1st game.

[MKB1981]

Newly qualified ref (end of August) going into local Sunday Amateur league had just done my game under guidance.
Get my 1st solo game appointment... my old team, played with these guys in this league for 12 years!
Was thinking this is going to be a nightmare because I know what they can be like with a weak ref!

Plenty of messages and banter before, but during the game, nothing!
No favours asked and none given. No dissent, no-one playing up because it was my 1st game, nothing.
Couple of wrong decisions players had a moan as you would in any situation, but then it was done and we moved on with the game.

Going slightly against the grain from most I have read on here I told the both teams that this was my 1st game after having qualified and that if I make a mistake, it would probably be down to my inexperience and to just move on with the game. This seemed to work as I never got any grief from either team, even though I did get a few decisions wrong. In hindsight I think I signaled too quickly then as play went on I realized I had got it wrong, but I didn't want to go back on my decision when it would have appeared that I was 'just going with the shout'. A quick word with the player involved next time we are close to acknowledge my mistake, seemed to go down well and was appreciated by the player.

Due to the glorious Aberdeen weather (and a bout of illness) I am now due to do my 2nd game on this Sunday..... 1 of the teams involved, I played with half the players in a another team last season.
Lets see how this 1 goes!

 

[alexgr]

Sounds like a great first game - you recognise the positives as well as what you need to work on!

As an aside, I would always be wary of accepting a game that you have a connection to (either familiar or, in this case, because you've had some involvement with them before) - it didn't seem to affect much in this instance, but it can lead to issues with match controls. One to bear in mind for the future! Welcome to the forum too

 

[MKB1981]

Because I have played in the league for years, I know a lot of players/ managers from quite a lot of the teams so this situation will be pretty much unavoidable.
Think it helped that the guys know my character, that I can be very strong minded and that there was no point arguing with me...esp when I have the cards. lol
Hope for another good game on Sunday.

 

[santa sangria]

Because I have played in the league for years, I know a lot of players/ managers from quite a lot of the teams so this situation will be pretty much unavoidable.
Think it helped that the guys know my character, that I can be very strong minded and that there was no point arguing with me...esp when I have the cards. lol
Hope for another good game on Sunday.

I was just writing about something close to this. When you know the players/teams the risk is that you manage them and not the match. It's about respect I think. It's great that they respect you. The best way to respect them back is to take every decision as it comes, and not to try to overly predict how teams will play or players will act. And it's great if you have a clear communications "mode" during the game. We have so many games with ref colleagues on the field - I think it is an unwritten rule that we don't get into banter during the match. When it's ref colleagues coaching, then it's trickier as their job is to do the shouting!