A&H

The future is bright

Sheffields Finest

Maybe I'm foolish, maybe I'm blind!
Level 7 Referee
Just been to watch 2 of my grandsons second ever game, a friendly against another team at U7.

All low key and preseason and all that. Young referee, maybe 15, I was chatting with another grandparent who by pure chance was a retired referee too.. telling me he dismissed Chris Wilder twice in his Middlewood Rovers days of early management.

Game kicked off with rolling subs and two teams and all that. First game he got virtually every decision wrong, throw ins, fouls not called and even a corner with the ball miles out. He then missed a flaying elbow with one lad bloodied nose, he saw this, waited 15 seconds before stopping play. Had I been assessing him he wouldn’t get any marks, not one!

Hard to keep my mouth closed (but I did) but this lad hadn’t even the basics of an idea on what to do or how to do it....
Tough I know at the start but if that’s his A game I fear for his games this season when it starts to matter with agitated parents etc...

Ever been to similar games?
 
The Referee Store
There are U7 games that matter?
No, and that wasn't my point,
At 15 I would expect at least some of the basics right, facial injury stoppage, some recognition of fouls, corners, throw ins, something right.... This lad could have guessed and expected 50% to be right!!! I can't think of one positive to say apart from he had a plain black top on!!!
 
Just been to watch 2 of my grandsons second ever game, a friendly against another team at U7.

All low key and preseason and all that. Young referee, maybe 15, I was chatting with another grandparent who by pure chance was a retired referee too.. telling me he dismissed Chris Wilder twice in his Middlewood Rovers days of early management.

Game kicked off with rolling subs and two teams and all that. First game he got virtually every decision wrong, throw ins, fouls not called and even a corner with the ball miles out. He then missed a flaying elbow with one lad bloodied nose, he saw this, waited 15 seconds before stopping play. Had I been assessing him he wouldn’t get any marks, not one!

Hard to keep my mouth closed (but I did) but this lad hadn’t even the basics of an idea on what to do or how to do it....
Tough I know at the start but if that’s his A game I fear for his games this season when it starts to matter with agitated parents etc...

Ever been to similar games?

So there were absolutely no positives at all? Everybody starts somewhere and it could have been his first ever game, you never know!
 
So there were absolutely no positives at all? Everybody starts somewhere and it could have been his first ever game, you never know!
None, I’d love to come on here giving a positive feed back on the new breed.... yes it may of been his first game I don’t know, but chance says you get a few right!
 
having mentored a few young refs on their first 6 games, i've seen this a few times before, not blowing the whistle (at all), not having a clue what a free kick was (or wasnt - missing blatant penalties), not giving ball out of play decisions etc etc. at least then you could put it down to the ref perhaps genuinely not knowing what they're doing or how to do it.

obviously it's easy for a mentor to approach the ref and encourage, offer support and give them advice, as thats' what they're there for and you know the experience level of the ref.

as bad as it might be to say, some young refs might simply be doing it for the cash or to put on their CV and they dont care how good / bad they are. not the case for all but certainly was for a few i came across.
 
Virtually every decision wrong, so that would indicate that he got some right then?

I didn't VAR every decision but when I was concentrating he got 4 - 5 wrong on the trot, TBF these games don't take a lot of refereeing!
I'm putting it down to a young kid turns up with a black top and they chuck him a whistle! Maybe he wasn't arrsed anyway and it was just a favour!!
 
I didn't VAR every decision but when I was concentrating he got 4 - 5 wrong on the trot, TBF these games don't take a lot of refereeing!
I'm putting it down to a young kid turns up with a black top and they chuck him a whistle! Maybe he wasn't arrsed anyway and it was just a favour!!

So we've gone from "virtually every decision wrong" to "4 or 5 in a row when you were concentrating" then...
 
I was off duty, I wasn’t there to take notes and assess😂 I was there to watch my GKs have a kick around. I accept young refs make errors, don’t we all. I just noticed a bit more when he made mistake after mistake and then missed the flaying arm.

It wasn’t you was it @Justylove 😄😄
 
We all make mistakes, and if it's his first game (or one of his first) then he'll improve as he gets experience.

My first game I didn't send someone off for dogso-h.

I saw the handball, awarded the penalty, but just didn't send him off.

Hopefully he had a mentor there to give him some pointers etc for his next game.

On my course the majority were there to make money, seeing it as easier than having a weekend job or paper round etc, most said as much when asked at the start of the course.

Something else I've noticed is that some games aren't given the attention they deserve. I.e. referees not really caring and just going through the motions.

I see it alot when watching my wife play. Referees, both young and old, not really taking the game seriously and going through the motions. Maybe because it's ladies football they don't really care, so are content to amble around the field, never getting closer than 25 yards to play, not looking for afters, and guessing at things like throws etc.
 
Just been to watch 2 of my grandsons second ever game, a friendly against another team at U7.

All low key and preseason and all that. Young referee, maybe 15, I was chatting with another grandparent who by pure chance was a retired referee too.. telling me he dismissed Chris Wilder twice in his Middlewood Rovers days of early management.

Game kicked off with rolling subs and two teams and all that. First game he got virtually every decision wrong, throw ins, fouls not called and even a corner with the ball miles out. He then missed a flaying elbow with one lad bloodied nose, he saw this, waited 15 seconds before stopping play. Had I been assessing him he wouldn’t get any marks, not one!

Hard to keep my mouth closed (but I did) but this lad hadn’t even the basics of an idea on what to do or how to do it....
Tough I know at the start but if that’s his A game I fear for his games this season when it starts to matter with agitated parents etc...

Ever been to similar games?

I’m not surprised. The course is a ‘tick in the box’ exercise with little guidance on how to referee a game of football. Following the course, I called my RDO who basically said “yeah you’re good to go now, good luck”!

Besides the officials I’ve worked with either as an AR or in the middle with AR’s I’ve been offered no guidance, mentoring or anything from my county FA which might make me a better ref.

I personally don’t think I’ve done badly I believe there’s room for improvement for everyone...there just doesn’t seem to be anyone who’s prepared to offer development in an official capacity. Which makes it seem as though the FA’s are just out to fill appointments with little regard for quality.
 
I was in the same boat when I first qualified. I had to sort out my own mentoring, as I was lucky enough to know some other referees already.

I guess it varies from county to county, but Kent has over the last few years improved the training available to those of us who aren't members of their various academy pathways etc.
 
I had zero help too, TBF, I never asked for any either. It was sink or swim, luckily, I had some floaties and learned the hard way!
 
The future is much bleaker. This ref will suffer a barrage of abuse and leave the game.

The FA's heads will continue to be surrounded by sand.
 
Probably.

In Kent starting this season all referees under 18 have to wear yellow armbands, to remind players, coaches, parents et Al that they are still children.

Wonder if it will work
 
I've seen quite a few of those posters saying Refs are Human(ish), :( they will make mistakes, :)its not the Premier League :smoke: and all that
 
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