The Ref Stop

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TobyTheRef

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Hi all,

I've recently returned to refereeing after a few years out, a few games under my belt this season, all of which have been great with just about everyone very well behaved.

I do have a bit of a query/moan about the new levels of admin involved though - previously, I was never required to record anything post-match aside from any disciplinary bits and pieces, but now (and it may be a different county), I have three different systems to deal with which has surprised me:

1. The county FA I'm now in uses the Centre Circle app, which I have to say is great to appointing fixtures etc. but the league sec asks for disciplinary bits, team sheets and feedback on the teams all to be uploaded on there.

2. The Referee Portal to report disciplinary stuff.

3. Now also the Full Time system, which pretty much asks for all of the above, as well as the names of goalscorers which I've never recorded and I'm not sure if I should be doing?!

In short, I miss the Whole Game System which seemed to be much more efficient in just logging things once.
 
The Ref Stop
Every league I have ever refereed on has required the referee to submit a match report of some kind. It used to be Excel / Word (some still are), some used Microsoft or Goole forms, some now use RefSec or Centre Circle. These were never done via WGS, the only exception was for those refereeing in the NLS who did match reports on WGS / FT at the same time as discipline.

The referee portal just replaces WGS for discipline reporting.

Point 3 doesn't feel right. I've never recorded the number or names of goal scorers in nearly 30 years of refereeing, much of the time I don't really have a clue who scored. Clubs in some leagues have to fill in Full Time to list who played, who scored, who got cards, etc, but seems strange a referee has to do it. Unless they are using Full Time instead of the methods I mentioned above for referees to do a match report.
 
Can’t say it’s ever taken me longer than 5 minutes to complete a match report via full time. Standard questions, then some league specific questions like assistants name and then a score out of 100 for them. Certainly much easier it’s now done via centre circle that’s for sure. Normal procedure after a game is discipline reporting, then match report whilst in the changing room. Takes less than 10 minutes to complete all of it
 
Can’t say it’s ever taken me longer than 5 minutes to complete a match report via full time. Standard questions, then some league specific questions like assistants name and then a score out of 100 for them. Certainly much easier it’s now done via centre circle that’s for sure. Normal procedure after a game is discipline reporting, then match report whilst in the changing room. Takes less than 10 minutes to complete all of it
I'm old enough to go back to the days when a written report was needed for every caution, and they had to be hand written and posted, in duplicate using carbon paper. I had to fax or post to submit games for observation, and post match referee reports also had to be hand written and posted. Back then the concept of being able to do all of the paperwork in the changing room would have blown my mind 😂

I still have the floppy disk for RefHelp 3.1, the first software to allow referees to complete caution and send off reports electronically.

1758128929511.png
 
I'm old enough to go back to the days when a written report was needed for every caution, and they had to be hand written and posted, in duplicate using carbon paper. I had to fax or post to submit games for observation, and post match referee reports also had to be hand written and posted. Back then the concept of being able to do all of the paperwork in the changing room would have blown my mind 😂

I still have the floppy disk for RefHelp 3.1, the first software to allow referees to complete caution and send off reports electronically.

View attachment 8367
As am I. Try hand writing reports in triplicate for 9 red cards in a game. Photocopies weren’t allowed neither was carbon paper. Rang the county FA on the Monday morning to explain that they wouldn’t have them by the Wednesday.
 
As am I. Try hand writing reports in triplicate for 9 red cards in a game. Photocopies weren’t allowed neither was carbon paper. Rang the county FA on the Monday morning to explain that they wouldn’t have them by the Wednesday.
We were allowed carbon paper. I bought so much of it I think my local stationer thought I was counterfeiting something.
 
As am I. Try hand writing reports in triplicate for 9 red cards in a game. Photocopies weren’t allowed neither was carbon paper. Rang the county FA on the Monday morning to explain that they wouldn’t have them by the Wednesday.

I used to photocopy and be done with it. They wanted two copies; that’s what they got.
 
I'm old enough to go back to the days when a written report was needed for every caution, and they had to be hand written and posted, in duplicate using carbon paper. I had to fax or post to submit games for observation, and post match referee reports also had to be hand written and posted. Back then the concept of being able to do all of the paperwork in the changing room would have blown my mind 😂

I still have the floppy disk for RefHelp 3.1, the first software to allow referees to complete caution and send off reports electronically.

View attachment 8367
I caught the tail end of this. Excel document that had to be emailed if I recall before just the caution and the code was needed for cautions.
 
Every league I have ever refereed on has required the referee to submit a match report of some kind. It used to be Excel / Word (some still are), some used Microsoft or Goole forms, some now use RefSec or Centre Circle. These were never done via WGS, the only exception was for those refereeing in the NLS who did match reports on WGS / FT at the same time as discipline.

The referee portal just replaces WGS for discipline reporting.

Point 3 doesn't feel right. I've never recorded the number or names of goal scorers in nearly 30 years of refereeing, much of the time I don't really have a clue who scored. Clubs in some leagues have to fill in Full Time to list who played, who scored, who got cards, etc, but seems strange a referee has to do it. Unless they are using Full Time instead of the methods I mentioned above for referees to do a match report.

Thanks for this and very reassuring re. point 3, perhaps it's just an option to include as opposed to a requirement!

Can’t say it’s ever taken me longer than 5 minutes to complete a match report via full time. Standard questions, then some league specific questions like assistants name and then a score out of 100 for them. Certainly much easier it’s now done via centre circle that’s for sure. Normal procedure after a game is discipline reporting, then match report whilst in the changing room. Takes less than 10 minutes to complete all of it

Yes, not so much a moan about the time it takes but more so the duplication of efforts, but it still sounds better than carbon paper and photocopies!
 
Since I started in 1980, computers were a future issue. Mobiles didn't even exist...and photocopies were rare

Carbon paper for duplicates was required, but you had to do a third copy for you records, given the number of appeals you had. Full records of the offence had t be given - not just a name and a code.

Fixtures and unavailable days were confirmed on printed postcards

My God, those were the day
 
Since I started in 1980, computers were a future issue. Mobiles didn't even exist...and photocopies were rare

Carbon paper for duplicates was required, but you had to do a third copy for you records, given the number of appeals you had. Full records of the offence had t be given - not just a name and a code.

Fixtures and unavailable days were confirmed on printed postcards

My God, those were the day
I ran the line on a FA Cup game back in the day.
Referee and two linesmen (AR's) turned up around 18.10/18.15 for a 19.45 k.o.
Ten minutes later another AR/linesman turned up.
Phone call to The FA: the later arrival was told he was no longer on the game as his confirmation postcard had been posted second class . . .
AND: carbon paper was not allowed for many years - individual copies, plus one to keep, as you say, @lincs22
Times have changed😁
 
As am I. Try hand writing reports in triplicate for 9 red cards in a game. Photocopies weren’t allowed neither was carbon paper. Rang the county FA on the Monday morning to explain that they wouldn’t have them by the Wednesday.
If it was me they wouldn't have had them by the end of the season!
 
I've never seen that no matter what country they are from, my pen arm would be twitching before a ball had even been kicked 😂

I'm old enough to go back to the days when a written report was needed for every caution, and they had to be hand written and posted, in duplicate using carbon paper. I had to fax or post to submit games for observation, and post match referee reports also had to be hand written and posted. Back then the concept of being able to do all of the paperwork in the changing room would have blown my mind 😂

I still have the floppy disk for RefHelp 3.1, the first software to allow referees to complete caution and send off reports electronically.

View attachment 8367


Correct Rusty - spent many a full Sunday (in the 80's) writing Saturday's reports. From memory I think I think my busiest Sunday was 7 or 8 YC and 2 RC. There were so many duplicate sheets, I think I had to use parcel post when sending them in. 😂
 
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