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Jacob Walukiewicz

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I asked the chair of my RA for some advice and it was basically don't do it, but I've really missed playing since finishing last season (u16's I am now 17). I have joined the local Men's team and will continue refereeing. This is partly due to me missing playing and partly due to me not enjoying reffing to my fullest this season. I feel I maybe overdid it at the start of the year as I sometimes did 4 games a week and obviously the more you do it the more those small incidents become things that really annoy you by that 4th game and even carry on into the next week.
The chair of the RA seemed to be worried of the prospect of getting injured as he himself was injured playing and since I am going into adults football it could be a risk. I fully understand this risk.
If anyone has advice for the playing/refereeing combo that would be a real help.
 
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My thoughts would be that it is easy to do both casually, and difficult to do both if you're taking either seriously.

That is to say - if you're looking to get promoted as a referee, or play in a truly competitive team, you're best picking one and doing the other rarely if at all. If you want to get promoted as a referee, I'd advise getting the 20 matches and assessments under your belt before you try and play regularly. And if you're in a competitive team, there's nothing to stop you refereeing casually on occasion, but you need to accept that you'll be essentially putting any serious progression in your "refereeing career on hold to an extent during that time.
 
GraemeS said:
My thoughts would be that it is easy to do both casually, and difficult to do both if you're taking either seriously.

That is to say - if you're looking to get promoted as a referee, or play in a truly competitive team, you're best picking one and doing the other rarely if at all. If you want to get promoted as a referee, I'd advise getting the 20 matches and assessments under your belt before you try and play regularly. And if you're in a competitive team, there's nothing to stop you refereeing casually on occasion, but you need to accept that you'll be essentially putting any serious progression in your "refereeing career on hold to an extent during that time.
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I've thought this through thoroughly and is why I am only planning on doing this for maybe a couple of seasons. I have yet to start refereeing adult games and therefore will not be eligible for promotion next season. That means at least 1 full season where I can play and ref casually. Especially since the team I play for are a bunch of lads that don't really care and are just having fun. Those in the team that want to play competitive football do and they do so on Saturdays for a team in a more serious league.
 
I played and refereed at the same time, it isn't a problem as long as you are well behaved. That was before I started to go for promotion though, and I think once you start to go down that route you need to forget about playing and stick with refereeing.
 
There are thirty years between us, so you may see my words as sage advice from a wise old owl, or the bleating of a knackered old git. You decide!

Play.

This summer I found myself playing in a reasonably structured game on an Astro, the first time I had played for many, many years. I realised that that might be the last time I ever played the game that has been a part of my life, and I didn't like that thought. I played through school, uni, my twenties, then kids came along and it petered out. I resolved to do something about it and founded a veterans team and joined a league, we have a game every month or so.

I enjoy it, but not as much as I used to, or thought I would. This is bourne out of frustration - we're not that good and whilst the mind the remains sharp, the body is no longer as lithe or supple as it once was. I normally ref on a Sunday, when we have a vets game I don't ref on that day. I've realised I'd now rather ref than play. And that's because I am now a better ref than player. This may sound a little arrogant, but in most games I would suggest that my standard of refereeing is higher than the standard of footballing of most of the players on the pitch (I don't ref at a high level)

But if I were young, I'd keep playing.

I appreciate the difficulty thrown up by having to move (as a player) into OA age football when your pass sixteen - as a youngster at school I played football, rugby and cricket - when I left school I suddenly found my sapling 18 year body at the mercy of grown men who were out to break me on the rugby pitch. I gave up the game and never played it since, but continued to play football, and loved it.

It's much easier to go back to ref-ing than playing. Enjoy your playing days whilst you can. Thirty years on, I can still remember those Sunday mornings playing for Sporting Club St James, chipping the keeper from twenty yards, my diving header to score the winner ... (editors note: age my have slightly fogged and embellished said memories)

Short answer: Play
 
Thanks for the advice Jef, this was kind of where I was coming from when talking to my RA chair and I actually also talked to a former premier league and FIFA assistant referee. He seemed to be a bit tentative to support the advice of my chair, that's probably because he see's where I am coming from, I love football. I love playing it and I love reffing it, but there's nothing like stepping on to a football pitch on a Sunday and having fun with your mates. I miss it and I am looking forward to Sunday (weather permitting of course).
 
My advice is that you have a better chance of advancing as a referee than as a player, so if you want to progress, don't play. Be aware, as others have said, that if you do play that you behave. If you don't that will lead to some difficult conversations.

By the way, if your Chair is Martin Chester, then I'd listen to him.
 
Brian Hamilton said:
My advice is that you have a better chance of advancing as a referee than as a player, so if you want to progress, don't play. Be aware, as others have said, that if you do play that you behave. If you don't that will lead to some difficult conversations.

By the way, if your Chair is Martin Chester, then I'd listen to him.
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He isn't my chair ahaha. The way I look it, I'm still young, I can't yet advance and I can't next season, I don't see the harm in two seasons and when I go to uni and probably move away from this team who I'm only playing for because I know all the lads, I can then concentrate on a promotion season. Just my point of view for my situation.
 
Jacob Walukiewicz said:
He isn't my chair ahaha. The way I look it, I'm still young, I can't yet advance and I can't next season, I don't see the harm in two seasons and when I go to uni and probably move away from this team who I'm only playing for because I know all the lads, I can then concentrate on a promotion season. Just my point of view for my situation.
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Fair enough. Even if it isn't Martin I'd still listen to him. I repeat my advice that you've a better chance of advancing as a referee than as a player, so if you want to progress, don't play. Be aware, as others have said, that if you do play that you behave.

2 years isn't a very long time. Hopefully you'll not be distracted by all the other attractions university provides.
 
I'd continue to do both.

When you get to uni you join the football team/club - you'll probably play on Wednesday afternoons (most uni's still keep Wed pm lecture free for sport & other activities) You'll benefit from the social side, and it will leave Saturday & Sunday's free for you to ref, which you can treat almost as a part time job - you'll need the cash and better than stacking shelves.
 
I've never been in your position, as I am and always have been an absolutely shocking player, though I like to think I'm a capable ref at the level I'm at.

Others have given some great advice, but if you're happier playing than blowing a whistle then play, but bear in mind you'll need to make a decision on whether to continue when/if you decide to progress as a referee.
 
Assuming that both playing and refereeing are just a hobby and not a potential career then I would play now, and referee later (If you can't do both). But it's really a question of which do you enjoy more?

17 is really young to be refereeing adult games. If you enjoy it then you're clearly a lot better at it than I would have been at 17. If I'd tried reffing at 17 I would have given up after a few games. (I started at 40 after I stopped playing.)
 
The thing to remember is that you can carry on refereeing long after you've retired from playing. So unless you want to become a top level referee, in which case you need to start at a young age, my advice would be concentrating on playing.
 
Jacob Walukiewicz said:
I asked the chair of my RA for some advice and it was basically don't do it, but I've really missed playing since finishing last season (u16's I am now 17). I have joined the local Men's team and will continue refereeing. This is partly due to me missing playing and partly due to me not enjoying reffing to my fullest this season. I feel I maybe overdid it at the start of the year as I sometimes did 4 games a week and obviously the more you do it the more those small incidents become things that really annoy you by that 4th game and even carry on into the next week.
The chair of the RA seemed to be worried of the prospect of getting injured as he himself was injured playing and since I am going into adults football it could be a risk. I fully understand this risk.
If anyone has advice for the playing/refereeing combo that would be a real help.
Click to expand...
I played & ref'd at the same time, for a few years - even when I was going for my 4! (3 days after getting my FA letter about L4, I got cautioned for dissent. Thursday saw an email from Appts Officer at The FA with a quiet word of warning!).

If one doesn't get in the way of the other, do it. I generally ref'd Saturday's & played Sunday's. When it got to late-Jan one season I was going for promo, I realised I'd likely be 1/2 games short due to weather. Told my Sunday team I'd be unavailable until first week of March, so I could ref Sunday's and get games in.
 
i play vets on a saturday, and ref on a sunday. Once a month i'll miss a game on a saturday to line or ref in a better standard to extend my learning.
however, unlike you @Jacob Walukiewicz i'm 47 years old, and as such wont have any serious aspirations promotion wise. So my reasons for still playing are
1. you cant beat that changing room banter and team environment.
2. as a big ''fk you'' to the specialist who said i wouldnt be able to participate in sport ever again ( or maybe he'd seen me play and said 'shouldnt' :) )

having said that i will be putting myself up for promotion to gain some feedback, and if i'm told i need to do more saturday games to be considered for a step up then i'll sacrifice more games.
the big downside though is potential injury.... this saturday i dont think ive ever come off a pitch so battered, without actually breaking anything. First thing that crossed my mind was would i have to let someone down sunday morning. Obviously the more i play the more likely, statistically, that day will come when i have to cry off a Sunday morning.

the upside is that i have learned to be MUCH better behaved now.

it does sound like you have cosidered both sides carefully and whilst your not banging on the door of promotion, play...
 
I played Sunday, came on as a sub in a 1-0 win, I only played 15 minutes but massively enjoyed just being involved in a team again. You get that banter and can become involved straight away and it's the best thing about Sunday league, having a laugh. When I came on I got thrown in at right back in against a team that had previously beat us 6-1 so a 1-0 scoreline for us was great. Unusually there was a Maradona like handball which was easily seen by the ref and a penalty shout before they missed a sitter for us to ride out winners. It was good to be back on the pitch :D
 
richard ramjane said:
i'm 47 years old, and as such wont have any serious aspirations promotion wise
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Great to hear that you're going to put yourself forward for promotion in any case .. fantastic learning experience!

I qualified aged 44, got my L6 at 46, my L5 at 47 and am hoping for my L4 at 48 ... so perfectly possible to progress to a different standard of football if you'd like to do so :)
 
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