The Ref Stop

Promotion dos and don'ts

U

UKColt

Active Member
Hi all,

If you were advising L7s and L6s who were joining the promotion scheme on the top dos and don'ts for the year, what would they be? Have been asked to have a chat with the new referees on the scheme in my county and want to make sure I cover everything.
 
The Ref Stop
read the assessors handbook cover to cover, know what they're looking for and make sure you act accordingly and do all of the mandatory stuff
 
I remember the advice I got;

Do the proper signals, firm and authoritative. No wishy-washy stuff! (Bent arms etc.)

Maintain your fitness, and for gods sake clean your boots. Conduct yourself professionally now, so it is habit that is drilled into you by the time you're actually up at a level where they're expecting it.

Also; To err is to be human, mistakes happen, to get the law wrong however is apparently treason. :(

That was a long time ago though, the advice I've received since has been a lot more relaxed. :)
 
1. Administration, ensure you keep on top of it.
2. Treat every game the same, don't change the way you officiate just because you have an observer present.
3. Strong, confident whistle and signals.
4. Take on board all feedback, even if you don't agree.
5. Enjoy it.
 
1) Be realistic about whether you can get your games in or not, based on how frequently you can referee. Especially important if you are considering doing the Double Jump.
2) Know your law inside out and apply it, especially at 6-5. Not cautioning for things like kicking the ball away are ones that you may try to manage, but are mandatory cautions
3) Admin, it can let you down - I know referees that have missed out on getting to L5 because of their admin, cancelling games very late because they are double booked due to not closing dates.
4) Look at your observations together, not in isolation. Certain observers have different foibles, but looking at 2 or more together will give you an idea on common elements to work on.
5) Observers can spot easily the referee that is trying to impress them. Go out and referee your normal game and referee what is in front of you.
 
Control the controllable.

You may be poorly positioned and miss an offence whilst learning your trade, you may make an error in law for a "weird or unusual" occurrence, you may get a throw in the wrong way after it pinballs off two players; but you can certainly make sure that all players have their kit checked prior to KO, that subs are made on the half way line (one off, then one on), that CAR's are seen to be briefed (especially if they swap part way through the game), that signals are clear and crisp.

These good habits if established early on your refereeing journey will stand you in good stead and leave you to focus on the more difficult skills over time.
 
MattyAB said:
Control the controllable.

You may be poorly positioned and miss an offence whilst learning your trade, you may make an error in law for a "weird or unusual" occurrence, you may get a throw in the wrong way after it pinballs off two players; but you can certainly make sure that all players have their kit checked prior to KO, that subs are made on the half way line (one off, then one on), that CAR's are seen to be briefed (especially if they swap part way through the game), that signals are clear and crisp.

These good habits if established early on your refereeing journey will stand you in good stead and leave you to focus on the more difficult skills over time.
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In park football, whether OA or youth, what players ever go on at half way line? What players also wait until their mates off the field. I get the law. I know that law. But is it something that will strongly picked up on by observers at this level?
 
Ashleigh Goodall said:
In park football, whether OA or youth, what players ever go on at half way line? What players also wait until their mates off the field. I get the law. I know that law. But is it something that will strongly picked up on by observers at this level?
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Yes, It will be picked up. I had one observer when doing 6-5 that gave me grief about allowing a substitution 3 feet from the half way line..

I was drawn to an altercation happening in the corner, 2 cautions, observer missed both but hammered me for that 3 feet
 
Ashleigh Goodall said:
In park football, whether OA or youth, what players ever go on at half way line? What players also wait until their mates off the field. I get the law. I know that law. But is it something that will strongly picked up on by observers at this level?
Click to expand...

Yes it will, especially if it’s a quiet game with nothing going on.

Players substitutions will take place on the half way line if you tell the teams they will. Same with the sub not coming on until the player has left the field.
 
Basics, basics, basics.......get them right.

The amount of candidates I saw last marking season that didn't check equipment either before KO or when substitutes entered play was almost into double figures, which is poor. Likewise, managing substitutions......don't just stand in the middle of the pitch and wave them on.....make some effort to control the process.

Sock tape.........no excuse for not getting this right.

Undershirts/shorts......on a Sunday morning grassroots level, you can show some pragmatism about it......but probably best if you mention it before the observer does.

Talk to both teams before the KO, explain you are being observed and that because of that, everything will have to be pretty much letter of the law......even though you should be doing this at every game, it may help build a little rapport (sympathy) and give you some slack from the normal grief.
The amount of times I hear players moaning 'you're booking me cos he's stood there'.......after they've hoofed the ball away 40 yds on a FK.

Don't get too hung up on learning the Assessors handbook and trying to make sure that you are ticking those boxes as you referee the game......you will spend more time worrying about whether you've covered a competency and probably miss something that will cost you. Just referee your normal game....it's blatantly obvious when a referee is changing their game just because I am stood there, and it rarely does them any favours because they are not used to it.

Remember, the observer isn't there to catch you out....for most situations they are simply looking to understand your thought process for making a particular decision, rather than just hammering you for not doing what they would have done.
Get the mandatory cautions/dismissals right, get the process for cautions/dismissals right.

I am more interested in hearing why a referee did something (or didn't do something) than I am in whether it was the right decision. If it is a major error, then I can give suitable words of advice that should prevent them from making the same error. If it is something that is poor practice then I will try to give the referee another way of looking at the situation that might lead them to another solution.

Above all, it's about developing referees, and you cannot do that if you only ever criticise without offering an alternative. Likewise, the candidates need to be prepared to hear some things that they might not like about their game, and be prepared to make changes. If they are not, then it is likely their promotion quest is doomed to failure as well as wasting everyones time.
 
Personally as an observer I look at the level of the candidate and the type of game when it comes to how strictly I look at these things. For a Sunday morning game at Hackney Marshes, where often not all of each team has the same coloured shorts and socks on, I'm not going to get hung up on undershorts and sock tape. Whereas if it is something like an intermediate game, county league game, or supply league lower division game, etc, I would expect to see these laws strictly applied.

Similar goes for substitutions, is it really a problem if in a game with rolling subs and no assistants subs don't come on at the half way line? I personally don't think so, but I still do want to see the referee going to meet the sub to take his name and check his equipment the first time he comes on. But if the referee has neutral assistants I would expect to see every substitution done fully compliant with law.

My suggestion is that you always speak to observer before the game if there are likely to be problems that you could get picked up on. They might tell you not to worry about it, they may tell you that they expect it dealt with, they may not answer the question at all, but there is no harm in asking. It's the same for other things - for example both keepers are in the same colour and neither has a change. Be seen to try and deal with it, and if you do that most observers will back you over it once you have explained the situation. Same with things like missing corner flags, and so on.
 
I personally never check player's equipment when I'm on my own in a public park on a Sunday morning, would this be a point of contention for an assessor? (7-6). I have also never seen a referee that I've been on the line with enforce this except for finals and semi-finals. If you're on your own would you just line them up or what?
 
JH said:
would this be a point of contention for an assessor? (7-6).
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Yes. Sort of. My first assessment this season made mention of ensuring an equipment check was done, when I delayed sending a player off for usage of incorrect under-shirt colour (black, kit was yellow) until the second half. Not enough of an issue to dock points from the assessment, but it is mentioned to point you in the right direction.

JH said:
I have also never seen a referee that I've been on the line with enforce this except for finals and semi-finals
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Odd, generally the higher you go up the ladder with the ref in the middle, the more often the equipment check happens.

JH said:
If you're on your own would you just line them up or what?
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Yeah, some referees will do that. You can be formal about it, or just do an informal check. I like to do a cursory equipment check when I'm warming up, for obvious stuff like undershorts and undershirts. Then jewellery when they come out of the changing rooms before kick off. Go with whatever you're comfortable with.
 
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JH said:
I personally never check player's equipment when I'm on my own in a public park on a Sunday morning, would this be a point of contention for an assessor? (7-6). I have also never seen a referee that I've been on the line with enforce this except for finals and semi-finals. If you're on your own would you just line them up or what?
Click to expand...

I have no idea about assessments but I would certainly hope that missing a check for shinpads and jewellery is picked up. It affects player safety.
 
JH said:
I personally never check player's equipment when I'm on my own in a public park on a Sunday morning, would this be a point of contention for an assessor? (7-6). I have also never seen a referee that I've been on the line with enforce this except for finals and semi-finals. If you're on your own would you just line them up or what?
Click to expand...

It depends on your observer. Some will pick you up on it and mark you down, others won't mark you down but will mention it. They appreciate it is Sunday morning football and rare that everyone has the same shorts/socks and the priority is for a game of football to go ahead.

As a rule, I would always mention it to the players, some might even listen. Many observers I have spoken to acknowledge this is the best you will get.

The higher up you go the more important it is, and this is an easy mark to lose. Best to apply the same approach to all your games and it soon becomes second nature.
 
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