A&H

Expectations at L4

telboy2000

The man in the middle!
Received my L4 promotion email from the FA this week. Apart from getting ready the fitness test what else can we expect assisting on contrib/others and being observed etc etc. Interested in hearing from Current/former L3s/L4....thanks
 
The Referee Store
You'll be expected to be available most Saturdays and midweek evenings, but the key thing here is if there are reasons you aren't regularly available make sure you let them know. Usual examples are work commitments and injuries, they are sensible enough that refereeing doesn't pay the bills. Remember though if you close a date with the FA or supply league you can't take a game on a grass roots league, I know of a few referees who did that and it didn't end well.

In terms of games, you will get far more lines than middles, typically you'll get one or possibly two supply league middles per month with as many as six contrib lines, obviously the more open dates you have the higher both of these may be. Supply league RefsSecs love referees who are available at short notice and I know some L4s who got way more than the expected 10 middles per season because they could pick up games at the drop of a hat after someone else pulled out.

The time commitment is higher as L3s will typically want you at the ground anything between 75 and 120 minutes before kick off, although most are sensible enough to know that this can be difficult for midweek games and I was always happy as long as they could be sure they would be there at least an hour before. Weekends I would generally say 90 minutes as most people aren't doing much before the game.

Observers are generally far more professional and prepared at this level. I'd advise contacting them when you contact your assistants and treat them as part of your team, tell them when you will be doing your pre-match briefing so they have a lot of notice as to when they'll need to arrive. One thing that is really important at L4, control your assistants and make sure they know what is expected of them. I don't mean that in a bad way, but if people come to confront you at full time make it clear that you will respond not them. Likewise in observer debriefs, I've seen assistants cause the referee all kinds of problems by comments here, they can of course discuss comments made by the observer about their own performance, but more dangerous when it relates you yours. And even more dangerous can be the boardroom, comments made by assistants, or their behaviour such as swearing or other inappropriate conduct can kill your well earned club mark even though you've done nothing wrong.
 
@RustyRef - nice summary. A couple of points to add:

1. Referee as you want to, not what the observer expects. It is important we observe your performance, not a fake one

2. Always offer the observer a drink after the match. If he declined, don't worry but the offer is most appreciated.
 
Be aware that you can get games any day of the week and at very short notice so keep your moas calendar up to date.

I've had Thursday night, Friday night and Sunday afternoon this year, all unexpected!

Other than that, just go out there and referee how you referee. You may need some minor tweaks (people like @lincs22 will tell you what!) and above all enjoy it, I can't wait for next year reffing semi pro most weeks.
 
@RustyRef - nice summary. A couple of points to add:

1. Referee as you want to, not what the observer expects. It is important we observe your performance, not a fake one

2. Always offer the observer a drink after the match. If he declined, don't worry but the offer is most appreciated.
You wouldn't dream of taking an exam without knowing what you are supposed to have studied. So get your hands on a copy of the Observer's Manual as soon as you can. You can see what they are looking at, but don't change your game to suit it UNLESS you are receiving feedback that your shortcomings are frequently having an adverse impact on your reports. Everyone can have a one-off bad game. The main thing is to ensure the things that made it a bad game don't become a habit or a regular feature of your game.
 
As Rusty says, observers are more experienced and more professional at this level. There will be games where you don’t agree with his opinion and you have the right to discuss this in the debrief but don’t argue with him.

I have had referees convinced a mass con wasn’t their fault, even though it was obvious the game was getting away from them so needed a firmer hand to get it back under control. If someone is telling you how to handle a KMI then listen and follow their advice next time. If you don’t you’ll struggle. They’re there to help you and they’re usually right!
 
@RustyRef - nice summary. A couple of points to add:

1. Referee as you want to, not what the observer expects. It is important we observe your performance, not a fake one

2. Always offer the observer a drink after the match. If he declined, don't worry but the offer is most appreciated.


would appreciate any other tips on clubs/observer expectations at this level...thanks
 
I think the main thing to note is you are entering semi-pro football, clubs/players/spectators as a whole are more devoted there is more money involved especially some of the clubs you visit on the line and with that a higher expectation level on you as a referee than is expected at Level 5.

Be professional, be courteous and gauge your audience especially in the boardrooms pre and post match.

Ultimately though you are there to enjoy your day and provide a service just as much as the next man and don’t let any reservations take away from that. Heed the advice you are given both on the line and in the middle and you will progress.
 
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