The Ref Stop

Pre-match

The Ref Stop
Alex71 said:
You'll get lots of differing answers on here - my own preference was always at least 60 minutes - irrespective of what type of game it was

Think of the things you NEED to do as well those you WANT to do and how much time these all take (the list would change for each type of game - but some things are common to all games) - e.g.
  • pitch inspection
  • getting changed
  • warm up (you'll need longer the older you get!)
  • etc.
Then add a bit for complications and other stuff that might crop up - e.g.
  • Chatty managers
  • Lack of car parking
  • Distance from pitch to changing room
  • etc.
Click to expand...

^^^ This ^^^ Every time. It's just good admin. :)

Giving yourself at least an hour also allows for other "unrushed" things like, player's kit check, AR brief (whether club or neutral), collection of teams sheets from both teams, transferring subs names/numbers details onto your match notebook, checking the match balls. There's a lot to get right before you wander out onto the field and start blowing that whistle mate.

Live locally? Get there at least an hour early and discover you've left your boots/shorts/ etc on the kitchen table - you've likely still got time to rush back and collect them. Everything else will then be rushed, but at least you'll maybe kick off on time or only slightly delayed. Get there 20 mins before kick off mate and you're buggered.

The earlier you get there, the less fraught things are. ;)
 
90 minutes for me. I had the same policy at supply league level.

There's a lot to cover pre-game, and I like to be in the position where I have briefed my team and also got change into my kit ready for the exchange of team-sheets. That then gives about 45 minutes for preparation, warm-up, and coming in to get into the right head space. That time goes fast!

ALWAYS give yourself lots of time as lots of things can go wrong.

A short list....

* Travel problems so you arrive later than you wanted to anyway.
* One of the teams is running late, so you are having to spend time keeping up with the situation with club secretaries.
* A player gets injured in warm-up (team sheet change)
* Team sheets need hurrying up.
* There's a kit clash and there's a problem with finding kit that sorts out the clash. Or the teams are playing brinksmanship over the kit clash as part of their mind-games.
* The secretary for one of the teams is late and no-one else has the forms.
* The pitch is borderline and needs regular inspections because it is raining / thawing / being worked on.
* One of your assistants goes down with a heart palpitation in the warm-up and is taken away from the ground by an ambulance crew (Yes, this happened to me this season).
* Assessor arrives later than you would like and so pops his head round the door when you are preparing.
* A friend pops in to say hello as they've come to watch the game.
* Every single match ball provided is flat.
* Teams want a minute's silence (Coordinating that so everyone knows what's happening, when's the tannoy announcement happening etc?)
* Briefing with the team mascot (!)

... and so on!
 
Mewcenary said:
90 minutes for me. I had the same policy at supply league level.

There's a lot to cover pre-game, and I like to be in the position where I have briefed my team and also got change into my kit ready for the exchange of team-sheets. That then gives about 45 minutes for preparation, warm-up, and coming in to get into the right head space. That time goes fast!

ALWAYS give yourself lots of time as lots of things can go wrong.

A short list....

* Travel problems so you arrive later than you wanted to anyway.
* One of the teams is running late, so you are having to spend time keeping up with the situation with club secretaries.
* A player gets injured in warm-up (team sheet change)
* Team sheets need hurrying up.
* There's a kit clash and there's a problem with finding kit that sorts out the clash. Or the teams are playing brinksmanship over the kit clash as part of their mind-games.
* The secretary for one of the teams is late and no-one else has the forms.
* The pitch is borderline and needs regular inspections because it is raining / thawing / being worked on.
* One of your assistants goes down with a heart palpitation in the warm-up and is taken away from the ground by an ambulance crew (Yes, this happened to me this season).
* Assessor arrives later than you would like and so pops his head round the door when you are preparing.
* A friend pops in to say hello as they've come to watch the game.
* Every single match ball provided is flat.
* Teams want a minute's silence (Coordinating that so everyone knows what's happening, when's the tannoy announcement happening etc?)
* Briefing with the team mascot (!)

... and so on!
Click to expand...
do you write all the players name in your record of the game card, and do you do it before or after your warm up
 
For me 30 minutes at latest youth football

But I like 45 minutes to one hour for open age on Sunday

Then for Saturday's afternoon if I'm refereeing 1 hour 30
 
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