Badges

[Arran Williams]

Hi All,

just a quick tip i found came in very handy!

for half a season (during 1st season) i didnt have a county badge or anything on the front of my kit. Very high levels of dissent/ challenges to my decisions eventually i got a new kit in january with my local county badge on it. for the 2nd half of last season i felt most of my decisions where still challenged but not as much. (also down to actually getting my face known)
started this season same and people are starting to recognise who i am so again dissent is still present but not as much as at the start of last season.
bought a new kit which arrived this saturday morning, with county badge and FA badge. 1st game a senior league trophy game turn up suited, tie etc 1st thing home manager says "its nice to see a referee taking his games seriously" i get changed and go out onto the pitch with the new kit on. start checking each teams players for jewelry etc and during both checks i hear players saying "F***ing h*ll he's got an FA badge on, he must be a high level ref and he's doing all the check as well"
i backed it up with my performance during the game cracking down on any dissent straight away.

2nd game local sunday league morning game

same thing happens, turn up suited, manager from home comes over saying how nice it is to see a ref in a suit etc

get changed walking out to the pitch players walking past again saying pretty similar things apart from the checks thing as at that time i wasn't doing them until later.

again on the pitch backed up my appearance with performance by cracking down on any dissent from the 1st whistle!

my recommendation would be to tell new refs to get the badges on asap, although they already tell them about the appearance.

 

[Ian Mitchell]

Well said. Your appearance upon arrival at a game is very important as first impressions go a long way. Every time you meet someone for the first time that happens, so make sure your kit is clean and smart (especially boots!) and act as though you are the kind of referee whose performance deserves the respect of players and officials alike.

Every game you do this, you'll feel more confident in your own abilities and, believe me, players and officials will know when you don't feel confident!

 

[andy love]

that is a very interesting post. thanks for the heads up. i have been given a kit with the Royal Navy FA badge on. looks well smart on the wembley kit, although the kit is second hand they were just going to throw it out. free kit yes please, but as soon as i have completed my 6 games i will look at getting my fa badge and devon county badge sown on. along with an official tie.

i am a submariner in the navy and we don't like people to wear there dolphins before they are qualified. as the rest of us worked hard to earn them.