santa sangria
RefChat Addict
Our season started in April, and there’s a mid-season summer 5 week break coming, so now is the time to go for it. And we have matches all week.
Last 10 days I have had a run of high level matches (4th tier) as AR1 for some pretty special referees. It has been a brilliant spell, all with comms and I’m trying to work out what I have actually learned.
Starting just over a week ago, had a champions league assistant whistling. Just amazing with the players, let them play very hard, talked to them very head on and just so open and in the end respectful. Couple of nights ago had the absolute privilege of working with a referee with a Fifa badge. Some of the detail was great. If there’s a wait-and-see in the box, tell the position so i can check quickly for interference without losing focus on the action area.
Tonight and a few nights ago, two smoking hot newly promoted very well trained referees. Both extremely professional, amazing brief and pre-match, brilliant on comms. But key differences. Down to timing. The first was communicative but it was more one way, not really listening to get the extra sets of eyes from the ARs - and the timing with the whistle and voice didn’t leave room for reinforcement or correction. And there were a few puzzlingly unexpected calls. Probably too narrowly focused. Then tonight, just amazing timing from my referee - someone I’ve worked with on and off since they were a kid. The timing with the whistle, voice, with us and the players, and with “dramatic” interventions - it was class and really inspiring.
Last night however, I was on the wrong side as my experienced but maybe waning ref gave an IDFK on an advantage yellow (got confused about the advantage-red-interference-IDFK law) but maybe worse, gave a 25th min IDFK for 6 seconds. What not to do! You have to be able to manage that and avoid it.
Anyway, that’s 15 in 30 days of quite serious stuff and I am loving it more than ever
Last 10 days I have had a run of high level matches (4th tier) as AR1 for some pretty special referees. It has been a brilliant spell, all with comms and I’m trying to work out what I have actually learned.
Starting just over a week ago, had a champions league assistant whistling. Just amazing with the players, let them play very hard, talked to them very head on and just so open and in the end respectful. Couple of nights ago had the absolute privilege of working with a referee with a Fifa badge. Some of the detail was great. If there’s a wait-and-see in the box, tell the position so i can check quickly for interference without losing focus on the action area.
Tonight and a few nights ago, two smoking hot newly promoted very well trained referees. Both extremely professional, amazing brief and pre-match, brilliant on comms. But key differences. Down to timing. The first was communicative but it was more one way, not really listening to get the extra sets of eyes from the ARs - and the timing with the whistle and voice didn’t leave room for reinforcement or correction. And there were a few puzzlingly unexpected calls. Probably too narrowly focused. Then tonight, just amazing timing from my referee - someone I’ve worked with on and off since they were a kid. The timing with the whistle, voice, with us and the players, and with “dramatic” interventions - it was class and really inspiring.
Last night however, I was on the wrong side as my experienced but maybe waning ref gave an IDFK on an advantage yellow (got confused about the advantage-red-interference-IDFK law) but maybe worse, gave a 25th min IDFK for 6 seconds. What not to do! You have to be able to manage that and avoid it.
Anyway, that’s 15 in 30 days of quite serious stuff and I am loving it more than ever
