The Zebra
BAFRA Member #217
I’d like to reproduce some advice given by Jim Briggs - who has 31 years experience officiating in sport. His book “The Manual of Football Officiating” is a good go-to guide for any official who wishes to improve their game and expand their knowledge of the mechanics of officiating.
I'll reproduce bits and pieces that could well be beneficial to all - starting with some basic principles:
1. Each official must fully understand the Laws. However, the knowledge is not sufficient without the ability to interpret and correctly apply them. These skills can only be acquired by way of considerable effort and study.
2. In addition to the necessary Laws knowledge, the official needs to know where to stand, what to look for, and of course, what to do when he sees it. With these skills, officials can provide impartial administration of one of the most exciting sporting competitions and allow it to proceed smoothly so that skilful play is not spoiled by fouls or unsporting behaviour. It is fundamental that the correct use of mechanics leads to better officiating.
3. Mechanics are two things: responsibilities and positioning. Responsibilities are paramount because without each official performing his assigned duties for a particular part of each game inevitably there will be action that is not observed. To neglect a responsibility is to give players carte blanche to violate the Laws with which it is associated.
Positioning is almost as important, because it is fundamental that an official has the best chance of making a call correctly if he is in a position to get the best view of the action.
4. All officials are encouraged to write a personal checklist of things they must do and look for in each position on all possible game situations. This should be reviewed and updated periodically as a reminder of what they should be doing and how best to achieve it.
5. It must not be forgotten that football is a game played by and watched by people. Football officials must develop an appreciation of the wide variety of human reactions that can arise in the charged atmosphere of a sporting competition. It is only through the development of such an appreciation that officials can learn to gain the respect of the players and coaches, and maintain the discipline so essential in such a physically exciting gams as football.
6. The foundations of officiating:
a. The first foundation of officiating a game is that it is played in a safe environment. The field, its surrounds, and the players and their equipment on it, must not pose an unreasonable risk to the participants, nor make a mockery of the game. This is often taken for granted.
b. The second foundation is the respect that the players and coaches must have for the decisions made by the officials. Without that respect, anything the officials do is unlikely to significantly influence the players’ behaviour. The penalties in the Laws of the Game form an effective deterrent for illegal actions only If they have an impact on the players and the game.
c. Without these foundations it is next to impossible for the officials to apply the Laws effectively to ensure a fair contest.
7. A textbook like this cannot hope to be definitive about every possible situation that might arise in a game of football. It therefore means that the officials have to decide for themselves what is the best response to what happens. That doesn’t mean that officials can “freelance” and do whatever they want. They have responsibilities at all times to their colleagues to be in the expected place and to be covering their priorities. Only by working together can a crew expect to officiate a game successfully. Only by being in the right place at the right time can an individual official play his role in that.
I'll reproduce bits and pieces that could well be beneficial to all - starting with some basic principles:
1. Each official must fully understand the Laws. However, the knowledge is not sufficient without the ability to interpret and correctly apply them. These skills can only be acquired by way of considerable effort and study.
2. In addition to the necessary Laws knowledge, the official needs to know where to stand, what to look for, and of course, what to do when he sees it. With these skills, officials can provide impartial administration of one of the most exciting sporting competitions and allow it to proceed smoothly so that skilful play is not spoiled by fouls or unsporting behaviour. It is fundamental that the correct use of mechanics leads to better officiating.
3. Mechanics are two things: responsibilities and positioning. Responsibilities are paramount because without each official performing his assigned duties for a particular part of each game inevitably there will be action that is not observed. To neglect a responsibility is to give players carte blanche to violate the Laws with which it is associated.
Positioning is almost as important, because it is fundamental that an official has the best chance of making a call correctly if he is in a position to get the best view of the action.
4. All officials are encouraged to write a personal checklist of things they must do and look for in each position on all possible game situations. This should be reviewed and updated periodically as a reminder of what they should be doing and how best to achieve it.
5. It must not be forgotten that football is a game played by and watched by people. Football officials must develop an appreciation of the wide variety of human reactions that can arise in the charged atmosphere of a sporting competition. It is only through the development of such an appreciation that officials can learn to gain the respect of the players and coaches, and maintain the discipline so essential in such a physically exciting gams as football.
6. The foundations of officiating:
a. The first foundation of officiating a game is that it is played in a safe environment. The field, its surrounds, and the players and their equipment on it, must not pose an unreasonable risk to the participants, nor make a mockery of the game. This is often taken for granted.
b. The second foundation is the respect that the players and coaches must have for the decisions made by the officials. Without that respect, anything the officials do is unlikely to significantly influence the players’ behaviour. The penalties in the Laws of the Game form an effective deterrent for illegal actions only If they have an impact on the players and the game.
c. Without these foundations it is next to impossible for the officials to apply the Laws effectively to ensure a fair contest.
7. A textbook like this cannot hope to be definitive about every possible situation that might arise in a game of football. It therefore means that the officials have to decide for themselves what is the best response to what happens. That doesn’t mean that officials can “freelance” and do whatever they want. They have responsibilities at all times to their colleagues to be in the expected place and to be covering their priorities. Only by working together can a crew expect to officiate a game successfully. Only by being in the right place at the right time can an individual official play his role in that.