format.

Game 2: Got roped into a pub league match. Big mistake. Very hostile. Decisions always always questioned. I did make a few errors. 1. A wrong pen call - I realised I messed up straight away. How would I restart from here ? (I am guessing the "victims" ball would be appropriate. I went with a gk to restart play).
2. Offside - same issue as game 1 but had 2 very slack cars on hand who didn't really support me.
3. If you are unsure of the law surrounding the issue you face, how do you get round it ?

I am feeling quite low about things and feel I'm not made for refereeing. It is very early doors but I am struggling mostly with applying the offside rule on my own. Positioning wise I am trying to get in a good place but then you sacrifice the wider play and being miles away from a break away or transition.

Am I alone in feeling like this ? Both times I feel like losing match control over a concept which is straight forward but very frustrating to apply.

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Sounds to me like you've stumbled across a couple of games that weren't ideal to 'kick-off' your fledgling career

I've come a long way in a fairly short time. However, I started out with really easy Youth Appointments, local football... not Academy stuff
Probably 9 months or so before I did an adult game, yet I'm big, ugly 48 years old with life experience etc....
Just be careful about which games you take until you get a bit of confidence back. Assisting is a very good idea. Lots of good reasons for that

Don't rush things, spend your first season with 5v5 and 7v7 without offside, use this to build confidence and learn positioning and pacing yourself for games. There is a massive difference between knowing the Laws of the Game and actually being out on a pitch and administering them during a match.
Try and get either an Observer or an experienced Ref to watch you and advise where necessary or as Big Cat says run the lines and watch how others work. You don't state how old you are but a 16 year old I know has just finished his first season just covering small sided games and he has come on leaps and bounds and now feels ready for 9v9 with offsides. Clubs have been contacting cover friendlies because they were impressed with his performances
You could ask the Ref secretary for lower division games were the quality and expectations aren't as high as you feel your way around games.

st john said:

Don't rush things, spend your first season with 5v5 and 7v7 without offside, use this to build confidence and learn positioning and pacing yourself for games. There is a massive difference between knowing the Laws of the Game and actually being out on a pitch and administering them during a match.
Try and get either an Observer or an experienced Ref to watch you and advise where necessary or as Big Cat says run the lines and watch how others work. You don't state how old you are but a 16 year old I know has just finished his first season just covering small sided games and he has come on leaps and bounds and now feels ready for 9v9 with offsides. Clubs have been contacting cover friendlies because they were impressed with his performances
You could ask the Ref secretary for lower division games were the quality and expectations aren't as high as you feel your way around games.

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I think I've gone in too deep. I thinking was just keen to get going. I think I'll get in touch with the league secs tomorrow. Its been q case of them sending bulk emails rather than me making specific contact with them. 5 v 5 and 7 v 7 sounds a good plan. I think the positives which have came out of these 2 was getting the ball rolling and seeing the "hostile" nature of Sunday pub teams and the expectations from the academy set ups. I have at least managed to make some decent decisions and issue my first yellow. For clarity I'm 35. I must be open and honest, I do get anxious and wanting to uae refereeing to build my life skills and improve my weaknesses. Assertiveness, confidence and all that.

You will definitely improve all those skills but take your time, pick some small sided friendlies before the season starts or if you can a youth tournament, 10 minute matches, other Refs involved with you and no real pressure as everyone is there to enjoy it........supposedly

Hi mate. I’m 33 and completed my fifth game tonight. 1 under 13s, the rest open age. I’ve also ran the line on 3 games.
The pub/Sunday teams in my opinion are the worse. Moan for everything and anything. Want advantage when you give a foul and foul when you play advantage. Everything is questioned and it is disheartening. But I also believe the more of these games I get, the more I’m learning. Now when I make a decision I’ll run to position rather then explain it. I’ve made mistakes in all my games so far, been called **** repeatedly (sin binned players) and felt like abandoning games just because of the grief.
I wish I could scream at the teams I’m a new ref and am learning. But I can’t and wouldn’t. I walk off every game with my head held high knowing that I’m trying my best and am learning.
Running lines is a very good option. The difference in the quality of Saturday football is amazing in comparison. Talk to the ref and ar and ask as much as possible. Be prepared for sore legs though. The day after the first game on the line, I was aching in muscles I never knew I had.
Lastly make as many contacts as possible. After my first game as ar, the senior ar emailed me with his phone number. Just as someone to chat to and ask questions and advice. Was really cool of him and has been an amazing place to turn to

I can't really say much for offside on your own, I think I've only ever done one game in that situation. I just told the managers and captains that I'm on my own in the middle, I'm potentially going to make mistakes, I'm human doing a difficult job. Unfortunately it's part of grassroots football, tell them that dissent over offside decisions will be dealt with appropriately. That sort of thing generally gets them off your back from the start, be clear, concise, firm with them. You're not there to be screamed and shouted at over decisions, and you won't accept it (to whatever degree you see fit), whether you know yourself you'll ignore/quiet word/public word/captain in/card, in that order. Be assertive, be firm, be in control. You've got tools at your disposal, use them. Cards, mouth. It can be difficult but you're there as a referee, not their friend. As well with offside, all you can literally do without AR's is try and get the best position you can. Accept you'll likely miss stuff. It's just one of those things.

Pub/Sunday teams - always going to moan, never happy. Again, tools, clamp down, be assertive etc from the start. Even the coin toss. Tell the captains to control their players before you have to get involved, be firm.

As has been alluded to above, there's a world of difference between Saturdays and Sundays. It's just how it is in football.

Do lots of lines. They're a great benefit watching other, usually experienced referees. They helped me massively when I first started.

Hope all this helps

Remember that you are doing the job of 5 people now - referee, 2 assistants, 4th official and now VAR. Everyone expects every decision to be correct.
When I started out, I was told to be happy if it got 80% of my decisions correct. It will go up from there.
Work on your positioning, particularly using diagonal running to give yourself the biggest view of the play. Work on your fitness so you are as close to play as you can be.
Realise that coaches and spectators are often not looking at the offside line - they are looking at the ball and the action, so they may really believe something is offside when its not. So, make the best decision you can and stick with it.
Making mistakes - last season for whatever reason, I blew the whistle and called penalty when an attacker handled the ball in the opposition box direct from a corner. Total brain meltdown. I immediately acknowledged I messed up and restarted with a drop ball to GK. Spectators told me I was having a "mare" (which I knew I wasn't), so laughed it off. Sure, some players were going mental, but the goalkeeper told me it was good refereeing as everyone is making mistakes and I wasn't afraid to acknowledge mine. Said in a very positive way.
And that's the point - every single person on the pitch makes mistakes during the game. We are the ones though that get slated for ours.

On #3 - more times than I can remember, I read the section related to something that happened or almost happened in a game after the match. It's not possible to read the book and expect to remember it all - there are way too many grey areas and obscure events that will have you questioning yourself in the game. Don't fret as I bet no one else at the game has read the laws so you're already in a good spot.

My advice going forward - get some younger games that are using offside. You'll find a way that works for you to identify the offsides and from there you can adapt and progress.

A few suggestions which might help:-

1. Don’t beat yourself up. We all have bad games and probably more so early on.
2. Remember that confidence and selling your decisions are both critical. You won’t always feel confident but it is a good idea not to seem rattled or uncertain if you can help it. It’s like blood in a shark tank.
3. Everyone struggles with off-side from behind the play. You can only do your best when you have seven places to look at once
4. Try to pick up more AR and junior game centre appointments in your first year. This is an easier place from which to learn and allows you to observe and work with other referees.
5. Try to remember that refereeing is a learned skill. You get better with practice and experience. I am in my fifth year now and every year has been a massive learning curve.
6. Perhaps most important - get back on the horse. Things will get better, especially if you can get the right games. Hang in there.

I thought offside only worked at 11 v 11?

Kent Ref said:

I thought offside only worked at 11 v 11?

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In England at 11 v 11 and some 9 v 9 (competition rules cover this) but Academies in some areas appear to make their own rules (see OP)

Mattybuz said:

I am 2 games into my trainee ref career and have had a bad experience on both occasions. I'm hoping someone can assist.

Game 1: U11 7 v 7 game. My main issue was managing offside on my own. My understanding is that there are no offsides for a 7s game with no Ars. However, the teams were academy based teams and was informed they were playing offside. I found it very difficult to monitor offside on my own and getting in the right position. In the end, apparently I had missed blatant offsides. Can anyone provide advice on how to check for offside when you are on your own ? Irrespective of the format.

Game 2: Got roped into a pub league match. Big mistake. Very hostile. Decisions always always questioned. I did make a few errors. 1. A wrong pen call - I realised I messed up straight away. How would I restart from here ? (I am guessing the "victims" ball would be appropriate. I went with a gk to restart play).
2. Offside - same issue as game 1 but had 2 very slack cars on hand who didn't really support me.
3. If you are unsure of the law surrounding the issue you face, how do you get round it ?

I am feeling quite low about things and feel I'm not made for refereeing. It is very early doors but I am struggling mostly with applying the offside rule on my own. Positioning wise I am trying to get in a good place but then you sacrifice the wider play and being miles away from a break away or transition.

Am I alone in feeling like this ? Both times I feel like losing match control over a concept which is straight forward but very frustrating to apply.

Click to expand...

Your second situation is exactly what happened to me in my first ever game. I was too quick to blow the whistle and as soon as I did blow I knew I had made the wrong mistake. Here are 3 things I learnt: 1) Wait a little longer before you blow, if it takes 5 seconds and you reach the right decision then that's better than rushing in to a hasty decision 2) Admitting you have got something wrong is fine. You'll maybe learn something from the reaction of the players (i.e. a defender may concede a corner and will walk to the penalty box to defend the corner = it's a corner) and 3) It's fine to change your mind. If you haven't restarted play then put your hands up, say you made a mistake, point for a goal kick and move on. Not everyone will be happy but you'll know you have made the right decision.

Keep going! When it happened to me I had 2 absolute giants tower over me (i'm 6ft 2ins myself) and it was very intimidating but what a great lesson to learn from in hindsight.