The Ref Stop

Responsibility for pitch inspection and timing

HertsFinest

HertsFinest

Next Weeks Ref
Hi guys,

Query regarding pitch suitability in winter. When I was a player I remember games called off either the night before or around 2 hours prior to kick off.

My question is as a referee, is it our responsibility to Inspect the pitch the night before or a few hours beforehand or do we leave it to the manager and if no call and we turn up 45 mins prior to kick off and its unplayable, we then postpone or abandon?.

Short version, do we have a responsibility to postpone before players have left for the match or does our responsibility start when we turn up prior to kick off?

Would like to hear your protocols and stories with this :)

Thanks in advance
 
The Ref Stop
You should be turning up an hour before kick off anyway, but yeah it is generally your responsibility, I'd turn up two hours before and make your decision from there speaking to the groundsman if possible.
 
If you know the weather is going to be bad or if you wake up and can see it is bad then make sure you get there a bit earlier, say 45 minutes before kick off in order to make a decision. However, at Level 7/8 you really don't need to turn up any earlier than that unless specified by the competition rules - you'll just end up standing round doing nothing.
 
HertsFinest said:
Hi guys,

Query regarding pitch suitability in winter. When I was a player I remember games called off either the night before or around 2 hours prior to kick off.

My question is as a referee, is it our responsibility to Inspect the pitch the night before or a few hours beforehand or do we leave it to the manager and if no call and we turn up 45 mins prior to kick off and its unplayable, we then postpone or abandon?.

Short version, do we have a responsibility to postpone before players have left for the match or does our responsibility start when we turn up prior to kick off?

Would like to hear your protocols and stories with this :)

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Ryan said:
You should be turning up an hour before kick off anyway, but yeah it is generally your responsibility, I'd turn up two hours before and make your decision from there speaking to the groundsman if possible.
Click to expand...

Groundsman???!!! We're level 7 and 8 referees, we're not at Old Trafford!
 
By groundsman you mean the council or external company that cut the grass and the manager/coach that paints the lines whenever he feels like doing it?
 
I always (during winter months) made is very clear a week before the game to the home teams secretary that if the game is in any doubt they let me know at the earliest opportunity, if the pitches are owned by the Council they call it off anyway.

Look at the weather forecast for the week and if its wet and not good, just call the home teams secretary and say you have concerns as if I turn up to a waterlogged pitch and I have been checking in all week I would not be pleased, plus I could 1. Stay in bed or 2. Try and find myself another game to referee.
 
Where I am, teams will generally ask a local/close by league ref to inspect the pitch if there is doubt over playability. I have been asked to do this and you get travel expenses paid back (although I never take any as the pitch is seconds away).

If the actual ref turns up (an hour before kick off) and calls the game off, he gets half match fee plus expenses and the risk to the home team of having to pay away teams expenses if they have travelled.

Check your league or county rules on that one.
 
Great replies thanks lads :) and @Ryan when I used to play in the mid herts league I think the closest we got to a groundsman was a woman who walked her ****er spaniel around monkswood school every Sunday :o)
 
Generally most games I have refereed have had a groundsman present, once when I turned up early, I went for a pitch inspection and he told me that the pitch had no chance to be ok by Kick off as it was waterlogged
 
Norwich, and probably not, just because you've never had one doesn't mean neither does anyone else
 
I think bickering over something so trivial is quite infantile!

And Ryan you can't speak on behalf of any area other than yours... We all know how much things vary county to county. Even the CFA guidelines vary! So let's agree you're a lucky sod and the rest of us need to do an NVQ in groundskeeping!!
 
HertsFinest said:
I think bickering over something so trivial is quite infantile!

And Ryan you can't speak on behalf of any area other than yours... We all know how much things vary county to county. Even the CFA guidelines vary! So let's agree you're a lucky sod and the rest of us need to do an NVQ in groundskeeping!!
Click to expand...

I wasn't, I only stated that we can't draw a conclusion that only a very few people get groundsmen
 
I've done pitch inspections where clubs have had groundsmen. Lots of clubs local to me have their own grounds or grounds that they maintain that the local council cut and mark so have had the phone call early to go down and have a look. Not called many off, pulled 2 last season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top