The Ref Stop

Postponing a game due to the temperature

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zarathustra

zarathustra

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A hypothetical question.

As referees our primary concern is the safety of the players, this means that sometimes games will be postponed due to frozen or water logged pitches etc.

However, what do we do when it comes to extremes of temperature? Where I live it's possible the temperature could tip 38 degrees today. I wouldn't train in this weather (unless in an air conditioned gym or swimming), but could we postpone a match because of it?

I'm not due to referee for another couple of weeks, when temperatures are supposed to be much more reasonable, but I wouldn't fancy taking responsibility for 22 people to play a football match in this heat..
 
The Ref Stop
Your first duty as a referee is the safety of players. While we are able to assess pitch conditions for safety, weather decisions are much harder.

Juniors playing in freezing conditions = ask managers to help you decide.
Adults playing in hot weather = make sure drinks are available to aid the players. Difficult to justify, especially if the players want to play.
 
zarathustra said:
I wouldn't train in this weather (unless in an air conditioned gym or swimming), but could we postpone a match because of it?
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The local clubs in Wales are still taking on training tonight. Like, started about an hour or hour and half ago.

Personally I'm not keen on running in this weather. I saw one U14 club abandon training yesterday and I think they have the right idea. But it's tough because sometimes players will want to play even if the pitch is on a minefield. :wall:
 
Here in the US, most organizations have a set heat index temperature in which water breaks start getting added, halves shortened, and eventually play stopped. Usually if the heat index is above 38C or so, play is generally stopping.
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Game on, water break but wouldn’t dream of not playing! Maybe it’s a Southern thing? 😬
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Maybe it's because you have no understanding of the dangers that extremes of temperatures can pose.

Someone died at my karate club last week, not permanently but he collapsed and the paramedics had to jump start him, and it was nowhere near as hot as it was today.

I have seen people collapse and spend 2 weeks in hospital, incidentally he also had no memory of the preceding 2 miles of the run before he collapsed.

And before you start, I have experienced and worked in temperatures much much hotter than today, it got upto mid 50s in Iraq, and Afghanistan was high 30s low 40s for most of the time.
 
lincs22 said:
Your first duty as a referee is the safety of players. While we are able to assess pitch conditions for safety, weather decisions are much harder.

Juniors playing in freezing conditions = ask managers to help you decide.
Adults playing in hot weather = make sure drinks are available to aid the players. Difficult to justify, especially if the players want to play.
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True, can't really argue with that, I was more thinking about the extremes we've had today, it was 37 degrees at 6 when I got home from work.

At grass roots where the players aren't professional atheletes and they dont have doctors and paramedics etc on standby playing in 37 degrees could be very dangerous.

I doubt any game that did start in 37 degrees would last very long, especially at nothing faster than a slow jog.
 
Some of the temperature also depends on what people are used to. I have played and reffed when it was more than 100F (38C). But that was with low humidity--humidity can dramatically change the effective heat level.
 
The acclimatization is another thing people don't consider. It takes about 6 weeks to acclimatize, so of we had these temperatures all through the summer by the time pre-season starts people would be more used to it.

But in the UK weather like this isn't the norm, so unless people have just been in a really hot country for 6 weeks they won't be able to function properly
 
Depending on relative humidity, the danger can start anywhere from 33c to 42c. Heat and humidity index here (Heat Stress Index ):
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heat_Stress_Index.pdf

Other useful guideline here (Beat the Heat):
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/SMA_Beat_The_Heat_Factsheet.pdf

Your FA should have its own policy for when to suspend a game and how to deal with heat. Here is ours:
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FNSW_Hot_Weather_Policy.pdf
 
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Our wonderful FIFA representatives aren’t listening, they’ve no issue in making footballers and fans slog it out in 2022.

Football is played in heat all over the world, I’ve never heard of one being called off specially for heat over here, maybe they are all wrong, who knows!
 
Sheffields Finest said:
View attachment 3594
Our wonderful FIFA representatives aren’t listening, they’ve no issue in making footballers and fans slog it out in 2022.

Football is played in heat all over the world, I’ve never heard of one being called off specially for heat over here, maybe they are all wrong, who knows!
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You haven't read anything in this thread have you?

The 37 degrees isn't normal for the UK, so players aren't acclimatized to the heat.

I was also not talking about professional athletes who have doctors and paramedics on stand by in an all singing all dancing stadium.

I'm talking about grassroots players who probably haven't seen their toes for a few years in a field with no medical professionals on standby and with nowhere to get out of the sun.
 
Also, the 2022 world cup is running from the 21st of November to the 18th of December, so it seems that FIFA DO have a problem with playing in those temperatures.

And they are using specially built stadiums with technology capable of cooling the temperatures inside by upto 20 degrees Celsius.

I suggest you do some research before gobbing off about things you don't understand
 
Only one person gobbing off here, I’d suggest you take a sip and chill out... those rays seem to be affecting your millennial charm. Your opinion is out there, fine, we’ve heard you, now calmly respect others...
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Only one person gobbing off here, I’d suggest you take a sip and chill out... those rays seem to be affecting your millennial charm. Your opinion is out there, fine, we’ve heard you, now calmly respect others...
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You haven't posted an option.

You started off insinuating that potentially calling a game off when it's 38 degrees must be a southern thing.

You then posted about the world cup, which you were factually incorrect about.

You then posted something about the tube which has absolutely no relevance to this thread.

Then you resort to insults when I point out that you're gobbing off about things you don't understand.
 
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one said:
Depending on relative humidity, the danger can start anywhere from 33c to 42c. Heat and humidity index here (Heat Stress Index ):
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heat_Stress_Index.pdf

Other useful guideline here (Beat the Heat):
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/SMA_Beat_The_Heat_Factsheet.pdf

Your FA should have its own policy for when to suspend a game and how to deal with heat. Here is ours:
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FNSW_Hot_Weather_Policy.pdf
Click to expand...

If they do they don't seem to have made it public knowledge, which you'd think they would have done.

Might email my CFA later to see if they can clarify the FAs stance on this.
 
one said:
Depending on relative humidity, the danger can start anywhere from 33c to 42c. Heat and humidity index here (Heat Stress Index ):
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heat_Stress_Index.pdf

Other useful guideline here (Beat the Heat):
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/SMA_Beat_The_Heat_Factsheet.pdf

Your FA should have its own policy for when to suspend a game and how to deal with heat. Here is ours:
https://footballnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FNSW_Hot_Weather_Policy.pdf
Click to expand...

Do games get postponed often due to the temperature?
 
I was in the south yesterday and it wasn’t great, would I have played a match, yes, water breaks, yes, 20 degree stadiums in the WC won’t help supporters outside in 40-50
 
Sheffields Finest said:
I was in the south yesterday and it wasn’t great, would I have played a match, yes, water breaks, yes, 20 degree stadiums in the WC won’t help supporters outside in 40-50
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But it isn't going to be 40-50 because, as I already posted, the 2022 world cup is running from 21 November to 18 December.

The temperature in November ranges from 22 to 30 degrees, and in December it ranges from 17 to 25 degrees.

Also, supporters aren't playing football, and are free to sit in the shade and stop and rest whenever and, almost, wherever they like.
 
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