A&H

Tips to improve club marks

J

Jack M

Active Member
Level 6 Referee
Hi guys,

My marks took a dip last season and I was wondering if anyone had any tips about how to improve my club marks for next season.


I get a bit peed off as I ave been told that I won't be reffing any games involving 3 clubs. Feels like I am being punished tbh

Thanks guys


Note: title and post has been changed to be more "diplomatic" as it were.
 
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The Referee Store
Punished is a little extreme here, although I understand the emotion.

Removing you from the situation, may seem a like a suspension of sorts, but in truth it's probably a good thing in the longer term, as it'll save you a whole world of grief. Given their previous form, it may well be that you'd be onto a hiding to nothing, and come away much more demoralised and hacked off.

However let's look at this from another perspective. Has the league shared some of the complaints with you? If not it may be worth asking. If they have, is there a consistent theme? If something crops up time and again, perhaps their is a weakness in your game that you can identify and improve on.

If the complaints are along the lines of "He always gives us nothing/Always favours the opposition" then it is most likely sour grapes. As league officer I've seen my share of these! Typically it's "We knew we were getting nothing when we saw his/her name"
 
Hello Jack, sad to hear that, because it is hassle whatever the underlying cause and I know from your posts here you try hard and are passionate.

My first thought is: your refsec or equivalent has probably (key word;)) been around the block and knows what to expect from losing teams, difficult teams, difficult managers etc. They've seen all kinds of crazy complaints so they are measured in how they respond. They don't bin refs carelessly.

My next thought is something about the difference between who we are as people, characters and the job we do. And maybe that's connected to whether you are a manager-of-games type or more of a administer the law type. Personally I find the emotional and social side a challenge that I have to work on. The social part usually comes out OK and that helps me deal with emotional coaches at least.

So, what are the complaints really about do you think?
Reading between the lines - I'll get to the point - are you rubbing some people up the wrong way?
I know it shouldn't be a factor but it is. We have to get respect - but we can't get it just from the cards or whistle. We have to go to games, pre-match, match and post-match, and earn respect. Part of that is how we handle difficult customers. We have to find a balance.

Of course, flip side, if this just coaches b**ching because they are bad losers and getting revenge, and you are taking the rap, then it's just not on.

Whichever way your refsec owes you a good explanation and you should be open - and try to be constructive.
 
How would u go about seeing your club marks? Just ask the league chairmen is there more to it.
 
The OP gets at the crux of refereeing. Club marks are tied in with this;
* How to behave and communicate as a referee
* The emotional response to the refereeing experience
I find the application of Law and general decision making easy in comparison
 
Jack M said:
Hi guys,

My marks took a dip last season and I was wondering if anyone had any tips about how to improve my club marks for next season..
Click to expand...

Why do you feel that your need to improve your club marks? Did you feel that your refereeing was below standard and is that the part you should be asking for advice on?

Refereeing for club marks makes you no better as a referee, and while you are trying to please one team the other team will equally mark you down. Club marking is the "least worst" manner of grading referees, while allow a club to give a measurement of feed back.

There are two methods of improving your mark:

1 ) Improve your refereeing, so your decisions are correct and awarded from a credible position; be consistent with disciplinary action; pro-active in game management; good, clear and accurate communication with players and team officials; OR

2) Don't do any of the above. Award free-kicks on appeal, do not punish reckless challenges and don't ask for the fee - do it for free! Then they will like you more :chicken:
 
F#%k em, bent system where you are rewarded for bending over and getting rodgered just to please the markers! Total hogwash
 
I think club marks are paradoxical. If you focus on improving them, they'll get worse. However, if you're also dismissive of them, they'll likely get worse. The marks are better assessed over a whole season because individual scores can be mental
My general policy is, look the part, don't get too friendly with anyone and don't be overtly disagreeable with anyone --> disagree with them without disagreeing with them ;)
 
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Here's how I work club marks:-
Arrive at the ground early
Introduce myself to home club secretary and/or manager
Engage this person in conversation about their club
Find away club secretary and/or manager
Engage this person in conversation about their club
Referee a game of football
Talk to both secretaries and managers after the game.

During the game don't worry about club marks. There's nothing you can do to change them.
 
Club marks, they is what they is. Don't referee for good marks referee to the laws of the game, use some common sense in application (standby @Padfoot), don't just use your cards because you can, empathise, but take no sh1t either.

If you want promotion, ignore everything I have written......
 
Oh Jack... you need my Udemu club marks course... for 9.99 you’ll learn the quick fix to take your scores to another level. Sign up now!

Earlier question still stands and is also related to other posts on prematch and postmatch. Are your issues about club marks and comments/complaints about in-game decisions or anything else that we can learn from?
 
A recurring theme seems to be communication.

I also get a few managers moan to me after games saying I don't have to caution players at youth level for dissent and I should show less yellows as it is just their opinion
 
As has been said, club marks are not something to worry about, but rightly or wrongly they matter for promotion so may be a concern.
A colleague had awful club marks and was demoted from 3 - 4. He worked out how to improve his relationship with the clubs and he’s now level 2 and looking at the next level.
When you say your marks went down, what changed from last year? Have you been doing different teams, or has something changed with the same teams?
When people talk about improving club marks they’re assuming you’re talking about not putting cautions in etc, and this is something completely different.
Try to show empathy for the teams. As PP62 says, get there early and chat to the people who run the team. This can help get them onside which will give you an easier game, and they will be marking you so it can’t hurt. Ask them about their season, and what sort of team they have out today for example. That will show you’re human.
During the game, try to work with the players not against them, by building up a rapport. Smile while you’re doing the game. Try to make sure your decisions are credible by having a good position. Talk a lot. Use your voice to sell decisions and your whistle to signal them - a varied tone really helps. If you see players jostling tell them you’re watching.
Develop your man management skills, positioning and body language to make it less likely that players will show dissent.
Question yourself a lot: did I need that caution or could I have managed that situation? Was it something I did that caused that situation to develop? If so, how do I stop it next time?
Looking at your previous posts there appears to be a theme with confrontation. If you’re young then this is harder to deal with, so try to be less confrontational. When reprimanding players stand at 45 degrees not straight on, and don’t point. Use open hands where possible. Again, smile and try to make it less of a telling off and more of a one-sided conversation. I try to take it near the manager if I’m cautioning and definitely when sending off a child, so that they know what’s going on. They are also there to pick up the pieces if he starts crying.
Players are allowed an opinion, but they aren’t necessarily allowed to share it. Try to work out how to get that point over to the players before it gets to cautions. I actually disagree with the comment that you don’t have to caution youth players for dissent - I’m more likely to do so because I’m old and I’m not being abused by children! I therefore deal with it before it gets to that point, but if it comes to it and the player shows dissent he’s being cautioned.
Don’t worry about club marks, but look at each game and try to work out how you could have better handled any flash points.
 
Jack M said:
A recurring theme seems to be communication.

I also get a few managers moan to me after games saying I don't have to caution players at youth level for dissent and I should show less yellows as it is just their opinion
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I book for dissent at youth all the time. I have no hesitation in bringing out my cards at youth. Do I have bad club marks? I've not had any one on the phone discussing my performance. But I am a happy level 7 with no ambition to progress.
 
In 500 plus games I never asked for or was told any club Mark I got, would a bad mark change me in the future ?, yes, I’d be harder on them! :rolleyes:
 
Sheffields Finest said:
In 500 plus games I never asked for or was told any club Mark I got, would a bad mark change me in the future ?, yes, I’d be harder on them! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

And to think Sheff had you got your feet under the table with the FA & club marks you would now be sat with Colina @ the top table :angel:
 
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