The Ref Stop

What’s your Ref routine?

James, I have read your posts and I totally respect you as a referee. And yes I am completely full of **** most times. But Im an old geezer , have personally run center at over 1500 games I may or may or may not know what I am doing. What I get from all of this, and from you is a greater aspect of the game and the interpretations of the laws of the games.

Mahalo for the forum here.
 
The Ref Stop
Last season, after a game had started, and there was a far side corner, I was AR and I found a pair of scissors, sharp end up, stuck in the corner arc in front of me.

I always have a look around the pitch.
 
High school is starting this coming Friday. I requested the preseason outer island varsity girls game once again. It will be my 8th in a row. I love these games because we are hosting another island and I get to not only witness some great futbol but also spread the aloha.

I like to show up 40 minutes before the match. I suit up in the locker room and start to stretch out. About 25 minutes prior to the match I like to walk onto the pitch, check the game balls and then proceed to warm up on the pitch. Loosening up my old ass. Some jogging with a few sprints thrown in while checking the field. Take note, on this small rock, we have assistants but they don't warm up as I do. For this game personally, I like to speak to the outer island teams and introduce myself. I do this to the Home team as well. The regular season here as well, talk to the coaches, become approachable, become proactive from the first whistle on I would say.

After that, I grab a drink and call for captains and get ready to run. I actually love the pregame ritual and I am sure most of you will agree.

Mahalo
 
My routine when reffing a "normal" game i.e. on my own not a league cup etc

  1. Turn up at ground approx 1 hour before, I travel in an FA tracksuit, unless their are no changing rooms
  2. If there are changing rooms I will get the key (if required), lay my kit out, eat a banana, have an energy drink
  3. See if the teams are about, the home team at least is normally there by thsi point sorting out nets so I go and introduce myself to the managers etc.
  4. Do pitch inspection, check nets, corner flags etc. If it is something little I might fix it as I go around like tying up a hole in the net, pushing a peg in properly, clipping the net to the cross bar where it has come lose.
  5. Go back to the changing room, put on socks, shorts, HRM strap, undershirt and warm up top
  6. Go out and warm up for 10 - 15 minutes, if both teams are out I will do a quick kit check
  7. Go and get shirt on, have an energy gel, final check I have every thing and then go out to the pitch about 10 minutes before kick off
  8. If i haven't done the inspection before/after my warm up I will inspect players now.
  9. Have a quick chat with coaches, explain what I will be asking my CARs for and that I will call the CARs in when I brief the captain, get match ball and check pressure top it up my self if a bit low.
  10. About 5 minutes before kick off I will get captains and CARs in brief CARs, very very brief talk with captains
  11. Normally then sorted and ready to go at correct time
I try and stick to the above where possible, but I am obviously prepared for things not quite working out that way, such as traffic, or a sudden change of pitch etc.

Other times I will have to tweak depending on where the match is, all games on local council pitches have separate referee changing rooms, but this can sometimes be a long walk from the pitch, or if it is a new venue then I might need extra time to find my bearing etc.
 
My ref routine? Prepare most of my kit the night before, get up early enough that I'm not rushing, prepare the rest on the morning. I'll usually like to watch a little bit of TV or something in the morning to try calm the nerves, probably as i'm preparing my kit. The night before I look to see the ladder positions of the teams (I find it helps), and also if there are any other games on before mine. Also check the team colours if I can. In my first year I'd always revise one of the laws on the morning of my game. Every game day. I'll pre-prepare all my write-on cards as much as I can now too.
I'll aim to get there at least an hour early - but I also like to watch a bit of the game before. I find it helps to keep me calm and get into 'refereeing mode'. So, I might arrive an hour and a half early, depending what time the game before finishes.
If it's a fairly low grade match I'll wear jeans and a ref polo - shorts if its a particularly hot day (even in winter we can be hitting high mid-20s). Anything reasonably high level, black pants and a ref polo / jacket. Though in my area, we're expected to wear a full suit to most games. So, I'll do that even though I think it's absurd.
About an hour before I'll do a pitch inspection, if possible. AR's should be arriving about now, if I have any. Get changed into a training top, go warm up, probably get out there 45-50m before kickoff.
15-20min warmup, around this time the teams should be warming up as well, have a look to see who is wearing what colour (we get to choose which colour shirt we wear, so where possible I'll work around the teams). Any potential keeper clash I can see I'll raise it with the teams now - though the teams may well just be wearing training jerseys. I'll usually do my AR briefing as we're stretching. If there was a game on the pitch before and I couldn't do an inspection, I'll try to do it at half time of that match if possible, otherwise now if there's time.
By the time I'm back in the sheds it's probably about 20 to. By this time the team sheet and balls should be in the changeroom. I'll put the sub numbers into my write-on cards now, and check the team sheet for any blatant issues.
Start getting ready, with about 10min to go we'll go into the changerooms to do a kit inspection (that's just convention in my area, I know that's usually bad advice). If it's the sort of grade that doesn't use changerooms, I'll just head out a few minutes earlier to do it. Go back to our room, final drink of water, final kit check, grab match balls.

Try to leave about 5min before kickoff, get the teams in the tunnel, walk out. Coin toss, captain brief, AR's go and check nets and I go and set expectations to the benches (something we're required to do every game here - just talking to the captains, how I want subs, only 1 standing, that sort of thing).
 
Here is mine, lets say semi pro adult game with nars Sat ko 1430

Morning, I be out doing a game somewhere, probably a 10am ko, so will use scabbier of kits for that, so lets say home by midday

Aim for being at ground hour before unless any weather reason etc to be earlier
Cant think of anywhere I dont know or have not been, so bearings not an issue
So three of us at ground hour before
Dump bags and go for walk on pitch, mainly to converse with each other, esp if we dont know each other, maybe hi in passing to any players etc who might be out on the pitch..
Back to ref room, I get an AR to check colours, no point sending one AR to each room cos how will they know if there is a clash if they have only seen one set of strips?
Any doubt at all, I will go double check but tbh I be stunned if I was not already aware of the colours, either from exp or from contact from the club
I like to give the AR a bit of responsibilty, just a bit though!
slowly get changed, IF am doing a warm up it is the most basic and routine of all time, I know myself when am match ready, happy to do some kind of match officials look like a team warm up but equally, I want the ARs to be ready so whatever that means to them is fine with me. 9 times out of 10 9 (weather/time permitting etc) my pre match is on the park, reason being, that's where the game is getting played, gives us a chance to get our bearings, surroundings, I can point if needed, each to own I guess!
My pre match is more basic than Asda value baked beans (which are out of date and reduced to clear), reason being, if i know my ARs, then, they know me and what i get up to, if I dont know them, then, am not going to overload them with every possible senario, so, its a basic, very basic brief. I always make sure i say "any questions? anything you want me to clear up?" which puts the onus on them to clarify anything that might be niggling them
I try to mentally reassure them that "look never panic, there is nothing you can break that I cant fix"
Am back in changing room say 15, no less than 10 before kick off, glad rags on, make sure am hydrated, if I had music on in the room its off now as its now serious time, check have got everything, I check ARs have got everything, toilet, make sure have got match ball, team lines are all handed to whoever plus my set are IN MY BAG not left out, 5 mins to go and am ready, 3 mins to go and its time to get the teams out, I get the ARs to bang on door and check equip as players come out the rooms/line up in tunnel if thats the order of the day. Under no circumstances will I ever go into a players room, if strangely my league rules changed today and I had to, well, I would not do it and if that meant answering to the highest power then so be it.
So we are off, out the tunnel area, I always take my ARs to the centre, introduce to captains, toss COIN, then Ars split off to check nets. I count players, make sure ARs are back in place ( I no longer use buzzers, I bare look at ARs as it is, with buzzers I doubt I ever would so its a bad habit), and we are off.
prob over looked a few things there, but my key element from time get there to time leave, is for us all to enjoy and be able to drive home saying we did the very best we could today, and that goes for the players too
 
Tino Best said:
I'm with you MInty .Clean kit and boots but unless I'm in a team of three my shirt will be untucked. This may seem scuffy to some people but I think it looks just as good and it comes untucked when I run anyway. I will turn up to games in suits are shirt and tie, smart tracksuit but refs shirt untucked. I don't think this show a lack of respect it is down to comfort. If they think i am rubbish I can guarentee it is not due to my shirt
Click to expand...

Shocking.

Just shocking. I think Ross should set up a "scruffs" sub forum on here for you and the Yorkshire contingent.

Smartly Tucked In of Somerset. :cool:
 
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