The Ref Stop

Start Watch/Whistle or Whistle/Start Watch.

Best practice for starting each half of the match?

  • Start Watch then Whistle

    Votes: 49 94.2%

  • Whistle then Start Watch

    Votes: 3 5.8%
  • Total voters
    52
Homer Ref

Homer Ref

Well-Known Member
Level 7 Referee
One for all newbie referees including myself who have found that they didn't actually start their watches before starting each half.

So what would be your best practice?
 
The Ref Stop
I have 2 watches. I start one before I blow and the other straight after. There's a second or 2 difference between them but if the team takes ages to kick off for whatever reason, I can just delay starting the second one. What did you do when you realised you didn't start your watch?
 
I start both watches before the whistle.

Back up GPS tracker first
Ref watch second
Then blow

I know the back up is 3-4 secs ahead at least.

But sometimes both watches are out by more if there is nonsense at the kick off - such as if players drift into the wrong half and need “help”.

Not ideal as i don’t like the 3-4 seconds of watch faffing. And I could well
Change to watch-whistle-back up.
 
Don't mess with the watches once the games started. Especially as some players are instructed to "let them know you're there early doors".

Staring at a watch as someone goes cartwheeling through the air in the first 3 seconds is unrecoverable.

Just shout if everyone's ready. Start both watches. Glance at both to see they are running. Then blow.
 
Not sure either is best practice. But I start with then whistle.

I don't resett them in case of false starts (a fwe times a season) but take a mental note. What does everyone else do?

I check both watches about a minute after start to make sure they are both running.
 
Blow whistle, start watch. If false start, don't reset. Check watch after about 30 seconds.
 
OldNavyRef said:
Don't mess with the watches once the games started
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The only reason I can afford to start one after the whistle is because that one beeps when started so I can hear it without looking. If you have to look to make sure it’s started, don’t look!
 
Always start the watches first and check they are running before you blow.

I have seen referees all fingers and thumbs in the first few seconds trying to start watches and distracted in checking they are running.

Everton scored after 10 seconds yesterday, so if you were pratting around with your watches, you would have missed this
 
I'm in the start watches and blow camp, then check they're going in a few secs after KO
 
Gabriel said:
The only reason I can afford to start one after the whistle is because that one beeps when started so I can hear it without looking. If you have to look to make sure it’s started, don’t look!
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I just would start both before the whistle, I even do my check to see they are running before I whistle. If they run for 5/10 seconds before you blow, who cares.

Those few seconds before the game you have complete control. So just relax and use it.
 
I think it is a no-brained to start before whistling. It’s not like it’s a stadium clock that everyone sees. You know you have a few seconds after your watch reaches full time before it is really full time. (Also a reason I never use watches that beep at time-#vibrate or nothing.)
 
RustyRef said:
I can't understand why anyone would whistle before starting one or both watches. Your concentration needs to be on the game, not faffing around starting watches.
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My first ever game I missed someone getting smashed over me messing with my watch after a kick off.

Had to eventually sin bin someone who was screaming at me for looking at my watch instead of his mate getting skittled.

All my fault. All easily within my control.
 
Interesting, perhaps only to me. I used to check with keepers, but was advised from multiple people to stop. The AR should not be signaling readiness without the GK being ready. Interesting that it is still the norm over there. But perhaps some of that is a difference on our sides of the pond, as we have ARs on far more games than in the UK, and it may make more sense in those solo games. (I always kinda liked the ritual of it, too . . .)
 
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