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Moving from youth football to Adult...advice?

Matt Williams

Matt Williams

New Member
Level 7 Referee
Having refereed mainly youth football for the last 5 years I've decided that I want to progress and move forward with my refereeing with a view to promotion to level 6 within 2-3 years. Although I've done open age lines before, I've never done a middle. Any advice?

Thanks.
 
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I started officiating Adult football a season after I qualified, and have never looked back. I find it more enjoyable and a better 'platform' to exert my skills, and also to further develop as a referee.

However, only you know within yourself if you are ready...

Having said that, my advice is go for it. There will be moments when you will find things difficult, but that is part-and-parcel in referee (and life in general)! Be confident in your ability and take every game as and went it comes.
 
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The league have given me 2 lines to start with so I can see how they games are ruffed and to get up to speed with it. I know I'm ready, it's just a case of seeing how the adult game is ruffed at this level and possibly adjusting myself accordingly. I know in the past I've been too quick for dissent cautions, which I have changed in the last 18 months. It's just a case of adapting I think. :)
 
I echo what David said (as I ref with him, he just does't know it yet!! - Hi dave) but I would say - keep a toe in youth football. Practicing what you do on a smaller pitch with probably better behaved players means you can fine tune for the big pitch - ie positioning, your diaganals, assistants if you have them etc.

Whe doing OA there is no excuse for not keeping up / being our of position with the youth, and you can also re-assess your judgement on fouls, severity etc better on a youth league, so that when you get back to the OA you are more certain of your decision - maybe even before it happens.

and 2 - 3 years for L6? If you've been youthing for 5 years you should be able to go for it in your second OA. First OA season to get your 20 in, then next to go for Prom.

Welcome, and good luck. Keep us updated.
 
The reason I said 2-3 is because I'm combining my refereeing with University study and won't be able to commit to the same number of matches as previous seasons. In 2012/13 I did 57 matches, last season I did 15 (but didn't start until January of the season to be fair). I should be able to get my 20 in this year. Thanks for the advice :)
 
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Which Uni? Have you spoken to the CFA for where you're going to get on their books and leagues etc?

Don't burn yourself out - Players are done by 30 ish, refs as a career (pro's) dont get started till 35+ ish, so stick to the Uni and when sorted and job sorted etc you can fly through 7-4 in 4 years from say 25 - 29, then you can hit both as hard as you like.

Oh but you will also discover females, beer, having grumpy old knackers to work with and quite possibly children so enjoy the time being!

Freshers week hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
 
I'm now a 2nd year at keele Uni. Thankfully I got a few BUCS games last year so that was a sort of stepping stone into OA. Got 5 OA appointments before I even start term again (mostly lines though) so the time shouldn't be an issue. I certainly won't be doing 40 games this year, can't afford the petrol! Haha.
 
Just did my first oa game last weekend. Only difference was the abuse and the number of fouls they claim and or try to get away with. In the end I gave an ifk for dissent against the team who were losing 6-0 and it resulted in a goal!
 
DanRicketts said:
Just did my first oa game last weekend. Only difference was the abuse and the number of fouls they claim and or try to get away with. In the end I gave an ifk for dissent against the team who were losing 6-0 and it resulted in a goal!
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Did you caution for the dissent?
 
Brian Hamilton said:
Did you caution for the dissent?
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I would have done but didn't as it was 2 minutes from the end and hadn't got my fee yet! I know that as an assessor you will pillory me and say "now he will use that against the next ref who he does it to" but it was theirs and my first game of the season, a "friendly" and I did say to him in a league game you'd also receive a caution. Rest assured in my next game I will caution if it happens!
 
DanRicketts said:
I would have done but didn't as it was 2 minutes from the end and hadn't got my fee yet! I know that as an assessor you will pillory me and say "now he will use that against the next ref who he does it to" but it was theirs and my first game of the season, a "friendly" and I did say to him in a league game you'd also receive a caution. Rest assured in my next game I will caution if it happens!
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It doesn't matter if it is in the 90th minute or the 1st, the LOTG still matter and as a referee you have to abide by them, a player has now gone unpunished.........
 
DanRicketts said:
I would have done but didn't as it was 2 minutes from the end and hadn't got my fee yet! I know that as an assessor you will pillory me and say "now he will use that against the next ref who he does it to" but it was theirs and my first game of the season, a "friendly" and I did say to him in a league game you'd also receive a caution. Rest assured in my next game I will caution if it happens!
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Yes I would but I'd also ask you why you thought you got so much abuse? Was your decision making poor or were you not convincing when communicating a decision? Was your application of law incorrect or inconsistent? How was your positioning relative to play? Did your work rate say you weren't as committed to the game as the players? Did you not have a good feel for the game?

When you've considered and answered those questions truthfully you've probably reflected on more important aspects of your game than copping out on a caution in a pre-season game.
 
Ryan said:
It doesn't matter if it is in the 90th minute or the 1st, the LOTG still matter and as a referee you have to abide by them, a player has now gone unpunished.........
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Correct Ryan but there's also other factors to consider - see my reply above
 
Flipping heck, my first pre season game, first in several weeks, first open age and I qualified 3 months ago!

Part of the problem was that the team who should have been better were getting battered by their reserve side 6-0 and playing terribly. Perhaps I should have been more confident but it was my first open age game! How many of us apply the lotg fully in every game? From my my course I remember the oft repeated quote "you can kill a game in the first five minutes if you apply the lotg fully".

As my mentor wasn't there I can't say whether my application was sufficiently consistent but I feel it was. It just happened that one team was having a shocker and felt the need to try and blame me.

Thankfully I've already committed to reffing in the local kids football which is my passion lies. adult football is not "grassroots", really it should be called "deadwood"!
 
Ryan (et al) I agree in principle,but I would work on the following:

First game with OP moving from 5 years youth. (do you remeber your first OA game?)

This First time, he lets it go for whatever reasons. Learns lesson re getting fee before game and not mattering what time etc.

As long as these lessons are learnt, and the guy can put this one time down to experience and doesnt do it again - I can understand.

Please only reply if you can, hand on heart, say that you have NEVER done anything similar - not cauthioned due to time / not got fee ya de ya.

Never ???

I'll hold my hand up = i did this in one of my first games, learnt lesson and not done since - but experience comes from doing things one way, then learning if that was the correct way or not, that's why it is alled "expereince", not "perfection personified".
 
DanRicketts said:
Flipping heck, my first pre season game, first in several weeks, first open age and I qualified 3 months ago!

Part of the problem was that the team who should have been better were getting battered by their reserve side 6-0 and playing terribly. Perhaps I should have been more confident but it was my first open age game! How many of us apply the lotg fully in every game? From my my course I remember the oft repeated quote "you can kill a game in the first five minutes if you apply the lotg fully".

As my mentor wasn't there I can't say whether my application was sufficiently consistent but I feel it was. It just happened that one team was having a shocker and felt the need to try and blame me.

Thankfully I've already committed to reffing in the local kids football which is my passion lies. adult football is not "grassroots", really it should be called "deadwood"!
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I asked you about those questions because those are the sort of self-analysing questions that referees who progress will ask themselves after each game. They will detach themselves from the actual game and look at matters objectively. They will consider how their actions created a reaction in the teams. If one team were expected to win but were losing heavily, do you need to adjust your management of that team? Do you need to communicate with them more when you give decisions against them so that their indignation about losing is not deflected into abuse against you.

I often joke that we just wave our arms around and blow a whistle. The truth is that as referees we often have to delve a little deeper, use a lot of kidology and "smoke and mirrors" to manage a game so that we appear not to be seen.
 
Hey Brian - maybe we should all go and support Dan at a game so we can show the future of UK referring that they are supported with advise, ecouragement and constructive experience.

And if that means we step in and take the flack from the players so Dan can concentrate on the decisions, as he adjusts to OA.
 
HRW said:
Hey Brian - maybe we should all go and support Dan at a game so we can show the future of UK referring that they are supported with advise, ecouragement and constructive experience.

And if that means we step in and take the flack from the players so Dan can concentrate on the decisions, as he adjusts to OA.
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I do that most weeks HRW. Just because I'm on the touchline or in the stand doesn't mean I become invisible :)
 
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