Level 3/4 Pathway Choice

[one]

I've never really understood why England don't use the FIFA marking system like most other countries do. Start at 8.3 / 8.4, lose 0.1 for minor errors, drop to 7.9 for incorrect KMDs, gain 0.1 for doing good things, etc. I've over simplified it, but it seems to work fine everywhere else so I don't see the need to reinvent the wheel. Suppose I could say the same about VAR though

Starting at (8.3 / 8.4) means starting at 9.9. Isn't that a bit high? You may end up at a better than perfect mark

I recall getting 7.4 on two seperate occasions with two different observers, with absolutely no errors and no areas for improvement. The explanation for the mark was that the game wasn't challenging enough to warrant a higher mark.

 

[one]

A-B-C-D-E

Awful, Below Par, Competent, Decent, Excellent.

Vote Archer FIFA President 2029.

Reverse marking is harder that reverse parking.

President Archer has a ring to it.

 

[Big Cat]

The real problem is that it is opinion based. "Expected" is something different for everyone. And getting the "grading" right is just the start of it. What happens with it is a whole new problem.

It's a par score. It tells referees when they're above or below par
More importantly, it's what the observer expects from a referee at any given level. Over the course of a long season or several seasons, if an observer is scoring consistently above or below expectation, either that observer is seeing referees who are consistently better or worse than par, or it's the observer's calibration of par which is the problem. By the time an observer has done 6 or more reports, the scores should be trending towards par. Beyond around 12 reports, if an observer is above or below the parapet, it becomes highly statistically likely that the observer needs to recalibrate. I used to be involved in golf handicaps. I've seen the statistics the RNA used to come up with these figures. Difference being, the RNA used statisticians to come up with their handicapping methodology, they didn't use retired golfers

Anyway, standard expected calibrates observers over time and provides uncomplicated clarity to the referee
Standard expected is not a subjective entity. Its a means of standardizing every observer's calibration of par. It eradicates the subjective and arbitrary variance we currently have between observers

 

[RustyRef]

Starting at (8.3 / 8.4) means starting at 9.9. Isn't that a bit high? You may end up at a better than perfect mark

I recall getting 7.4 on two seperate occasions with two different observers, with absolutely no errors and no areas for improvement. The explanation for the mark was that the game wasn't challenging enough to warrant a higher mark.

Don't understand the 9.9 comment? If it was truly using the FIFA marking system, to get 7.4 you'd need multiple incorrect KMDs (or many more individual minor errors than any referee should ever make in a game).

 

[one]

Don't understand the 9.9 comment? If it was truly using the FIFA marking system, to get 7.4 you'd need multiple incorrect KMDs (or many more individual minor errors than any referee should ever make in a game).

8.3 / 8.4 = 9.88

It wasn't and that's part of the problem.
In my experience a lot of where the mark ends up is based on perceptions. To get an 8.3 you'd either have to referee at a top tier (or near it) or be a known top tier referee regardless of the game.

Put an excellent FIFA badged referee unknown to a good observer at a mid division grassroots game and it's next to impossible to get anything close to 8. Another observer on the same game who knows the referee is likely to have something above 9.

@Big Cat above example is what I was talking about. Expectations change based on factors that are subconscious to the observer but shouldn't have an impact. And if it was as simple as defining where par is as it is in golf.

 

[RustyRef]

8.3 / 8.4 = 9.88

It wasn't and that's part of the problem.
In my experience a lot of where the mark ends up is based on perceptions. To get an 8.3 you'd either have to referee at a top tier (or near it) or be a known top tier referee regardless of the game.

Put an excellent FIFA badged referee unknown to a good observer at a mid division grassroots game and it's next to impossible to get anything close to 8. Another observer on the same game who knows the referee is likely to have something above 9.

@Big Cat above example is what I was talking about. Expectations change based on factors that are subconscious to the observer but shouldn't have an impact. And if it was as simple as defining where par is as it is in golf.

That isn't how it is supposed to work though, 8.3 / 8.4 is the expected mark for a standard performance regardless of the level of the game or referee. Using your logic a referee observer who operated in both his country's top division and on UEFA games would be giving out higher marks on the latter, but that isn't the case. Even if I was (and someone was stupid enough to let me do it ) observing at both grass roots and FIFA levels the starting point should be the expected standard of 8.3 or 8.4, who I am observing or the level of competition should be neither here nor there. To not get close to an 8 can only mean that there has been an incorrect KMD.

I can't find an official FIFA article on how the marking works, but this explains it. https://refereeingacademy.blogspot.com/p/uefa-referee-marking-scale.html

 

[socal lurker]

A-B-C-D-E

Awful, Below Par, Competent, Decent, Excellent.

Vote Archer FIFA President 2029.

Need a different one for team marks:

Awful, Bad beyond beleif, Crappy, Doesn't know head from his . . ., Equally bad for both teams

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

Hypothetically, if marks were hidden, could an official make an Access Request (or whatever it’s callled) to have their data / information revealed to them?

From my somewhat limited experience of Subject Access Requests, I think you could apply to be sent your own marks (but probably only that, not the Merit Table.

 

[bester]

President Archer has a ring to it.

Only President on February 29th