The Ref Stop

Aspiring Referee (Hopefully)

B

boulderdomb

Active Member
Hi Everyone,

I've been thinking about it for months and I've finally bitten the bullet and signed up to be a referee in the SFA - my course starts in August to become a Category 7 Referee assuming I pass. I'm 20 (a whole fifth of a century!) so I hope I can do this for years to come.

I was wondering if any of you could give me any tips on fitness and what to prepare for coming into the course? I've started going runs every second day (since Saturday I have ran 6.56 miles according to Endomondo).

Could you please help on telling me how refereeing a match happens? In Scotland there seems to be thousands of league associations e.g how do I start officiating these games or does this get assigned to me automatically at the end of the course?

Is there anything else I should do?
 
The Ref Stop
Hi and welcome!

Congratulations in taking the first step, which is getting yourself on a course.

To prepare for the course I'd firstly suggest that you familiarize yourself with the laws of the game, you can get this online. Only thing i'd say is that there is a new version for 2017/18 coming out shortly, with some changes, so be careful you don't get caught out on any changes (things like sin bins are not covered in current version, but will be in next version), however the fundamentals of the law are the same.

Knowledge of Law is the main thing that will hold you in good stead when you actually get games next season.

Fitness wise, difficult to say, as you are not constantly running when you do games, it's more stop and start. You need to be fit enough to keep up with play and get into a position where you can see what is happening. One barometer of fitness that is used down here in England is the Cooper test. Set your watch for 12 minutes and run for that time. At the end of the time check how far you have gone in KM. To give an indication, to assist on one of the Leagues down here you have to cover a minimum of 2km in 12 minutes, as you go higher that goes up to 2.6km. If you can do a minimum of 2km you will be fine for the level you are doing. If you end up not being able to run for the full 12 minutes or end up doing something like 1.5km then you are probably not quite fit enough.

The course will explain all about getting games. Each league will have an appointments Secretary and once you give your availability to them, they will allocate you games, they will ask you for "closed dates" which are dates you cannot do.

The course itself will answer most of the questions you have and there will be plenty of people around locally who will be more than happy to help you, and this forum is also good (though watch out for some of the more "crusty" members )
 
Justylove said:
Hi and welcome!

Congratulations in taking the first step, which is getting yourself on a course.

To prepare for the course I'd firstly suggest that you familiarize yourself with the laws of the game, you can get this online. Only thing i'd say is that there is a new version for 2017/18 coming out shortly, with some changes, so be careful you don't get caught out on any changes (things like sin bins are not covered in current version, but will be in next version), however the fundamentals of the law are the same.

Knowledge of Law is the main thing that will hold you in good stead when you actually get games next season.

Fitness wise, difficult to say, as you are not constantly running when you do games, it's more stop and start. You need to be fit enough to keep up with play and get into a position where you can see what is happening. One barometer of fitness that is used down here in England is the Cooper test. Set your watch for 12 minutes and run for that time. At the end of the time check how far you have gone in KM. To give an indication, to assist on one of the Leagues down here you have to cover a minimum of 2km in 12 minutes, as you go higher that goes up to 2.6km. If you can do a minimum of 2km you will be fine for the level you are doing. If you end up not being able to run for the full 12 minutes or end up doing something like 1.5km then you are probably not quite fit enough.

The course will explain all about getting games. Each league will have an appointments Secretary and once you give your availability to them, they will allocate you games, they will ask you for "closed dates" which are dates you cannot do.

The course itself will answer most of the questions you have and there will be plenty of people around locally who will be more than happy to help you, and this forum is also good (though watch out for some of the more "crusty" members )
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for getting back with such in depth information!

Based on my latest Endomondo run I can do about 1.7km in 12 minutes although this was a jogwalk lol, so a lot of fitness to improve!

I've downloaded the laws off of the FIFA website and will start studying for the course.
 
Hi, and welcome! Yes, read the Laws of the Game (LOTG in short). They are different from what players think, and there are a lot of small bolts that can be crucial. I just re read your questions, but I've written the wall of text below, so I'm not deleting it. Take it or leave it ;)
Yes, fitness is key. You don't have to be in top shape, but you don't want it to be a problem during the game - trust me, you have already enough issues on the field! Endurance (continuous running) matters - 2,0 to 2,4 km per 12 minutes would be good - but also sprints. Try to do sprints at about 75-80% of capacity, on 20m or so. If you can do 8-10 in a row (with a 5-10 second break) without collapsing, that's perfect. If less than 6, you need to get in shape. As Justylove says, you will not be running constantly. But if play runs ahead, you need to be able to follow.
As for assignations, the best is to contact your local FA (probably the ones organising the course). Ask them to recommend a league or two for you. They'll send you to an appropriate league, with an assignor.

___________________________
So now, the wall of text I talked about:
1- The first few games will be tough. You have to learn to 'find' yourself on a field, where to run, etc. You will be thinking about everything, and that's normal. It will get much better after a while. Give yourself 1-2 objectives for each game. For your first game, getting through it should be an objective of its own.
2- Unless the teams seem aggressive (they usually aren't!), I'd probably be open with the players, especially if it's a friendly/non-competitive game. They'll cut you some slack.
3- You will need to learn to clear your mind; that's the hardest. You will make tough decisions, get criticised, and sometimes they will bug you. You need to learn to leave that behind, at least until the end of the game. It will take a few games to learn that and to build a shell to keep out criticism.

So now, a bit of advice.
A- As I said, the first games will be tough. You'll be nervous, and there'll be lots to think about - LOTG, positioning, signals, players, time, etc. Be super-prepared (that holds for your whole career btw). Prepare your kit the day before, to make sure you have everything you need. Make sure your watch works. Arrive early to the field, etc. Don't put any extra pressure on you.
B- Force yourself to take an extra 2 seconds before every decision. One proper breath. Then whistle (if needed), make your signal. Better do that than whistle too fast, be forced to change your signal, etc. We all do it.
C- In the first games, you'll feel everything goes too fast around you. It can be useful to use your player skills. Think about where the ball is going. What would a player do (most often they do that)? Don't be a slave to it - unexpecteds always happen - but it will help you keep up with play. Try to think about where there might be likely problems - do you see 2 players go up for a header, a player coming up for a tackle, etc.? - and watch that; conversely, don't run to follow a back pass to the goalie if you know he'll boot it away.
 
Emil said:
Hi, and welcome! Yes, read the Laws of the Game (LOTG in short). They are different from what players think, and there are a lot of small bolts that can be crucial. I just re read your questions, but I've written the wall of text below, so I'm not deleting it. Take it or leave it ;)
Yes, fitness is key. You don't have to be in top shape, but you don't want it to be a problem during the game - trust me, you have already enough issues on the field! Endurance (continuous running) matters - 2,0 to 2,4 km per 12 minutes would be good - but also sprints. Try to do sprints at about 75-80% of capacity, on 20m or so. If you can do 8-10 in a row (with a 5-10 second break) without collapsing, that's perfect. If less than 6, you need to get in shape. As Justylove says, you will not be running constantly. But if play runs ahead, you need to be able to follow.
As for assignations, the best is to contact your local FA (probably the ones organising the course). Ask them to recommend a league or two for you. They'll send you to an appropriate league, with an assignor.

___________________________
So now, the wall of text I talked about:
1- The first few games will be tough. You have to learn to 'find' yourself on a field, where to run, etc. You will be thinking about everything, and that's normal. It will get much better after a while. Give yourself 1-2 objectives for each game. For your first game, getting through it should be an objective of its own.
2- Unless the teams seem aggressive (they usually aren't!), I'd probably be open with the players, especially if it's a friendly/non-competitive game. They'll cut you some slack.
3- You will need to learn to clear your mind; that's the hardest. You will make tough decisions, get criticised, and sometimes they will bug you. You need to learn to leave that behind, at least until the end of the game. It will take a few games to learn that and to build a shell to keep out criticism.

So now, a bit of advice.
A- As I said, the first games will be tough. You'll be nervous, and there'll be lots to think about - LOTG, positioning, signals, players, time, etc. Be super-prepared (that holds for your whole career btw). Prepare your kit the day before, to make sure you have everything you need. Make sure your watch works. Arrive early to the field, etc. Don't put any extra pressure on you.
B- Force yourself to take an extra 2 seconds before every decision. One proper breath. Then whistle (if needed), make your signal. Better do that than whistle too fast, be forced to change your signal, etc. We all do it.
C- In the first games, you'll feel everything goes too fast around you. It can be useful to use your player skills. Think about where the ball is going. What would a player do (most often they do that)? Don't be a slave to it - unexpecteds always happen - but it will help you keep up with play. Try to think about where there might be likely problems - do you see 2 players go up for a header, a player coming up for a tackle, etc.? - and watch that; conversely, don't run to follow a back pass to the goalie if you know he'll boot it away.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for helping me out with all of your answers, these will be great for me especially in the future after the introduction course.

I didn't actually think of sprints and was mainly concentrating on endurance, so I'll start incorporating some sprints into my routine too rather than just running and some weight training. Maybe I can switch it up a little and include the sprint during my run and randomly sprint, who knows.
 
boulderdomb said:
Thank you very much for helping me out with all of your answers, these will be great for me especially in the future after the introduction course.

I didn't actually think of sprints and was mainly concentrating on endurance, so I'll start incorporating some sprints into my routine too rather than just running and some weight training. Maybe I can switch it up a little and include the sprint during my run and randomly sprint, who knows.
Click to expand...

Sprints are key. When it comes to endurance, yes it can be demanding but you'll get little breaks to catch breath here and there (keeper fetching the ball from a hedge etc). Obviously being a level 7 you'll be doing the lowest standard to begin with so as expected, you'll spend a lot of time sprinting box to box when the center halves lump the ball forward into no mans land!
 
Is there anything I should purchase before going on the course/start putting money aside for?

I've already ordered myself some whistles and know I'll be around £100 for two tops, the shorts & socks although what else is both optional and non-optional purchases once the course ends and I'm a Cat 7?
 
2 watches from argos just casio ones. Don't buy 2 shirts yet, just look around you can find a black one from about 15 quid. A lanyard for your whistle is a must. Cheap flags as well, but your course might provide some of this equipment and kit so I would speak to your FA and see what is included.
I got the full nike kit, whistle lanyard card wallet and cards and a set of flags.

For fitness try park run a good way of building up stamina and maybe join a local running club, I belong to one and they do both speed and stamina sesions.
 
Get a pump, and a few ball needles and a ball pressure gauge, all can be picked up fairly cheaply.

Don't spend too much on kits to start with, I heard a stat saying something like 1 in 3 referees quit in their first year, so you don't want to spend a load and end up hating it and giving up (it does happen)

Cheap flags are a must, you are giving them to club assistants who will do them all sorts of damage.
 
Don't worry too much about Match record cards- you will experiment with loads of types/styles before settling on the one that works for you.

They range from blank bits of paper, full match records , write on cards, tape on back of caution cards and anything in between.

I have tried them all!
 
Paul March said:
Don't worry too much about Match record cards- you will experiment with loads of types/styles before settling on the one that works for you.

They range from blank bits of paper, full match records , write on cards, tape on back of caution cards and anything in between.

I have tried them all!
Click to expand...

agreed ! end of my second season now and i still havent found one i really like...
 
boulderdomb said:
Is there anything I should purchase before going on the course/start putting money aside for?

I've already ordered myself some whistles and know I'll be around £100 for two tops, the shorts & socks although what else is both optional and non-optional purchases once the course ends and I'm a Cat 7?
Click to expand...

Whistle, flags, wallet and cards should be provided to you on your course but its probably worth double checking with your FA beforehand. Worth purchasing some mini pencils/pens as well, nothing worse than when you're about to take a players name and you realise that it's fallen out of your pocket!
 
pens and pencils you can get from Argos and Ikea... :)
definitely worth checking what will be supplied at your course though, as it very much varies county to county and also over the years.
Essex we got nothing supplied at all, apart from a link to A&H, but that might have changed now .
Advice that some of the younger lot received on the course was not to bother getting specific kit but to do the first few games in black t shirt / shorts , see how they fared before spending too much money.
 
Thanks everyone I'll pick up a couple of watches and "borrow" some pens from paddypower the next time I'm in, the rest of the kit can wait until we confirm what they'll give me
 
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