The Ref Stop

Sloppy Referee

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I referred over 500 times and in all my time I was never late or did anyone ever pass comments on my attire. They did pass comment on my snazzy car and last weeks ref and nuances that are alien to them. Yes it was arse end of football but believe me at that level no one really cares when you arrive or how you look, they care if you react to dissent or fouls or if you do a decent job. I do accept though that as you raise the bar of promotion and levels then these things do matter too. (See, I was humble there) 👍

The whole point I was making is improving your game craft out trumps a nice 2019 Nike top any-day of the week! Anyway, you can always hide under it though when times get hard and those go faster stripes on your boots may gain you some yards start 👍!
 
The Ref Stop
Sheffields Finest said:
I referred over 500 times and in all my time I was never late or did anyone ever pass comments on my attire. They did pass comment on my snazzy car and last weeks ref and nuances that are alien to them. Yes it was arse end of football but believe me at that level no one really cares when you arrive or how you look, they care if you react to dissent or fouls or if you do a decent job. I do accept though that as you raise the bar of promotion and levels then these things do matter too. (See, I was humble there) 👍

The whole point I was making is improving your game craft out trumps a nice 2019 Nike top any-day of the week! Anyway, you can always hide under it though when times get hard and those go faster stripes on your boots may gain you some yards start 👍!
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Being presentable and professional, and being a good referee are not mutually exclusive, why do you always act as if they are?

Why not improve your game, be a great referee AND look the part?
 
Not having a coin, well these things happen. Running around a 3G pitch in hiking boots and not communicating with your team? Well there is no excuse for that in my book.

I went to a Veterans cup final last week as my brother was playing. I arrived early and was talking with the ref who i knew. Twenty minutes before kick off the 2nd assistant arrived and said hello, already in his kit he went over to the cafe and bought himself a cup of tea, along with the biggest Bacon, Sausage and Egg sandwich you have ever seen. He was still wiping brown sauce off his chin as they kicked off!!!!
 
Cheshire Ref said:
Not having a coin, well these things happen. Running around a 3G pitch in hiking boots and not communicating with your team? Well there is no excuse for that in my book.

I went to a Veterans cup final last week as my brother was playing. I arrived early and was talking with the ref who i knew. Twenty minutes before kick off the 2nd assistant arrived and said hello, already in his kit he went over to the cafe and bought himself a cup of tea, along with the biggest Bacon, Sausage and Egg sandwich you have ever seen. He was still wiping brown sauce off his chin as they kicked off!!!!
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Good lad, it’s a hobby and not a job! 👍
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Good lad, it’s a hobby and not a job! 👍
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Just because it's a hobby doesn't mean you can't take pride in your appearance and turn up on time etc.

Refereeing certainly isn't the most important thing in my life, but I still turn up to matches with plenty of time to spare, clean boots, clean ironed kit, I warm up properly before the game, carryout full pitch and kit inspections and after the games I do all my admin like match reports etc as soon as possible.

Does this impress the teams? Probably not, but at least they know I take my appointment seriously
 
zarathustra said:
Just because it's a hobby doesn't mean you can't take pride in your appearance and turn up on time etc.

Refereeing certainly isn't the most important thing in my life, but I still turn up to matches with plenty of time to spare, clean boots, clean ironed kit, I warm up properly before the game, carryout full pitch and kit inspections and after the games I do all my admin like match reports etc as soon as possible.

Does this impress the teams? Probably not, but at least they know I take my appointment seriously
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Ive never doubted anyone taking anything other than seriously. There are levels of how serious you can take something when to others certain things just don't matter a hoot....Your levels may be higher than someone else, not everyone wants promotion, please don't enforce your high expectations on other peoples perceived hobbies, the two obviously don't meet!!
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Ive never doubted anyone taking anything other than seriously. There are levels of how serious you can take something when to others certain things just don't matter a hoot....Your levels may be higher than someone else, not everyone wants promotion, please don't enforce your high expectations on other peoples perceived hobbies, the two obviously don't meet!!
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No one is enforcing anything on anyone.

Expecting someone to turn up to a game on time and to behave in a professional manner isn't a high standard.

Teams pay us to provide a service, part of that service is turning up on time and behaving in a professional manner.
 
It shouldn't make a difference in a cup final whether or not you want to go for a promotion- you work your hardest. Players have been working hard all season to reach that final and for them that game, no matter how insignificant in the grand scheme of things, represents a whole season's worth of hard work. You have been chosen out of many referees to be part of a team which represents the league/county/FA and it is not much to ask for you to be respectful of the appointment, that you should be humbled to have received, by turning up on time, if not early, with your equipment/ attire clean, and in a headspace ready to give it your all. The attitudes of some comments exemplify why referees face such a hard time, as their colleagues cannot be bothered to take their role, which they're paid for, seriously.
 
zarathustra said:
No one is enforcing anything on anyone.

Expecting someone to turn up to a game on time and to behave in a professional manner isn't a high standard.

Teams pay us to provide a service, part of that service is turning up on time and behaving in a professional manner.
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Enforcing a dress code is just that.....Smile, do your hobby to the best of your ability and go home, you'll be remembered for a crap game not a crap tie!!!
 
Not long after I got level 4, I arrived at a ground for a mid week game. On walking into the dressing room there was what can only be described as a pile of old grey rags on one of the hooks. A few minutes later one of my assistants walks in and starts to put them on! His kit was so old it was falling apart and seriously discoloured. He was on time for the game but that was the only part of the game that met the required standard.
During the game the ball went over one of the crossbars and I wasn't sure if the GK had touched it over so looked over at the AR, only to see him standing with his back to the pitch talking to spectators. Needless to say he wasn't on the league long after that!

Were the two incidents related? No. Having seen the state of his kit was I surprised that he couldn't be bothered to do a good job? No. Did the clubs expect him to do a good job having seen what he was wearing? No. Were they surprised at the performance he put in? No.

If he looked good but made mistakes they may be seen to be mistakes. Looking like he did the clubs were already expecting him to put in a poor performance, and they weren't wrong.

Yes, it was a hobby to him, and now it is to me as well, but at the time I was serious about it. The assistants on supply leagues are not marked by the clubs. The only person the clubs mark is the referee, so if the assistants look sloppy and then perform like that it reflects badly on the Referee. Clubs will mark the Referee down because of the performance of his assistants. A performance like this can determine whether he gets promoted or demoted. Marks at level 4 are generally extremely close, and a few marks dropped can ruin an otherwise good season. If how you look reflects badly on others then you should either look smart or not do the game.

If you don't want to look the part then don't. But the players will expect you to put in a similar performance to how you look. As a level 4 I did a lower division game that would normally be done by a level 5. It was a local derby between two teams who put it about a bit, so was expected to kick off.
When I arrived at the ground the players knew what to expect and I heard both managers telling their teams "right lads. Premier division ref today so don't mess about!" I had a much easier game because my first impression was right.
 
Obviously, I think, what is needed to make an appropriate first impression varies from place to place and level to level. Coaches and players do guess at what they are getting today based on what they see (and how you act) before the game gets started. American baseball umpires have a saying that looking like an umpire can get you through the first 3 innings, acting like an umpire can get you through the middle three innings, and you have to actually umpire to make it through the last three. I think there is some truth to that for soccer as well--you get a small credibility boost by looking like you belong doing what you are doing. I think it can be taken to extremes (e.g., the mostly-past obsession in the US that it was somehow important for all three refs to have the same sleeve length), but doing the basics helps at any level.
 
I have a pic somewhere of me reffing at a Premier League Stadium, I had the tie, the clean boots, I even refereed with NO assistants too.... Big pitch when you're on your own!!!!
 
You say hiking boots. Just to confirm you’re talking about the ankle high type and not off road/trail shoes as used by the Tough Mudder and Wolf Run types?
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Enforcing a dress code is just that.....Smile, do your hobby to the best of your ability and go home, you'll be remembered for a crap game not a crap tie!!!
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Oh behave your self, no one has mentioned enforcing anything.

Merely that as referees we should put at least some effort into our appearance and behaviour.

All the cup finals I have done have specified the order of dress to be worn, for teams as well as match officials. In some cases where they encourage other referees to go along and support the match etc (free admission) they still stipulate shirt and ties.

They have also stipulated the time match officials should turn up before the game.

Obviously I'm not turning up on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning in a shirt and tie, but I generally try to avoid turning up looking like worzel gummage.
 
I think we need to have some perspective on this......turning up suited and booted for a match in the upper echelons is one thing....turning out in your tired kit thirty minutes or so before kick off and leaving your shirt out on a Sunday morning is another....both are acceptable for different reasons. Cloggers FC on a Sunday morning don't give a stuff what you look like, they will care how well you referee.

So let's keep some perspective here @Sheffields Finest and my view point is as valid as any other in the correct circumstances.
Did I smarten up for those cup final appointments, I sure did.....did I manage a tie, not a chance, did I tuck my shirt in, no way hose, did I stop wearing my maroon and yellow off road running shoes, nope. Was I in the wrong no.
 
Cheshire Ref said:
I went to a Veterans cup final last week as my brother was playing. I arrived early and was talking with the ref who i knew. Twenty minutes before kick off the 2nd assistant arrived and said hello, already in his kit he went over to the cafe and bought himself a cup of tea, along with the biggest Bacon, Sausage and Egg sandwich you have ever seen. He was still wiping brown sauce off his chin as they kicked off!!!!
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If that was me in the middle, and assuming there was a 4th official, the AR in question would be swapping with him. Would the players, who have worked hard all season to get to that cup final, be tucking into a bacon, sausage and egg sandwich 20 minutes before kick off? No, of course they wouldn't? So any match official doing it wipes out all credibility he may have had, but also does the same for his team mates. If I saw it as a league official then the offender would be off the game full stop, we'd find a replacement one way or another.

A long time ago, when I first got L3, I had a game with an assistant that I knew was unprofessional from having worked with him before, usually turning up very late. I coaxed him to get there on time and to my surprise he did. He then took a phone call during the team sheet exchange, with managers and secretaries from both teams in our changing room, and despite my glares carried it on throughout, and for a fair bit longer as well. The first and only time that I completely lost it in the changing room (once he had put the phone down), as not only had he made himself look unprofessional but he had tarnished his colleagues as well. Away club secretary, who I've known for years, told me after that I looked so angry he thought I was going to hit the AR …!
 
Solid advice there from an experienced colleague, we have to respect our elders, Maybe @Mintyref is the only one on here to have reffed in black and white era, not the kit, the tele in the bar after! 🥳
 
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