County Cup Final Expectations

[Herts Ref]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have been assigned to referee an U14 county cup final next weekend and it will be my first game with NAR's and a 4th official. I have been asked to arrive 75-90 minutes before kick off which is fine, but what is the expectation that I do in that time?
I typically arrive 30 minutes before a game and check the pitch, nets, equipment and talk to both managers, but I have an extra hour and not sure what I should be doing with that time, apart from getting changed into my kit.
Any advice would be appreciated from refs that have done county cup finals, or higher levels where you need to be there well before kick off.

 

[RustyRef]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I have been assigned to referee an U14 county cup final next weekend and it will be my first game with NAR's and a 4th official. I have been asked to arrive 75-90 minutes before kick off which is fine, but what is the expectation that I do in that time?
I typically arrive 30 minutes before a game and check the pitch, nets, equipment and talk to both managers, but I have an extra hour and not sure what I should be doing with that time, apart from getting changed into my kit.
Any advice would be appreciated from refs that have done county cup finals, or higher levels where you need to be there we'll before kick off.

It is just about making sure everyone is there on time. You will probably be put in the board room, be given tea and coffee and spend time speaking to members of the county's referees committee, and it will give you time to get to know your assistants. In my experience the time will pass very quickly.

Generally speaking the higher the level you go the earlier you get there. When I got promoted to the National League it wasn't uncommon for referees to want you there for midday for a 3pm kick off. Even those 3 hours generally passed really quickly (unless you didn't get on with the referee in which case it felt like an eternity )

 

[Herts Ref]

I know one of the assistants really well, he has been my son for nearly 16 years

 

[wazztie16]

As above, it's about being there on time, having that extra time in the pre match means if there's any delays (on the road, if you forget something etc), you have a bit of a buffer.

True story, I did a CC final once as AR. Lived a few miles from the ground, drove, Sunday morning. Not much traffic on the road but due to 4 way lights at a busy junction I still managed to get there after the time I was expected.

Since becoming level 4 I've made sure I've given myself slightly even more time where I can. Just in case.

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

As it is your first time with NAR's and a 4th official, allow 10/15 minutes to brief all three of them.
Make sure they know the competition rules which apply in this game - number of substitutes to be named by each team, are players able to return after being subbed, is extra time a possibility, if you go to penalties how will you as a team know which players are on the f. o. p. at the final whistle and therefore eligible to participate, etc.
Be prepared.
Enjoy.