A&H

14 and wants to Ref - Advice

ByronCoach

ByronCoach

New Member
Hello all,

My son turns 14 in November and has asked me about how he can go about start coaching and becoming a ref so he can as i do on here and soon my own course get a better understanding of the game.

He cant go for his coaching pathway till he is 16, but i have been informed he can take a ref's course from the age of 14, what advice would you offer to him, are there any refs on here that have taken the course that early age what advice would you offer to the lad.

I'm considering doing the course with him in November myself , but want him to also start his own pathway in his own time.
 
The Referee Store
Let him go for it but it's good that you give it a go as well. There should be plenty of opportunities for a young ref and it's a great way to earn some pocket money along the way. If Crewe is your base, that'll be Cheshire County FA (I think) and it sounds as though you've already looked at the courses available.
My son has done something similar and I'm glad I did it as well because I can understand the pitfalls and seek out opportunities for him along the way. Plus it's a great skill to have if he's doing GSCE PE for an option at school (my son went down that route).
 
I started when I was 14 and am still here 20 years later, but with it now effectively a 2nd job!

If it's something that he wants to do, I'd say let him go for it. The support networks in place now are far greater than ever before and so, potentially, are the rewards.
 
He needs to hurry because proposals are under review for referees to increase the minimum age to 16 because of the attrition rates in 14-16 year olds who are subject to abuse and give up
 
My dad (who was a referee when he was younger) said to me when I was 14 that I wasn't ready and didn't change his mind until I was 16. You know him better than anyone. I don't know how long you have been refereeing but you know what it entails and what it is like. If you think he is ready for it then let him do it but if he isn't at that point yet when you think he is mature enough and ready enough to referee then wait. I was upset with my dad for not letting me referee earlier but after a year of refereeing, he was right not to let me!!!
 
I started refereeing (floor hockey, not soccer) at 14. I remember one of the biggest issues for me was confidence. It was a massive help that my Dad was at the games I refereed, watched me, and served as a neutral observer and gave me some constructive comments. Having someone to say "yeah, you made the right call" after a game where coaches/parents/players complaining had been an issue was a big help. Plus just having a friendly face there helped put me at ease.

If you think he's ready, then I'd say let him. Try to be there for his first handful of games and help him build up some confidence, then slowly step back and let him learn to handle things alone.
 
If you think be is ready, then let him take the exam. Then you can decide after whether you want him to be active as a referee.

I qualified at 14 and was referring adult football from the start (if was the early 1980's - no safeguarding issues then). Gave me confidence in dealing with.adults in all walks of life, which you cannot unteach.

There will be bad days, which you and his mother will have to deal with. These will happen, so always support him.

It is hard at the beginning, only you and him will know the strength of character he has. Also his physical status will be important. I was 5'10 at fourteen, so not able to be overlooked.

Best decision I made. Worst fecision quitting at 31 after injury (should have just taken time off).
 
@ByronCoach does your club have mini-soccer teams? It might be worthwhile getting him to consider doing some U6/U7/U8's to see whether he enjoys it, and of course these are on a lot smaller pitch with [relatively] simplified laws. I would go with him, and ensure its mentioned to managers why your son is there, as of course at those age groups its not the players you need to worry about...
 
I started at 14 and it has been the best thing I have done. There are lots of skills I have learnt from refereeing and the spin offs, such as speaking in public at meetings etc. However, I do feel that it is one of those things in life that you do get out what you put in and the reason as to why you were doing refereeing needs to be explored. I've heard far too many young people just go on about the easy money that they'll get.

I was lucky as my dad was really supportive and had been in the middle as an old class 1 so I was never alone, especially in the first season. If your lad does it please be around for the first dozen games at least as you never know when it can turn ugly. Having moved into adult football now I can honestly say that the worst behaviour I've had was in youth football.

For me it has built character, increased my circle of friends, increased my fitness, increased my self-esteem and gave me an easy option for one of my sports for my GCSE course. There have been the times when I have felt down due to a poor performance or grief from spectators but the positives far outweigh the negatives for me.

Maybe before doing his badge he could take up the flag a few times for a local side just to see if he likes it. Whatever he decides I wish him the best of luck.
 
Personally I think that 14 is too young to be refereeing in organised, competitive football. There are just too many idiots about. xPositor offers some good advice - get involved in younger age group, non competitive matches and work upwards from there.
 
OIREF! said:
Personally I think that 14 is too young to be refereeing in organised, competitive football. There are just too many idiots about. xPositor offers some good advice - get involved in younger age group, non competitive matches and work upwards from there.
Click to expand...
My son hasn't been allowed to officiate in any age group above his own. This stipulation applies up to the age of 16 when he can referee OA games if he so wishes. Besides, when he turns 16 he has to have a CRC in place in order to continue with Youth football.
I assume that's a regulation across all English CFAs so, he'll never be refereeing a Male OA (or Female for that matter) fixture at 14.
 
I started when I was 14 and I'm still going nine years later.

I've had some fantastic experiences, but there were a couple of incidents in my first and second seasons that I just wasn't ready to deal with, one of which left me in tears at the side of the pitch. Despite all that, I can honestly say that getting into refereeing was the best decision I ever made, both in terms of building character and in terms of gaining the confidence to speak to people.

I started out just doing mini-soccer for a season, which was really useful as a way into the refereeing.

It takes a certain kind of person to referee. I was really badly bullied in school and as such, I already had a lot of inner resilience that helped me along the way. You know your son better than anyone, so it all depends on how ready you feel he is?

Whatever he decides, good luck to him! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top