10 weeks of my summer were spent running up hill and down dale in an effort to get ready for today's kick-off only for my best laid plans to go awry in the last 3 weeks as I picked up a calf strain.
I kept losing weight because of my change in diet and starting a new job but my training was on hold. I've managed to lose 26lbs (11.8kg) since the beginning of June. So it was with some trepidation that I stepped out on my opening 11 a side game of the season. I had some nagging doubts as I felt a bit of tiredness in it yesterday when I was working with a group of new referees on their Basic Course. As things turned out I had good reason to be wary as I managed to tweak the calf again in the warm-up and walked for most of the first half. In the second I managed what I thought was a few short jogs but in fact I travelled 4.4km and burned off more than 750 calories.
I enjoyed the game and despite a few mistakes I felt ok about the game afterwards (own biggest critic!). The reports have been done and sent in to the County FA. It's 3 weeks to my next game because of other commitments (football related) so hopefully the calf recovery will continue.
Showing posts with label New Referees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Referees. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Monday, 11 March 2013
That time of year again
Just a little something for those who don't normally work with neutral assistants. If you click here, you'll find an old blog post from 12 months ago which will help with your pre-match instructions to your assistants.
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Sometimes, just sometimes, you get this feeling
As the last two posts indicated it's been a long week and it was good to finish it off by completing the latest Basic Course for New Referees with 24 successful candidates.
We originally started with 27 but lost one before the first session and lost two between week one and two. Today's session included an exercise on misconduct offering candidates the chance to practice dealing with situations where players are cautioned, receive a second caution in the same game and also situations where they dismiss for a single offence.
To wrap this session up we simulate a mass confrontation to see how a candidate deals with it and we pull out the learning points. Today we set up the scenario with some "spectators", some "runners" and around 20 "players". Now normally we find that the candidates flounder a little, which is no surprise considering everything that is going on.
Today's volunteer (victim?) was without doubt one of the best I have seen in over 4 years of being involved in Basic Courses. He followed a simple procedure of adopting a good position to observe what was happening, blowing his whistle repeatedly to try establish control, isolating offenders (even enlisting the help of the team captains), sending off those guilty of the relevant offences and then "reading the riot act" to the captains.
And that's when I got that feeling that he might just be a special candidate. So hopefully, he'll take to refereeing, will enjoy it and also demonstrate those skills in his games over the next few years. With dedication, commitment, hard work and a little luck who's to say he won't be on the Football League Show or Match of the day within the next 10 years?
We originally started with 27 but lost one before the first session and lost two between week one and two. Today's session included an exercise on misconduct offering candidates the chance to practice dealing with situations where players are cautioned, receive a second caution in the same game and also situations where they dismiss for a single offence.
To wrap this session up we simulate a mass confrontation to see how a candidate deals with it and we pull out the learning points. Today we set up the scenario with some "spectators", some "runners" and around 20 "players". Now normally we find that the candidates flounder a little, which is no surprise considering everything that is going on.
Today's volunteer (victim?) was without doubt one of the best I have seen in over 4 years of being involved in Basic Courses. He followed a simple procedure of adopting a good position to observe what was happening, blowing his whistle repeatedly to try establish control, isolating offenders (even enlisting the help of the team captains), sending off those guilty of the relevant offences and then "reading the riot act" to the captains.
And that's when I got that feeling that he might just be a special candidate. So hopefully, he'll take to refereeing, will enjoy it and also demonstrate those skills in his games over the next few years. With dedication, commitment, hard work and a little luck who's to say he won't be on the Football League Show or Match of the day within the next 10 years?
Monday, 23 April 2012
Looks good, feels good
One of the attributes of a good referee, according to spectators and players is "to let the game flow" a statement which ignores the referee's responsibility to enforce the laws but also gives the referee scope to employ the advantage clause.
There is rarely an opportunity for the referee to take pleasure from his decision making in a game, after all there's no joy in awarding a corner kick or indicating the direction of a throw-in or despite what some coaches think, taking disciplinary action. There is however a really satisfying feeling from seeing an offence, identifying that it has occurred, but recognising that there is an opportunity for the team offended against to continue their attack and if things go really well, scoring a goal while the shout of "Play on - advantage" is still ringing around the field/ground/stadium and the referee still has his arms stuck out in front of him.
In those situations where a goal is scored, little needs to be said to the offender as his own team will probably have words with him, the scoring team thinks you are the best thing since sliced bread and you will probably get at least one player who thanks you. Before we get excited about being the most popular referee in the world (until your next disputed throw-in on the halfway line), it is important that we break this situation down into a number of areas ... and it's not the usual ball, players, infringement, action considerations I've referred to in previous posts but they are close.
The first factor to consider is the seriousness of the offence. I would never ever consider playing advantage if I am considering sending the offender off UNLESS, the player in possession or his team mate has a very, very obvious goal scoring opportunity. Even if I am considering cautioning for the offence, the opportunity to progress has to be good.
The second factor I consider is the tempo of the game. Everyone loves a good old fashioned "blood and thunder" cup game where the tackles are hard but fair and the players are making genuine attempts to play the ball. In these games, the opportunity to play advantage may arise and will be welcomed by the players. In a game where the players are tetchy and it's already been necessary to issue a couple of cautions for reckless tackles, then the chances of my playing advantage are reduced.
These two factors are considered against the possible effect on my match control. If I play advantage on an offence where a caution may be issued or the tempo is high, then there's always a possibility that the player offended against may decide to mete out his own punishment and take revenge before I can go back and talk to the offender. Also, even though I can rattle the windows of nearby houses when I shout, "Play on - advantage", there will always be at least one player who will complain that I haven't given the free kick and again may decide to seek revenge on his team mate's behalf.
The third factor I will consider is the field position where the offence takes place. I work on the basis of a set of traffic lights. In the defensive third, the opportunities available to the player/team offended against are limited because they are so far from the goal they are attacking and they may have many more defending players to negotiate, so the light is red. At the red light, it's time to stop and award the free kick.
In the middle third of the field, although the team offended against are now a lot closer to goal, they still have some distance to travel and again probably a few defenders still to beat, so the light is amber. The problem with an amber light is that there is a temptation to try to beat the lights and as a result, play advantage when it's not really there. This can result in having to bring the game back, which can sometimes look untidy but by telling the players there was no advantage coming, their responses can be managed more effectively.
In the attacking third of the field, the proximity to goal and the reduced number of defenders means the light is green, well greener than it was if the offence had taken place in the defensive third. So we're almost on to the final factor ...
It's all very well, shouting and waving the arms in the approved manner but if the player in possession of the ball (and it might not necessarily be the player offended against) is being closed down by a player from the offending team, then the advantage isn't there. Another consideration is the skill level of the player and that can be influenced by their age and indicated by their previous demonstrations of skill in the game.
So a younger (junior) player might expect the free kick rather than having the referee shouting and waving his arms. If the player has already gone on a number of mazy runs, leaving opposing players trailing in his wake or has scored a hat trick, then he might appreciate the opportunity to use these skills rather than have to start again from a free kick.
The final factor I consider is the time elapsed in the game. I tend to keep the game tight for the first 10 minutes, so unless it is a really good opportunity, I am giving the free kick and not trying to win players over by displaying my ability to keep the game moving in that time. I need that time to assess how the players are behaving and whether I'm likely to need to keep a tight rein on things or let them ease off.
So to summarise, in a split second, I look at
My season on the green stuff was temporarily resurrected yesterday as I filled in for an injured colleague who had been appointed as a 4th official to the local Sunday League Cup semi final. The game passed off without any major events and the only downside was getting soaked as the heavens opened in the 2nd half.
The weather has also put paid to my Supply League assessment tonight as heavy rain meant the field was waterlogged. I still have Wenesday's Supply assessment to look forward to and a junior cup final to watch on Thursday. At this point, I have a rare Saturday off before starting a new Basic Course on Sunday with 20 or more new referees beginning their refereeing careers. Hope we have fun (and dry weather).
The first factor to consider is the seriousness of the offence. I would never ever consider playing advantage if I am considering sending the offender off UNLESS, the player in possession or his team mate has a very, very obvious goal scoring opportunity. Even if I am considering cautioning for the offence, the opportunity to progress has to be good.
The second factor I consider is the tempo of the game. Everyone loves a good old fashioned "blood and thunder" cup game where the tackles are hard but fair and the players are making genuine attempts to play the ball. In these games, the opportunity to play advantage may arise and will be welcomed by the players. In a game where the players are tetchy and it's already been necessary to issue a couple of cautions for reckless tackles, then the chances of my playing advantage are reduced.
These two factors are considered against the possible effect on my match control. If I play advantage on an offence where a caution may be issued or the tempo is high, then there's always a possibility that the player offended against may decide to mete out his own punishment and take revenge before I can go back and talk to the offender. Also, even though I can rattle the windows of nearby houses when I shout, "Play on - advantage", there will always be at least one player who will complain that I haven't given the free kick and again may decide to seek revenge on his team mate's behalf.
The third factor I will consider is the field position where the offence takes place. I work on the basis of a set of traffic lights. In the defensive third, the opportunities available to the player/team offended against are limited because they are so far from the goal they are attacking and they may have many more defending players to negotiate, so the light is red. At the red light, it's time to stop and award the free kick.
In the middle third of the field, although the team offended against are now a lot closer to goal, they still have some distance to travel and again probably a few defenders still to beat, so the light is amber. The problem with an amber light is that there is a temptation to try to beat the lights and as a result, play advantage when it's not really there. This can result in having to bring the game back, which can sometimes look untidy but by telling the players there was no advantage coming, their responses can be managed more effectively.
In the attacking third of the field, the proximity to goal and the reduced number of defenders means the light is green, well greener than it was if the offence had taken place in the defensive third. So we're almost on to the final factor ...
It's all very well, shouting and waving the arms in the approved manner but if the player in possession of the ball (and it might not necessarily be the player offended against) is being closed down by a player from the offending team, then the advantage isn't there. Another consideration is the skill level of the player and that can be influenced by their age and indicated by their previous demonstrations of skill in the game.
So a younger (junior) player might expect the free kick rather than having the referee shouting and waving his arms. If the player has already gone on a number of mazy runs, leaving opposing players trailing in his wake or has scored a hat trick, then he might appreciate the opportunity to use these skills rather than have to start again from a free kick.
The final factor I consider is the time elapsed in the game. I tend to keep the game tight for the first 10 minutes, so unless it is a really good opportunity, I am giving the free kick and not trying to win players over by displaying my ability to keep the game moving in that time. I need that time to assess how the players are behaving and whether I'm likely to need to keep a tight rein on things or let them ease off.
So to summarise, in a split second, I look at
- the seriousness of the offence
- the tempo of the game
- the field position
- the skill factor
- the time elapsed
My season on the green stuff was temporarily resurrected yesterday as I filled in for an injured colleague who had been appointed as a 4th official to the local Sunday League Cup semi final. The game passed off without any major events and the only downside was getting soaked as the heavens opened in the 2nd half.
The weather has also put paid to my Supply League assessment tonight as heavy rain meant the field was waterlogged. I still have Wenesday's Supply assessment to look forward to and a junior cup final to watch on Thursday. At this point, I have a rare Saturday off before starting a new Basic Course on Sunday with 20 or more new referees beginning their refereeing careers. Hope we have fun (and dry weather).
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Crossing the line
Sorry to disappoint anyone clicking through to this post expecting me to speculate on the right/wrong decision to award the 2nd Chelsea "goal" in their FA Cup Semi-Final this evening at Wembley. That game is way outside the sphere of influence I operate in and whatever I say would therefore make no difference.
I am more concerned about the interaction which takes place between players and match officials at grassroots. The guys over at Refchat.co.uk posed a question yesterday about the use of player's name during the game. Personally I will try to learn as many names before the game and during the early stages (1st 15 minutes) as this will help me manage players more effectively. This particularly important if I am looking at sanctioning a player for persistent infringement or if they have already been cautioned and are still coming to my attention.
On the flip side, when I am conducting my pre-match coin toss I will give the captains my first name as well as taking theirs. This allows them to talk to me using my name rather than "Ref" or "Referee" that I will be getting from the 20 other players on the field as well as the massed ranks of spectators, substitutes and match officials. It works well and I can recommend it as a technique.
I do have a concern that from time to time if I referee a team who I have seen two or three times in a season against a team I see once every three seasons, that the second team will feel their opponents are receiving favouritism. I have also seen referees become over familiar with teams and their own conduct, if it had come from a player during a game, might have resulted in disciplinary action.
The final point I'll make is that something which seems perfectly acceptable when viewed in context, in the heat of the moment won't seem so acceptable when read out at a disciplinary hearing. So it's a fine line to tread and certainly for newer referees, I would recommend you tread warily in becoming familiar with teams until you establish your own on-field personality.
My season is now over on the green stuff, barring any late appointments, but considering I am busy on each Sunday for 3 of the next 4 weeks, I think the chances of picking up a game on my free Sunday are slim. It's also a Bank Holiday weekend so may take myself off for a day or two on a trip.
Apart from that I have a Basic Course for New Referees coming up and two more Supply League assessments to complete before taking a breather and preparing for next season on the grass.
Here's my stats from today's game ... warmer than last week, fewer balls over the top to chase, fewer offsides and more disciplinary action. I can't wait until next season!
Total calories 1,567 which is 10% higher than last week. I let the monitor run through most of half time which is why the graph slides at the end. As for the v shaped trough around 49 minutes is me taking a breather after chasing the attack in the build up to the game's only goal.
I am more concerned about the interaction which takes place between players and match officials at grassroots. The guys over at Refchat.co.uk posed a question yesterday about the use of player's name during the game. Personally I will try to learn as many names before the game and during the early stages (1st 15 minutes) as this will help me manage players more effectively. This particularly important if I am looking at sanctioning a player for persistent infringement or if they have already been cautioned and are still coming to my attention.
On the flip side, when I am conducting my pre-match coin toss I will give the captains my first name as well as taking theirs. This allows them to talk to me using my name rather than "Ref" or "Referee" that I will be getting from the 20 other players on the field as well as the massed ranks of spectators, substitutes and match officials. It works well and I can recommend it as a technique.
I do have a concern that from time to time if I referee a team who I have seen two or three times in a season against a team I see once every three seasons, that the second team will feel their opponents are receiving favouritism. I have also seen referees become over familiar with teams and their own conduct, if it had come from a player during a game, might have resulted in disciplinary action.
The final point I'll make is that something which seems perfectly acceptable when viewed in context, in the heat of the moment won't seem so acceptable when read out at a disciplinary hearing. So it's a fine line to tread and certainly for newer referees, I would recommend you tread warily in becoming familiar with teams until you establish your own on-field personality.
My season is now over on the green stuff, barring any late appointments, but considering I am busy on each Sunday for 3 of the next 4 weeks, I think the chances of picking up a game on my free Sunday are slim. It's also a Bank Holiday weekend so may take myself off for a day or two on a trip.
Apart from that I have a Basic Course for New Referees coming up and two more Supply League assessments to complete before taking a breather and preparing for next season on the grass.
Here's my stats from today's game ... warmer than last week, fewer balls over the top to chase, fewer offsides and more disciplinary action. I can't wait until next season!
Total calories 1,567 which is 10% higher than last week. I let the monitor run through most of half time which is why the graph slides at the end. As for the v shaped trough around 49 minutes is me taking a breather after chasing the attack in the build up to the game's only goal.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Like falling off a bike
I thought I'd seen everything in last week's game but it seemed that football still had a few old tricks up its sleeve.
The falling temperatures meant that the game was in doubt but the early morning sunshine saw the white coating melting away but the top layer of the field was crusty. I did have to laugh when one of the players told me we could play as it would "take a stud". It was the perfect opportunity to trot out my one liner "... yes mate but when you weigh as much as I do, everything takes a stud ...".
I didn't expect to see sparkling flowing football from the bottom team in the league against the team 4th bottom. I wasn't disappointed in that respect but what I did see was generally honest endeavour from two groups of players who obviously look forward to their weekly run out, who never gave up trying, never gave up running (sometimes slowly) and I thoroughly enjoyed my 90 minutes with them.
The game was just over a minute old when there was a late challenge and I could have let it go, but practising what I preach, I blew the whistle and the players noticeably stiffened. I wondered if I had done something wrong but I overheard a few whispers along the lines of, we can't mess with this bloke. A few minutes later, I had to use my considerable presence to separate two players standing nose to nose, intent on continuing their clash after another late challenge. Two cautions later and no one could underestimate my intentions not to let this game get away from me.
Suddenly there was an injured player on the ground who seemed in a bad way, so I stopped play and ran towards him. I got the trainer to check him out and sent him to the touchline. Now I explained to the defender that I was dropping the ball and told the keeper not to pick the ball up before running upfield to get into position for the drop zone. I looked back over my shoulder to see the goalkeeper shaping to kick the ball from his hands ... PEEEEEEEP! and an indirect free kick for "a passback".
No complaints from the defence when I asked the question of the goalkeeper about whether I had told him not to pick the ball up. He admitted that I had, everything went very quiet and the free kick resulted in nothing. The away team scored a goal, the home team equalised and the away team scored another ... we had only played 15 minutes!
Having spent a fair part of last week making decisions from distance and having to sell them hard. This week I was able to improve my proximity and as a result (with a whistle on the run and keeping on running into the action zone) I was having no problem selling them. This week's problem was getting my angles right. Twice in the 2nd half I got them wrong and found my view (from less than 15 yards) screened by a player.
The result was that I didn't give a free kick for handball by the away team and I also couldn't give the penalty to the away team. I gave the non-decision and sold it with a strong "cutting the grass" signal. It seemed to work with the away manager/trainer when I made a point of talking to him while waiting for a goal kick to be taken.
I had already given a penalty to the away team but they had missed it when their captain virtually passed the ball to the home team goalkeeper. I have to mention the goalkeeper at this point. He wasn't particularly tall but he was athletic and made some fantastic saves, especially the one where he palmed a 25 yard drive up and around the post.
The home team tired, the away team scored a few more goals and then we had a claim for an injured player needing treatment. I had seen him go down but didn't think it looked serious and when I looked to check on him, he was getting back to his feet. The problem was that the home team had played the ball out for a throw-in, the away team didn't give them the ball back and they won a corner after charging upfield on an unopposed counter attack. The players were so incensed I knew it would take something special to put things back on an even keel. The away team captain told his player to pass the ball to the goalkeeper at the corner and suddenly everyone calmed down.
In between times, I managed to get too close to the ball and when it took a deflection after a foul, the ball caught me squarely on the jaw - muddy face time! I had to deal with another couple of late challenges (both cautioned) and a bout of dissent from a centre forward who picked up a caution.
After the game finished I had a young spectator want to know if I had ever refereed in The FA Cup. I had to admit that I hadn't and she asked, "So you're just a FA Referee, not a FA Cup Referee ...?" Put like that I had to agree and she thought it was great that they had a proper referee at their game. That, along with the early intervention on the first challenge, the sporting actions of the away team captain at the corner and the acceptance of my bad line of sight explanation on the denied penalty, all made it a very enjoyable day out on the grass.
The next two weeks were supposed to see me leading on a new referees course but it isn't going ahead, so I've got Sunday off and a promotion assessment on the 12th before a long weekend away ... I hope the hotel room has Sky Sports!
The falling temperatures meant that the game was in doubt but the early morning sunshine saw the white coating melting away but the top layer of the field was crusty. I did have to laugh when one of the players told me we could play as it would "take a stud". It was the perfect opportunity to trot out my one liner "... yes mate but when you weigh as much as I do, everything takes a stud ...".
I didn't expect to see sparkling flowing football from the bottom team in the league against the team 4th bottom. I wasn't disappointed in that respect but what I did see was generally honest endeavour from two groups of players who obviously look forward to their weekly run out, who never gave up trying, never gave up running (sometimes slowly) and I thoroughly enjoyed my 90 minutes with them.
The game was just over a minute old when there was a late challenge and I could have let it go, but practising what I preach, I blew the whistle and the players noticeably stiffened. I wondered if I had done something wrong but I overheard a few whispers along the lines of, we can't mess with this bloke. A few minutes later, I had to use my considerable presence to separate two players standing nose to nose, intent on continuing their clash after another late challenge. Two cautions later and no one could underestimate my intentions not to let this game get away from me.
Suddenly there was an injured player on the ground who seemed in a bad way, so I stopped play and ran towards him. I got the trainer to check him out and sent him to the touchline. Now I explained to the defender that I was dropping the ball and told the keeper not to pick the ball up before running upfield to get into position for the drop zone. I looked back over my shoulder to see the goalkeeper shaping to kick the ball from his hands ... PEEEEEEEP! and an indirect free kick for "a passback".
No complaints from the defence when I asked the question of the goalkeeper about whether I had told him not to pick the ball up. He admitted that I had, everything went very quiet and the free kick resulted in nothing. The away team scored a goal, the home team equalised and the away team scored another ... we had only played 15 minutes!
Having spent a fair part of last week making decisions from distance and having to sell them hard. This week I was able to improve my proximity and as a result (with a whistle on the run and keeping on running into the action zone) I was having no problem selling them. This week's problem was getting my angles right. Twice in the 2nd half I got them wrong and found my view (from less than 15 yards) screened by a player.
The result was that I didn't give a free kick for handball by the away team and I also couldn't give the penalty to the away team. I gave the non-decision and sold it with a strong "cutting the grass" signal. It seemed to work with the away manager/trainer when I made a point of talking to him while waiting for a goal kick to be taken.
I had already given a penalty to the away team but they had missed it when their captain virtually passed the ball to the home team goalkeeper. I have to mention the goalkeeper at this point. He wasn't particularly tall but he was athletic and made some fantastic saves, especially the one where he palmed a 25 yard drive up and around the post.
The home team tired, the away team scored a few more goals and then we had a claim for an injured player needing treatment. I had seen him go down but didn't think it looked serious and when I looked to check on him, he was getting back to his feet. The problem was that the home team had played the ball out for a throw-in, the away team didn't give them the ball back and they won a corner after charging upfield on an unopposed counter attack. The players were so incensed I knew it would take something special to put things back on an even keel. The away team captain told his player to pass the ball to the goalkeeper at the corner and suddenly everyone calmed down.
In between times, I managed to get too close to the ball and when it took a deflection after a foul, the ball caught me squarely on the jaw - muddy face time! I had to deal with another couple of late challenges (both cautioned) and a bout of dissent from a centre forward who picked up a caution.
After the game finished I had a young spectator want to know if I had ever refereed in The FA Cup. I had to admit that I hadn't and she asked, "So you're just a FA Referee, not a FA Cup Referee ...?" Put like that I had to agree and she thought it was great that they had a proper referee at their game. That, along with the early intervention on the first challenge, the sporting actions of the away team captain at the corner and the acceptance of my bad line of sight explanation on the denied penalty, all made it a very enjoyable day out on the grass.
The next two weeks were supposed to see me leading on a new referees course but it isn't going ahead, so I've got Sunday off and a promotion assessment on the 12th before a long weekend away ... I hope the hotel room has Sky Sports!
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Call me stupid and I'm sure you will
Being a "retired" referee has never sat too well with me and for a long time I felt I still had something to offer out on the green stuff.
I get a lot of satisfaction from my work as a Referee Tutor working on behalf of The FA, converting players, coaches and volunteers into qualified referees in the hope that they will enjoy the "dark" side of football as much as I did. I also take a lot of professional pride in the reports I write after each time I have been out to assess a referee. I'm hoping that they take something of value out of the reports and it helps their game. I value the friends I've made through refereeing, some have reached the dizzy heights of the professional game in England and appear on my TV screen almost every Saturday night, while others are happy to stay in junior football or pub football on Sunday mornings.
Unfortunately neither the tutoring nor assessing make up for the "rush" of being out in the middle of a field when a game is going on around you. I miss the banter, the decision making and dare I say it, the dissent. Regular readers will know I began training in the summer and progress was slow after nearly a year out. It was slow because I was worried about picking up an injury which would ruin my holiday, rather than before when I refereed, where I was worried I would miss a game. That game missed might be the one that got me noticed, got me a Cup Semi Final or even a Final, that game just became too important.
Coupled with my aspirations at the time to pass the fitness test and have a crack at football at a higher level, I was pushing myself too hard for a person who has a heart condition, numerous injuries in the past from which I never recovered properly and also for my weight (more than 110KG)/age (48). So how to address this itch that couldn't be scratched without causing lasting damage?
Well the first step was to re-register with my County FA as an active referee. As I had only let my registration lapse at the end of 2009-10 I retained my level 5 and didn't have to attend any kind of examination. How embarrassing it would have been to do that and fail??? I completed my registration over the 'phone yesterday lunch time and then phoned the Appointments Secretary of the local Sunday League. He had no games ... disaster, the comeback was on hold!
The 'phone rang again three hours later and he had received a backword for a game less than 2 miles from my home ... did I want it? The thoughts of breaking down during the game, making bad decisions, being assaulted (verbally and physically) by players all went through my head before I said ... yes. So the comeback is on, tomorrow (Sunday) morning I will referee my first game since refereeing in my jeans when I went to watch one week and the referee hadn't turned up. I'm sure it has the potential to be a mistake on so many levels, but I need to scratch that itch.
Match report to follow ...
I get a lot of satisfaction from my work as a Referee Tutor working on behalf of The FA, converting players, coaches and volunteers into qualified referees in the hope that they will enjoy the "dark" side of football as much as I did. I also take a lot of professional pride in the reports I write after each time I have been out to assess a referee. I'm hoping that they take something of value out of the reports and it helps their game. I value the friends I've made through refereeing, some have reached the dizzy heights of the professional game in England and appear on my TV screen almost every Saturday night, while others are happy to stay in junior football or pub football on Sunday mornings.
Unfortunately neither the tutoring nor assessing make up for the "rush" of being out in the middle of a field when a game is going on around you. I miss the banter, the decision making and dare I say it, the dissent. Regular readers will know I began training in the summer and progress was slow after nearly a year out. It was slow because I was worried about picking up an injury which would ruin my holiday, rather than before when I refereed, where I was worried I would miss a game. That game missed might be the one that got me noticed, got me a Cup Semi Final or even a Final, that game just became too important.
Coupled with my aspirations at the time to pass the fitness test and have a crack at football at a higher level, I was pushing myself too hard for a person who has a heart condition, numerous injuries in the past from which I never recovered properly and also for my weight (more than 110KG)/age (48). So how to address this itch that couldn't be scratched without causing lasting damage?
Well the first step was to re-register with my County FA as an active referee. As I had only let my registration lapse at the end of 2009-10 I retained my level 5 and didn't have to attend any kind of examination. How embarrassing it would have been to do that and fail??? I completed my registration over the 'phone yesterday lunch time and then phoned the Appointments Secretary of the local Sunday League. He had no games ... disaster, the comeback was on hold!
The 'phone rang again three hours later and he had received a backword for a game less than 2 miles from my home ... did I want it? The thoughts of breaking down during the game, making bad decisions, being assaulted (verbally and physically) by players all went through my head before I said ... yes. So the comeback is on, tomorrow (Sunday) morning I will referee my first game since refereeing in my jeans when I went to watch one week and the referee hadn't turned up. I'm sure it has the potential to be a mistake on so many levels, but I need to scratch that itch.
Match report to follow ...
Monday, 12 December 2011
Some brief cheer on the road to recovery
I'm not the best of patients. The routine of carefully timed taking of tablets/capsules to ensure they are taken on an empty stomach/full stomach/with food doesn't fit in with my often full days.
That isn't a problem for the next week as I'm officially on rest. For the first time in 25 years I have been declared unfit for work and will remain so until I have been reviewed at a clinic later this week. It also means that my plans for pre-Christmas drinks have been put on hold as they interfere with the antibiotics I'm taking (well until Friday at least).
Perhaps that's just as well as I have very little energy and a hangover would probably wipe me out. I can drive for short distances but after taking a trip to the County FA to check on the new referees course, I fell asleep in the chair for an hour while trying to watch The Football League Show I had on Sky+ from Saturday night.
The good news from the course was that 25 new referees successfully completed the course and will be taking the first steps to refereeing in the professional game, once the weather improves and the fields dry out. Now it's time for the school run, to drop off my "Not fit for work" note and to check in with my GP. I hate being ill.
That isn't a problem for the next week as I'm officially on rest. For the first time in 25 years I have been declared unfit for work and will remain so until I have been reviewed at a clinic later this week. It also means that my plans for pre-Christmas drinks have been put on hold as they interfere with the antibiotics I'm taking (well until Friday at least).
Perhaps that's just as well as I have very little energy and a hangover would probably wipe me out. I can drive for short distances but after taking a trip to the County FA to check on the new referees course, I fell asleep in the chair for an hour while trying to watch The Football League Show I had on Sky+ from Saturday night.
The good news from the course was that 25 new referees successfully completed the course and will be taking the first steps to refereeing in the professional game, once the weather improves and the fields dry out. Now it's time for the school run, to drop off my "Not fit for work" note and to check in with my GP. I hate being ill.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Assorted things
Back in May, I was Course Leader on Basic Course for New Referees and the local ITV news programme (Calendar) wanted to film the course for part of a short series of specials on refereeing in grassroots football. I was interviewed for part of the programme and the interview was broadcast on Thursday. The clip can be seen here. Thanks to Umar for finding the clip.
On Friday I was advised that my application for the role of Moderator on the Referee's Association Discussion Board (Forum) had been accepted, so that's something new to look after.
Also on Friday I was notified of a late addition to our lowest division in the local Sunday League. As Fixture Secretary, I had to revise the division's fixtures for the season. This came on the back of registering almost 1200 players, including 900 retained, 100 transfers and 200 new players from Thursday through to Saturday evening.
Yesterday, I took a long trip south to do my last assessment for the next 3 weeks. The last time I went to this ground I arrived 5 minutes before kick off. I had been at another ground but another assessor turned up, so I contacted the co-ordinator and shot off south by another 35 miles. Yesterday's 98 mile round trip was much more sedate and it was a decent game to watch as well.
The last action was updating all of the Team Administrators who receive SMS messages so they can report in their scores, after registering all the suspensions carried over from last season. It seems this season has got off to an interesting start with at least 3 dismissals and one abandonment in the 24 games played this morning ... welcome back Sunday football!
Now football is shutting down for three weeks as I go on holiday and attend my daughter's wedding on Rhodes. See you all later!!!
On Friday I was advised that my application for the role of Moderator on the Referee's Association Discussion Board (Forum) had been accepted, so that's something new to look after.
Also on Friday I was notified of a late addition to our lowest division in the local Sunday League. As Fixture Secretary, I had to revise the division's fixtures for the season. This came on the back of registering almost 1200 players, including 900 retained, 100 transfers and 200 new players from Thursday through to Saturday evening.
Yesterday, I took a long trip south to do my last assessment for the next 3 weeks. The last time I went to this ground I arrived 5 minutes before kick off. I had been at another ground but another assessor turned up, so I contacted the co-ordinator and shot off south by another 35 miles. Yesterday's 98 mile round trip was much more sedate and it was a decent game to watch as well.
The last action was updating all of the Team Administrators who receive SMS messages so they can report in their scores, after registering all the suspensions carried over from last season. It seems this season has got off to an interesting start with at least 3 dismissals and one abandonment in the 24 games played this morning ... welcome back Sunday football!
Now football is shutting down for three weeks as I go on holiday and attend my daughter's wedding on Rhodes. See you all later!!!
Monday, 4 July 2011
Training - Interrupted
After straining my Achilles last Monday I took Wednesday and Friday's sessions off to give it time to recover.
I had another reason for that as I was working on the first of the 2011-12 season's Basic Courses for New Referees over Saturday and Sunday. 18 candidates turned up, most under the age of 16 and that brought some challenges but we overcame them. The outdoor sessions worked well, even though we had reduced the number of tutors from 4 to 3. Indoors, matters were even more straight forward. The only problem was the heat. It was the hottest and sunniest day of the year.
I've suffered from sunstroke and heatstroke before but combining symptoms with a bad reaction to what I ate on Saturday evening (spicy platter from ASDA consisting of olives, salami slices and sun dried tomatoes followed up by a cornetto) generated a most unpleasant reaction. I fell asleep in front of the tv around 9pm, woke up long enough to put on the radio commentary of the Haye vs Klitchko fight, fell asleep again before a single punch was thrown and woke up around 1:30am on Sunday morning.
I had a feverish temperature, felt a little unsteady on my feet and stomach cramps. Now if I'd spent the evening swigging pints of beer, then that might have explained my symptoms but I had hadn't had a beer since Thursday! I made my way to bed and with a churning sensation in my stomach I woke around 3:45am. I took some Rennies and hoped to settle back to sleep but suddenly my mouth was rapidly watering ... there was no mistaking what would happen next! I made it to the bathroom before the torrent of vomit spewed out of me and I spent what felt like an eternity retching and dry heaving until I felt like my very stomach lining had disappeared down the toilet.
Feeling a little better I went back to bed where my wife uttered some words of comfort (must have sounded bad for that to happen) and slumped back into a deep sleep. I woke 2 hours later and felt the same uncomfortable sensation so with a leap out of bed and the speed of Usain Bolt, made it to the bathroom just in time for a second bout of vomiting. My temperature was still raging and I had developed a headache (probably from dehydration). I collapsed into bed for another 2 hours of deep sleep but woke with the thought that I had to do day 2 of the course.
I readied myself, headed out and reported in only to be told to go home again! I declined and worked through the day, restricting my intake to water and orange Lucozade. The course finished with all 18 candidates passing the course which was the desired result when we started at 9:30 on Saturday. We tidied up, went home and I went upstairs for a lie down, having started with the feverish temperature again.
I woke up after around 11 hours of deep sleep and this morning feeling a lot better, apart from the cramping stomach muscles (from all the retching and heaving), the headache (which is easing after more water) and the general listlessness associated with being ill. So work beckons, but tonight's training is also out of the question, so hopefully the schedule will be back on course on Wednesday. Not eaten for 36 hours and don't feel like it now though ...
I had another reason for that as I was working on the first of the 2011-12 season's Basic Courses for New Referees over Saturday and Sunday. 18 candidates turned up, most under the age of 16 and that brought some challenges but we overcame them. The outdoor sessions worked well, even though we had reduced the number of tutors from 4 to 3. Indoors, matters were even more straight forward. The only problem was the heat. It was the hottest and sunniest day of the year.
I've suffered from sunstroke and heatstroke before but combining symptoms with a bad reaction to what I ate on Saturday evening (spicy platter from ASDA consisting of olives, salami slices and sun dried tomatoes followed up by a cornetto) generated a most unpleasant reaction. I fell asleep in front of the tv around 9pm, woke up long enough to put on the radio commentary of the Haye vs Klitchko fight, fell asleep again before a single punch was thrown and woke up around 1:30am on Sunday morning.
I had a feverish temperature, felt a little unsteady on my feet and stomach cramps. Now if I'd spent the evening swigging pints of beer, then that might have explained my symptoms but I had hadn't had a beer since Thursday! I made my way to bed and with a churning sensation in my stomach I woke around 3:45am. I took some Rennies and hoped to settle back to sleep but suddenly my mouth was rapidly watering ... there was no mistaking what would happen next! I made it to the bathroom before the torrent of vomit spewed out of me and I spent what felt like an eternity retching and dry heaving until I felt like my very stomach lining had disappeared down the toilet.
Feeling a little better I went back to bed where my wife uttered some words of comfort (must have sounded bad for that to happen) and slumped back into a deep sleep. I woke 2 hours later and felt the same uncomfortable sensation so with a leap out of bed and the speed of Usain Bolt, made it to the bathroom just in time for a second bout of vomiting. My temperature was still raging and I had developed a headache (probably from dehydration). I collapsed into bed for another 2 hours of deep sleep but woke with the thought that I had to do day 2 of the course.
I readied myself, headed out and reported in only to be told to go home again! I declined and worked through the day, restricting my intake to water and orange Lucozade. The course finished with all 18 candidates passing the course which was the desired result when we started at 9:30 on Saturday. We tidied up, went home and I went upstairs for a lie down, having started with the feverish temperature again.
I woke up after around 11 hours of deep sleep and this morning feeling a lot better, apart from the cramping stomach muscles (from all the retching and heaving), the headache (which is easing after more water) and the general listlessness associated with being ill. So work beckons, but tonight's training is also out of the question, so hopefully the schedule will be back on course on Wednesday. Not eaten for 36 hours and don't feel like it now though ...
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