Afraid not.
It's exactly the same down here. If the FA don't get their cut, the competitions will not get any support and will of course, be met with letters from the FA
5v5 Power league
- Thread starter joe cunningham
- Start date
Padfoot
The Persecuted One
Ok...it has nothing to do with money and everything to do with the fact that these small sided leagues are full of players on sine die bans...mostly for assault related offences.
Also, players know that disciplinary sanctions are meaningless in non affiliated leagues. The organisers rarely want to ban players because it is a loss of income for them so would sooner replace the referee than ban the player.
Also, players know that disciplinary sanctions are meaningless in non affiliated leagues. The organisers rarely want to ban players because it is a loss of income for them so would sooner replace the referee than ban the player.
That's one side of it.. I can only speak for what I know, not what I hear... So I can only speak for Cornwall where assaults on referee's are very rare; maybe one a season at best?
You have a very valid point @Padfoot but if that was the case, why do the affiliated leagues have to pay the FA? If it's not about money, why don't they do it for nothing? Then you have any fines etc on top of that. Of course it's about money, TO AN EXTENT. Everything revolves around the Charles Darwin's these days!
joe cunningham
Well-Known Member
The league I was looking at was a junior league, u12 to u15, so I don't think they'd be to much agro. But you never know, some times I've found kids to be the worst.
joe cunningham
Well-Known Member
Cheers padfoot
RegalRef
Politically Incorrect
Firstly, absolutely nothing to do with money. I certainly don't referee for money, I hope the main motivation for anybody is not money, and from how I read the original post the op wants more experience, not money.
The reason I say do FA affiliated is purely the fact that there is support for you, proper sanctions and bans administrated by the FA and some minimum standards enforced by the FA.
Powerleague can do as they want.
Also, while Powerleague will tell you you're ok to show cards as you see fit they mean nothing. You can send a player off in their first game and they're straight back on for the second.
Players also don't have to got through the rotting up and ban procedure they would for FA games.
Imagine a league where the players were poorly behaved to start with, then no ref ever submitted cards, and this is the end result.
Throw in the fact they're literally caged in and there is no support or interest from the management for the referees and that is a toxic mix.
As @Padfoot correctly said their business model is all about participation and participants paying to rent pitches, plus spending money in the bar afterwards.
That's their focus and it shows.
FA want to get games played properly, end of. And that's their sole focus.
Just one other thing. If you participate in non-affiliated football, it's nothing to do with the FA "getting their cut" that means they advise against it and charge you if you do. It is because their insurance does not extend cover to non-affiliated football, so like @RegalRef says they can't give you help and support.
If you want to go sell your soul for a few pennies, then do so, just don't expect the FA to step in and protect you when it all goes wrong.
If you want to go sell your soul for a few pennies, then do so, just don't expect the FA to step in and protect you when it all goes wrong.
RegalRef
Politically Incorrect
Just to emphasise my point I did Powerleague for about 6 weeks not long after I passed my course. While it was nothing like as severe as @Ross 's experiences it was more than enough for me.
I threw my toys out of the pram after a particularly poorly behaved couple of games that both involved in numerous red cards, a fight and the second in abandonment.
I went in to tell the manager and he thought it was hilarious. Including the fact that one of the teams had one player who was particularly prone to it. At that point I collected my fee and very impolitely told them not to contact me under any circumstances as I wasn't interested in doing any more games in the future.
The following week I had a call from them literally begging me to ref a tournament for them that night (my place of work was literally down the road from the powerleague site).
They said name your price, they were desperate. I said no.
Half hour later the manager of the place turns up, begs me again, gave me an envelope with £100 in it. He told me tournament cannot happen without me and teams had signed up yadda yadda yadda.
I gave it him back.
I've never even heard of power leagues, is it something up country? There are quite a few FA affiliated 5/6 aside leagues down here which again, I've played in. They've always been good fun. I don't play much now, work and actually running a football club take way to much time off me in the evenings as it is
I see. There's certainly some stories on here that I've heard over the last week or two that makes me feel lucky that I ref In Cornwall
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You're glad he referees in Cornwall as well?
