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An evening with the World Cup Final Assistant Referees

Tris — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:04:54 +0000

I attended the Surrey FA RA-FA meeting last night, where Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey gave their story of their involvement in the World Cup. They were the two Assistant Referees who accompanied Howard Webb and ended up officiating the Final! They certainly had a better campaign than the England national team.

I have met Darren and Mike before, when they were assisting Mike Jones in early 2010. I was impressed that they remembered me plus the game (Portsmouth v Birmingham).

What struck me about both Darren and Mike is just how down to earth they are. They have reached the utmost top of their profession yet there was not a single trace of any arrogance whatsoever. They have clearly worked extremely hard and made sacrifices to achieve their goals, yet remain very humble. They demonstrated great empathy with some of their colleagues who ended up being sent home after errors, for example.

Shiny things! Inflatable things!

Some general notes from the evening:

MARGIN FOR ERROR: Darren in particular had to make some very tight offside calls. After the event, the experts on hand were able to reproduce the situations and give the official verdict. On one occasion he had it correct… with the margin of error being 8 centimetres! That distance is NOTHING considered the pace of the game at the highest level. Very impressive.
HEADSET COMMUNICATIONS: They admit they are always refining these techniques. The key is “ABC” – Accurate, Brief, Concise. The example given was: “Free kick to attack, shirt pull, yellow card, number 8″. Same should apply at park level when the referee needs to consult in-person with an assistant.
ACTION AT THE OTHER END: Mike made a great comment regarding a game where Darren had all the action: “It was like being at a birth. All the action was happening at the other end, and I wanted to be involved, but it all seemed to be getting a bit messy so I thought best to stay where I was”. Brilliant.
DEBRIEFS: These did not happen in the changing rooms. Instead, they were done with all the teams of officials together over the following days, and backed up with video. In ‘situations of interest’, the officials involved had to stand up and explain why they took the action they did. Be that for a good or bad incident! That way, due to the supportive atmosphere, everyone learned.
COMING BACK FROM DESPAIR: I asked how Mike bounced back from Euro 2008, where it was his (lack of) an offside call that contributed to them being sent home. He was devastated but said the support he received was all-important. In particular, “It’s not making mistakes, it’s how you deal with them”. The strongest point he made here was that the one thing which helped boost him was when the FA nominated him for the next set of international fixtures. That vote of confidence was key. He urged any Appointments Secretaries present to consider the same approach if a referee has a bad game!
SHOWING THE CARD: They told how Howard received some advice from the previous Final referee: When showing the card, show it to the side. You are communicating the decision to the player with your eyes. The card is for everyone else! “Howard like it so much he showed it 14 times in the next game”.
GOAL LINE TECHNOLOGY: In favour, for absolute decisions only (“Has the ball crossed the line?”). Makes sense to trial it and see if it works. On that note, the extra assistants that stand on the goal-line: They make audio signals only regarding decisions. It might be better for them to make indications as otherwise it looks like they just aren’t involved.
LAWS OF THE GAME: Darren felt it would be interesting to bring back the ’10 yards for dissent’ experiment, although with a modification that it was optional for the attacking team (gaining 10 yards could be a disadvantage if going for a shot).
IGNORANCE: Occurs at the highest levels. A tale of a Premiership Manager not knowing that part of the foot is allowed on the pitch for a throw-in. A player thinking that a goal kick is not a goal kick if it isn’t taken on the corner of the goal area. Shocking!

It was a very insightful evening and my thanks go to everyone involved in making it happen.

Half-time in my Referee Promotion Year

Tris — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:54:05 +0000

It’s now coming up to half-time in my refereeing promotion season. The full year runs from March 2011 to the end of February 2012. However, as I am on the Enhanced Promotion scheme, I had until the end of September 2011 to achieve all the 7-6 objectives.

It’s a strange feeling knowing that I have now done all I can:

Refereed a minimum of 20 eligible games (I’ve managed about 27 according to my records).
Attended the ‘In Service Training’ course.
Passed an examination on the Laws of the Game (I scored 100% !).
Received a minimum of three Assessments.

There are a few other requirements, which I have also achieved, but these are more administrative (such as being CRB cleared!)

Now, I get copies of the assessments but I cannot know for sure whether they are ‘pass’ standard: The mark is not revealed to candidates! However, they are positive and give me a good feeling.

Ultimately, the decision now rests with the Refereeing Committee who will consider all of the above and decide what happens next. All I know at this point is that will happen sometime in October.

The waiting game begins…

Are you showing empathy for the game?

Tris — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:40:27 +0000

In my previous post about my pre-season starting I wrote about adjusting assumptions. I am going to elaborate a little about that today.

A key skill for a referee, or in fact anyone in pretty much any situation, is to show appropriate empathy. The Laws of the Game are immutable but a key skill is to apply them in a which which does not alienate the referee from the players, officials and supporters. Two referees could make the same technical decisions during a match, with one ending up loved and the other hated by the end.

This has been made very clear to me during my pre-season so far. I have been acting as Assistant Referee on various pre-season ‘friendlies’. As is traditional when acting as an Assistant, you can work on a game that you not allowed to actually referee. It is a great learning experience to watch higher-level referees in action.

The game at the semi-professional levels is a different beast to the ‘park’ football that I mostly referee. Applying the same refereeing touch would be a bit of a disaster. Why?

It comes down to the different expectations of the players. The higher level players are more athletic and play in a more physical manner. There is a lot more ‘man-handling’ going one and the players just get on with it! Now, there may still be the desperate appeal for a little shove but it tends to be a quick shout and then instantly forgotten about. In short, they are trying it on.

In my first such pre-season game, there was a tussle in front of me, and I flagged for the foul. In ‘park’ football, it would have been the right decision and the players would have been screaming for it anyway. At this higher level? Neither player had any idea what I had stuck my flag up for! The referee correctly waved play on and I played my ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ card to the players (“I was too close to have a proper view of it”).

As my pre-season continues, I will need to be very aware of showing appropriate empathy for the skill and fitness levels of the players. This is also a requirement when being assessed, under ‘Match control’. It will have to vary from game to game, and especially from league to league!

How have you demonstrated good (or bad!) empathy in a situation?

Have you started off on the wrong foot and then managed to ‘win’ a situation around?

I would love to have your comments!

Reading the riot act

Tris — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:15:51 +0000

Asserting control...

I am a big believer in that the referee should be pretty much invisible. The game should flow and be about the players. However, there are times when the referee must deliberately raise his profile.

One of the leagues that I referee on is a youth league. Following some positive feedback on how I dealt with a severe Violent Conduct recently, I have been put on the ‘games of note’ list for the league. This means that I get given games where one or both of the teams have become ‘known’…

Youth games can be refereed by other youths. They may naturally be fantastic referees but due to their age can start with a disadvantage with regard to winning respect from some players, managers and spectators. Note: some. I regularly smile at some of the great sportsmanship that is shown within the game! Anyway, as (allegedly) a fully grown man I can be sent in as a ‘stunt referee’ as required.

I had one of these games at the weekend.

No problems to begin with. It was a tight game and I remember thinking that I had not had to give any fouls for at least the first ten minutes. Could it last…?

The problem was that the goals started to come. In a very one-sided fashion. The losing team responded by becoming a lot more physical and frustrated in the second half (They ended up losing 10-0).

... before it is too late!

I dismissed one of their players for Violent Conduct (an open handed chest strike). This was claimed to be a retaliation but I did not see the alleged first incident and can only give what I see!

Shortly after this, there was a late challenge for the ball from the same team which shoulder-charged the opponent to the ground. It wasn’t just late but tinged with maliciousness.

This was when I had to raise my profile and essentially ‘read the riot act’. I raised my voice so that pretty much anyone around was going to hear me and pulled the offender and the captain over. I made it very clear that they had stepped over the line and that the captain now had to get control of his team. This was finalised with a caution for the dodgy challenge.

This had the desired effect. Those challenges stopped although the losing team also pretty much gave up.

The referee’s presence over the game must match the spirit in which it is played. Just as this means being invisible during a good, friendly game, it means rising to the challenge of maintaining control when a flashpoint occurs.

It has not escaped my attention that I have now dismissed someone for Violent Conduct in my last three youth games. One of those players is now on a ‘sine die’ suspension.

SEE ALSO: Fine for 43minutes! which talks of ‘bossing it’ when games get more heated.

The long weekend: Strong start, weak knee…

Tris — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:41:21 +0000

This weekend I have been appointed to three games. Two down, one to go, and things are going really well. I’m determined to keep up the momentum!

The first game was as Assistant Referee on the Combined Counties Football League. This was my first competitive game on this league this season (the others I have posted about recently have been pre-season friendlies). This was one of those occasions where the referee team has just totally gelled: Good bonding, all the decisions correct and great communication. I enjoyed every second. Not bad at all considering it was a local derby! There was the perhaps inevitable mass confrontation to take care of, of course…

It really helps when everyone on the team has the right, positive attitude: To do a professional job and have fun at the same time. Sometimes I have worked on teams where one member has been, well, a little bitter and twisted and it does bring the team down a little.

Today I had a pre-season friendly on another league as the man in the middle. This was also a fantastic game, helped by the fact that both teams genuinely treated it like a friendly! It was a joy to referee and helped by the fact that I really felt on form: Right on top of fouls etc and getting the tight calls right each time. Was very pleased to hear a spectator comment, “That’s the best referee I have seen round here”. That will keep my ego swollen for a few hours at least…

It’s not the only thing which is swollen: My right knee is feeling tender and I had to ice it after the game. It feels sore on the inside so not quite sure what it is. I hurt my Achilles last season from sprint ‘take-off’ and now I’ve hurt my knee from the sudden deceleration from sprinting when running the line! I need to be careful.

One more game to go (Assistant again) to polish off the weekend: Let’s make it a great finish!

Feeling the positivity of an evening at Fratton Park

Tris — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:53:00 +0000

I was privileged recently to attend Pompey playing Birmingham at Fratton Park. This was the league game within days of their victory over the same team in the FA cup. Naturally, Birmingham had a score to settle…

Privileged for several reasons! As I am gainfully employed under the subtext of ‘Head Geek’ for the team’s shirt sponsor I went along under corporate hospitality. Even before the match began, the enthusiasm and drive of pretty much everyone from the club I had contact with was evident. It was clear they genuinely really cared for what they were doing and there wasn’t a detectable hint of worry. Sadly, just the following day, more than 80 employees of the club were made redundant.

Jamie O'Hara and I

The match itself was entertaining although Pompey clearly were not at their best. Birmingham had also clearly learned from the loss at the previous weekend and their back four were particularly tight. Final score: 1-2. Jamie O’Hara was the clear outstanding player to me, playing with real passion as well. We nominated him for the Partners’ Lounge Man of the Match. He was a nice guy in person as well, especially since I arrived late back from the dressing room area to see him.

Why was I in the dressing room area? Well, I am a qualified football referee myself but not anywhere near Premiership level at this point! I queried via our hosts whether it would be possible to meet the referee team after the match. I knew this would depend on a lot of variables but in particular whether they had a ‘good game’ or not. If any managers were furiously trying to beat their door down it would be particularly unlikely to happen…

Thankfully, they DID have a good game and I was taken down post-match. This meant waiting in the dressing room corridor for five minutes so I got to see the players milling about, and also to talk to the Match Assessor. So far the occurring theme in this entry is just how positive and nice everyone was and it applies here as well! The Assessor is there to report on the referee team’s performance and he took me in to see them.

Mike Jones, Mike Mullarkey, Andy D'Urso, Me, Darren Cann

He jokingly introduced me as being from the Surrey FA (well, this is technically true…) and there to conduct the assessment but there was no way I could keep that pretense up. I got to have a chat with the team and up close it really did strike me just how physically fit they were. This should hardly be of a surprise but I guess you only really ‘see’ it up close. During the game I thought Mike Jones was in his twenties: It was hard to believe that he is really 42. His two assistants typically work with Howard Webb and also featured in the Les Arbitres documentary, so to meet them as well was a particular thrill!

Really, seeing the fitness level on display has served to energise my own efforts in that area. I aim to be professional in all my dealings as a referee and projecting an appropriate level of fitness is a big part of that. After all, it’s a demonstration of making the effort.

I was even gifted some neat little Premier League lapel badges which I will be sporting on future match appointments until I am ordered to take them off

So much positivity in one evening: From the club, the players (especially Mr O’Hara) and the referee team (who had clearly enjoyed the match as well). If I can take just an ounce of that and apply it to my own life then great things are bound to happen…

First steps in the spirit of judo

Tris — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:31:35 +0000

I have blogged before about the Obi tournaments that we run every so often. These are held on the same days as internal club gradings so it is a good way of getting everyone there.

The emphasis is on FUN which matches up quite nicely with FUNdamentals as specified in the BJA Long Term Athlete Development plan (LTAD). Although some material I have refers to that with ‘Player’ (LTPD) instead, so it remains to be seen what the correct version is this week.

FUNdamentals – (male 6-10, female 6-10 years) this stage should be structured and FUN with the emphasis on developing basic movement literacy and fundamental movement skills.

Some hold the view that this age is too young for any form of competition, be it events like ours or the ‘Mini Mon’ events which are held around the UK. My view is that it depends entirely on context. What is the event for and why are players at the event?

Players at the Obi events gain points win or lose (which go towards grading up their ‘Obi man’ figure). The crowd atmosphere is geared up to support both players. Those that may have had a bad run of luck will find themselves facing a Senior Dan grade in their final contest, where their luck tends to reverse, of course

Perhaps the most memorable thing of the last event was a girl who was unfortunately in tears at the beginning due to nerves and so on. But by the end of the day, having watched her friends and had a go herself, she was practically bouncing onto the mat for her third contest. A complete turnaround and that right there is a good example of the spirit of judo shining through.

It is also not just about the players. This time around I had several players from the club who were having a go at refereeing for the first time, so we managed to run a proper team. They certainly got to see that it was not as easy as it looks. This is a perfect sort of event to give it a go though: Friendly atmosphere, all fun.

Naturally, it is still important to get the results right, and one of the main things I had to drill in was correct application of the ‘Majority of 3′ ruling. A couple of times the other members of my team disagreed with my score, but the referee sided with me just because, well, I was the senior referee. I had to call a stop to point out that it doesn’t matter: If I am over-ruled 2 to 1, I am over-ruled, full stop.

Even better, at least one of those helping out wants to go on to do the proper course and subsequent exam.

The correct, supportive environment is a boon to any aspect of judo: Training, competing, officialdom and I’m sure many more.

Judo Refereeing – The Beginning

Tris — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:35:22 +0000

Now that I am a high enough grade to qualify for an Area Referee (3rd Kyu), I went along to Bexhill Judo Club where they were hosting an introductory refereeing course.

It was an excellent day (We’ll forget the nightmare of parts of the A27 being closed!). It was a perfect mix of theory, demonstration and practical (Everyone got to try their refereeing skills at the end, and indulge in “fake” contests to give the referees something to work with).

It was nice to have new concepts explained (the new Contest and Safety area system on the mat, for example). And I recognised most of the teaching referees present from previous gradings and competitions!

I’m happy in that I came out of it with a 95% pass in the Theory paper. I just need to do the Practical examination now, and if that goes well, I will qualify! That should be within the month.

The Practical exam is actual refereeing at a Senior event (although obviously under heavy supervision). And it is a full day as part of the team (You don’t know which matches you will be assessed on).