The Ref Stop

First delve in to Adult Football

M

MKAhmad

Active Member
Level 6 Referee
Hello,

I've been reffing for over a year now and as a 16-year-old, I have only really done youth football. I've clocked up many games at this level and had no real issues. However, I have only ever been on the line for adult games, with not enough confidence to take the middle. However, I was offered an adult game consisting of two Police Force Football teams and I thought it would be a good place to start. What advice would you give for the step up and what are the main differences I should be wary of.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
 
The Ref Stop
I am relatively new to reffing adult football. The first things I noticed were they are a lot more vocal and confrontational, and I give a lot more cards compared to youth football. Dissent and violent conduct I find to be much more common.

Last 4 games: 1 youth (no cards) 3 open age (10 yellows, 4 reds).

Depends on the level of football and the area though.
 
MKAhmad said:
Hello,

I've been reffing for over a year now and as a 16-year-old, I have only really done youth football. I've clocked up many games at this level and had no real issues. However, I have only ever been on the line for adult games, with not enough confidence to take the middle. However, I was offered an adult game consisting of two Police Force Football teams and I thought it would be a good place to start. What advice would you give for the step up and what are the main differences I should be wary of.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
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Book & book & book & book, have a birthday, no excuses, no compassion, show the £&@£&s no mercy! If their Traffic Officers, first bit of lip, go straight red! Lol
 
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I think the best thing to do is maintain your confidence. The only difference between the games you've done and the games you will do is that the guys playing will be older and a bit bigger. You know exactly what you're doing, don't be afraid to use your cards, keep your positioning up to make credible decisions and you'll be absolutely fine.
 
Presume nothing. I did a cup competition with teams from various police and law organisations and they were a dirty, whingey bunch!

As ever, best advice is take your time, be confident, whistle strong with good body language. You'll be fine. Tell us after;)
 
I went down a similar path, doing 6 months of youth stuff before tackling open age. Whilst any game has the potential to be challenging, adult football merely raises the likelihood of difficult games. However in order to improve, we need to be tested on a progressive basis, so your experience thus far should put you in good stead. Still early days for me to, but i'm working on nothing much else than communication
 
I did youth for my first season and found doing adult games easier. Much less dissent than I got from the U14-U16 ages in particular.

However, I'm in my 40s. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed refereeing adult football at 16.
 
Trip said:
I did youth for my first season and found doing adult games easier. Much less dissent than I got from the U14-U16 ages in particular.

However, I'm in my 40s. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed refereeing adult football at 16.
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Hmm, i found it the other way round. Kids no bother, adults behaving like kids! My Youth League spans a fairly affluent area however. The only advice i'd give (and it's debatable if i'm yet in a position to offer it), is to progress thru the difficulty levels at a sensible pace; which is what MKAhmed is seemingly doing
 
You’ll be fine, think of it like this.. you have experience in the middle you’ve got games under your belt the rules pitch & everything else is no different, your not refereeing a different sport it’s exactly the same as your used to just the players are bigger and older.

You do exactly what you’ve been doing you don’t change anything, a foul is a foul a throw is a throw, Obviously it’s only natural that if u give a decision & you get descent then your gonna feel intimidated & uncomfortable but try not to let it show, move on from the situation as quick as possible don’t give it time to be a debate or show weakness just on with the game.

It would be different if it’s your first game in the middle & not only have you got to deal with adults but you’ve got to deal with refereeing your first game, you’ve got games under your belt you’ve put the hours in so go out there with pride & confidence in what your doing.

Big respect to you for doing it just be strong and stand your ground, you’ve got nothing to lose.
 
I admire your courage at 16 but dont expect to be soft soaped through easy games every week, OA games can be brutal, awful, sometimes you want to crawl into a hole when somethings happens, but you've to learn very quickly how to cope with all sorts, the chirpys, the dissenters, the foulers, the a44holes, they are all there, the k4ob coaches and even fans all wanting a piece of you for their decision, their way... Good luck and let us know how you get on!!
 
Be prepared for a real tough game.

Police games are somewhat notorious for being very physical and challenging.

Who has offered you the game?
 
My dad is a copper himself. He doesn't play but he has friends who are responsible for finding a ref for there games. I thought it might be a good place to start.
 
Our local motto for South Yorks Police is ‘Justice with Courage’...... I wouldn’t be courageous when dishing out my Justice to the plods, I’d be over the moon!
 
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I find police games can be challenging. Remember these are guys who 24 hours a day lay down the law, they dont take kindly to being told what to do by anybody, referee badge or not
 
MKAhmad said:
My dad is a copper himself. He doesn't play but he has friends who are responsible for finding a ref for there games. I thought it might be a good place to start.
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To be brutally honest......there is no way I would ever consider a 16 yr old referee, who has never been in the middle of an open age game before, for an Inter Force Police match.

Whilst it may pass without incident, the potential for absolute carnage is huge......it may also completely shatter your confidence.

My advice would be to steer well clear. Of course, if you know some local referees, preferably level 5's, you could recommend them for the game....then go along and watch how they handle it.

You will be far better contacting your local open age leagues and explaining that you want to start getting some middles......a responsible referee secretary will know what games they can give you that are going to help build your experience and confidence.
 
True story, I used to ref in the police league reg, hated it tbh but, again being honest, it was cash and a guaranteed gig as few folk will touch them
Then, one Monday morning whilst driving to work I was pulled, at random, and then told as they could smell drink that I would need a breathalizer. They seemed upset when it showed I had passed, and because of their attitude, I have knocked back the police games ever since. I even went as far as to say " btw your left headlight is out"
 
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