Dr Ben Ives
Ben
Gallin takes a final look at his watch, puts his whistle to his pursed lips and calls the match to an end. He breathes a short and inconspicuous sigh of relief following a relatively incident-free game.
‘Cheers, ref,’ Blue Number Seven says with an outstretched arm. He clasps Gallin’s hand firmly, looking him in eye and winking.
‘Thank you. Good game, well-done,’ Gallin reciprocates.
‘Nice one, ref, thank you,’ calls Blue Number Four, wearily jogging toward Gallin and grasping his hand and patting him affably on the shoulder.
‘No problem, thank you,’ Gallin responds, beginning his walk across the pitch toward the changing rooms.
‘Ref,’ says Red Number Eight nonchalantly and tentatively offering his hand as Gallin passes. Gallin barely has a chance to grip the hand before it is swiftly pulled away. The player swings around and trudges toward the touchline.
‘Not quite so happy,’ Gallin thinks to himself, continuing his journey across the grass. En route a number of further handshakes are offered, more Blue than Red on balance, but even the Red Machiavellian ***** gives Gallin a nod and a thumbs-up.
‘I did okay,’ Gallin utters under his breath as he ambles into the changing room and plonks his tired body down onto the bench.
Please share your response on the forum or private message us if you prefer.
When responding to our stories, you might consider the following:
o Do our stories resonate or remind you of a ‘real’ scenario that you have witnessed or been involved in? If so, please share the scenario with us in as much detail as possible.
o Do our stories reflect a problem or issue in football that you think needs to be addressed? If so, please tell us why it is an issue and what you might propose to resolve the issue.
o Conversely, do our stories reflect something that is good about the game – a reason for your continued passion and involvement? If so, please tell us about this.
o Reflecting on your own experiences, is there anything missing from our story that you think is important to highlight? If so, please share with us some of your experiences and interactions with referees, giving as much detail as possible.
We would also welcome more general feedback from the football community about the ‘realness’ of our stories.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Ben Ives and Ben Clayton
‘Cheers, ref,’ Blue Number Seven says with an outstretched arm. He clasps Gallin’s hand firmly, looking him in eye and winking.
‘Thank you. Good game, well-done,’ Gallin reciprocates.
‘Nice one, ref, thank you,’ calls Blue Number Four, wearily jogging toward Gallin and grasping his hand and patting him affably on the shoulder.
‘No problem, thank you,’ Gallin responds, beginning his walk across the pitch toward the changing rooms.
‘Ref,’ says Red Number Eight nonchalantly and tentatively offering his hand as Gallin passes. Gallin barely has a chance to grip the hand before it is swiftly pulled away. The player swings around and trudges toward the touchline.
‘Not quite so happy,’ Gallin thinks to himself, continuing his journey across the grass. En route a number of further handshakes are offered, more Blue than Red on balance, but even the Red Machiavellian ***** gives Gallin a nod and a thumbs-up.
‘I did okay,’ Gallin utters under his breath as he ambles into the changing room and plonks his tired body down onto the bench.
Please share your response on the forum or private message us if you prefer.
When responding to our stories, you might consider the following:
o Do our stories resonate or remind you of a ‘real’ scenario that you have witnessed or been involved in? If so, please share the scenario with us in as much detail as possible.
o Do our stories reflect a problem or issue in football that you think needs to be addressed? If so, please tell us why it is an issue and what you might propose to resolve the issue.
o Conversely, do our stories reflect something that is good about the game – a reason for your continued passion and involvement? If so, please tell us about this.
o Reflecting on your own experiences, is there anything missing from our story that you think is important to highlight? If so, please share with us some of your experiences and interactions with referees, giving as much detail as possible.
We would also welcome more general feedback from the football community about the ‘realness’ of our stories.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Ben Ives and Ben Clayton
