referee with long hair

Discussion in 'Referee' started by Barciur, Jan 5, 2013.

  1. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Interesting thing about this is that when I see referee like Penso with the high and tight, the first thing I think is that he's going to be a bit full of himself, nit picky, and inflexible, like the stereotypical a-hole traffic cop. :) From the perspective of an assessor or or referee admin, that conveys a certain level of control and command that might be desirable. As a player, when I see a referee that looks like that, my first thought is that it might be a tough day. In any case, you have to see a guy referee to really measure his skill. I honestly don't care what you look like if you can do the job. Unfortunately, I think you often need to catch someone's eye in a hurry, so I maybe you're more likely to get a second glance from someone who can move you up if you look more like Penso than Dave Grohl, perhaps, but I honestly think peacocking a bit early on might help you stand out in a crowded field of people of essentially the same quality with similar looks.
     
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  2. jayhonk

    jayhonk Member+

    Oct 9, 2007
    I bet its not.
    If the players are between 17 and 30, he probably has their respect.

    I once did a college club game with a CR age about 22, who had multiple facial piercings, and I got the feeling that the players were less argumentative than they might have been...
     
  3. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    As an assessor, I'm not concerned with your appearance, unless it affects, IMHO, the way players and coaches react to you. At the pro level, you have to add spectators to that list as well. As an assignor, however, which I'm not, I may be more concerned about your appearance. Assignors work for the league/tournament and it's not what you want. It's what the people who write checks want.

    My only comment about hair is that gray pony tails on guys are pathetic, particularly if the guy is bald on top!

    Glasses. You don't see top referees wearing glasses. I learned long ago that you can't see if you are wearing glasses and it rains during the game. :cool: I wore a hat for a while, but quickly realized that nobody else was wearing one. I also had too many players offer to clean my glasses for me after a decision didn't go their way. I got contacts, which I only wear for refereeing. Our SYRA has the special contacts that make his eyes look dark red. "Oh, oh. El diablo!" Better behave!!!
     
  4. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    Interesting point.

    Unless I am told in no uncertain terms that I need to look better (lol) by my assignor, which I doubt at the moment, I'll do what I want. As you guys said, I'm young, I might decide I want to change it anyway on my own, who knows. If I do ever get a chance to be higher up, which I know is difficult, and if I'm still passionate about this job, I'll do what has to be done. If not, then no issues.
     
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  5. Pierre Head

    Pierre Head Member+

    Dec 24, 2005
    Although in an ideal world your hairstyle should not matter, the fact is simply that it can and does.
    Not so much at the lower levels, where as pointed out by several others, assignors etc., are just glad to get someone on the games. But if anyone wants to move up beyond that, personal factors do play a part. There is the expression "Does he look like a referee?", meaning like a referee is expected to look.
    This applies to other items than hair, such as weight, running style, facial expressions etc.
    Like it or not, long hair on a male is associated with being somewhat independent-minded, counter-culture, "hippie-ish" or whatever other similar description you care to use. There are not many salaried professions where long hair is acceptable or tolerated. It should not be this way, but it is the way it is.
    In short, if your hair style matters a lot to you, go ahead and wear it anyway you like, but realize that it will make it less likely for you to get to the top echelons as a referee. It is even worse these days with the current trend for totally shaved heads or very close-cropped buzz cuts in soccer referees, clearly made popular by Collina, who had no choice anyway, but mimicked by others.
    (OT for Yale, no offense, just concerned advice. If your weight is really 270 lbs at 6 ft, this should be more of a concern to you than hair length. This is a BMI of about 36. Again for low level games not a problem, but will cause difficulties of perception and perhaps fitness in higher level and faster games, not to mention other health issues as you get older. Ideally someone at 6 ft should be in the 170-190 range.)

    PH
     
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  6. billf

    billf Member+

    May 22, 2001
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The first game I worked at the region 1 tournament, the assessor, before saying anything else, flat out told the referee "you can go really far as a referee, but you need to lose 25-30 pounds first." I was a bit shocked at first, but I think he was right. It's one think to get around the field on an 8am u18 girls game. It's quite another when its u18 boys at 3pm and its 95 degrees and humid.
     
  7. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    True. I see a lot of really overweight referees on tournaments locally, so I guess if those guys are on the field, my hair isn't that important.. for the time being.
     
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  8. Dayton Ref

    Dayton Ref Member+

    May 3, 2012
    Houston, TX
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Every season I get looks from my gf/fiance/now wife when I come back from a hair cut with hair shorter than she likes. Her prefered hair cut starts to get in my way after 2 weeks and I don't want to get it cut that frequently.

    I would say, wear it how you like, but understand that in the future it may be a problem.
     
  9. COME ON REF!

    COME ON REF! Member

    Nov 23, 2012
    andymoss, That is a quality beard. I wish mine would grow like that.
     
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  10. techguy9707

    techguy9707 Member

    Nov 23, 2011
    Antelope, CA
    I wonder if your desire to keep long hair will continue to be a strong desire as you continue to referee and your career matures. I would not worry about it at this time.
     
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  11. Yale

    Yale Member

    Nov 26, 2012
    Yeah, I know I need to lose a few pounds. What can I say—having a largely sedentary job while raising three young kids has taken its toll. :) But BMI is a silly measurement, and doesn't apply for everybody. I'm actually pretty muscular, and have a large frame. If I were in peak physical shape, there's simply no way I could get below 220 or so, and even that would be really tough. 230 is probably a more realistic healthy weight for me, and according to the standard BMI calculation that would still qualify me as obese. Incidentally, I did a hydrostatic weighing in college, to determine my actual body composition. I forget what the result was, but my actual body composition was so laughably skewed compared to my “calculated” body fat percentage based on BMI that we had to redo the weighing to make sure it wasn't a mistake.

    Anyway, I have no problem doing four or five games in a day, and my doctor says I'm actually in pretty good shape. So while I appreciate the concern—and FWIW I actually am working on getting in better shape—I'm not quite as morbidly obese as you think. :D
     
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  12. Chas (Psyatika)

    Oct 6, 2005
    USA
    Club:
    Crystal Palace FC
    I wonder what this guy's BMI is.

    [​IMG]

    6'4", 330 pounds.
     
  13. jayhonk

    jayhonk Member+

    Oct 9, 2007
    40.2
     
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  14. refontherun

    refontherun Member+

    Jul 14, 2005
    Georgia
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    During State Cup last summer, I saw a guy doing an high age group boys game with some pretty drastic dreads. I thought it was unusual. I stopped and watched for the few minutes I could. Nothing significant happened, so either the players came to play, or he had the match well in hand.

    By the way, I have a close cropped beard.
     
  15. Pierre Head

    Pierre Head Member+

    Dec 24, 2005
    OK! I realize that BMI does not apply in some cases, but for the 99% it is a reasonable guide.
    Also they changed the overweight number from 27 to 25 a few years back which caught many people. I am pleased to hear that you are working on getting in better shape. Have you looked at
    the other thread on exactly that topic? It may be helpful!
    Good luck.
    PH
     
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  16. Law5

    Law5 Member+

    Mar 24, 2005
    Beaverton OR
    We had a referee who was a bit overweight but not morbidly obese by BMI standards, just getting over 50 and 'putting on a few.' He struggled to run a 10 minute mile. One day, he was doing a U-16 girls game. At a stoppage, he told them to hold it up, dropped to one knee and then did a face plant. The doctors said he was dead when he hit the turf. No pulse, no respiration. Fortunately for him, two of the soccer moms there were nurses. They did CPR on him until the meat wagon arrived with the defibrilator and got his heart started again. Kevin isn't refereeing anymore but he's my object lesson for others about not letting yourself think that you can be just a weekend warrior.
     
  17. Pierre Head

    Pierre Head Member+

    Dec 24, 2005
    This now way OT from the original hair length. But US Soccer referee program has an award named for William Schofield. It is for people who have had a serious medical set-back, but made a recovery and came back to active involvement. In Bill's case, he had a heart attack and collapsed while refereeing at Duke, but was taken to the Duke Medical Center, resuscitated and eventually recovered. A few months later he had another heart attack while jogging in a park, but there was no-one else around to help and he died before he was found. Bill was always a little "chubby" and probably was overweight by BMI but he had no problems passing the physical fitness tests, that then included the much reviled 400 meter run. He was about 39 yo and a very good USSF National referee. He was CR for the Men's NAIA final match in the early 80's. (Not sure of exact date).

    Just sayin...

    PH
     
  18. meyers

    meyers Member

    Jun 11, 2003
    W. Mass
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    True, you never know....unless you go find out. I was having trouble with my preseason running last year. Thought, damn, how did I get so out of shape in a couple months. Chest would hurt when I ran steadily for a bit. Still I started the season was doing "ok", but not keeping up as well as in the past. Went in for a stress test and 2 days later had 4 bypass surgery. Ended up I was 90 and 95 % blocked in main right and left arteries (can't remember which was which - I think they said the "widowmaker" was the 95%??). Cholesterol pre-surgery? Was running around 130-140. (post, they got me down to around 70 now)

    So I was somehow running around with 90/95% of my main blood flow into the heart blocked. Not sure how I was doing that. (and no I'm not a stand in the center circle ref :rolleyes:) Good thing though was no heart attack, so no heart damage. In fact EKG before stress test was fine.

    Moral, as you get older get yourself checked out, you just never know.
     
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  19. Barciur

    Barciur Member+

    Apr 25, 2010
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Poland
    I've had too many friends with serious heart issues. Get yourself checked regularly, even when you're my age.
     
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  20. NBTHOMCCC

    NBTHOMCCC Member

    Aug 16, 2009
    Multiple piercings when I started refereeing, I still have a shaved head, a 14 inch braided goatee, and naturally scowl when I concentrate. Players (and perhaps more importantly coaches) are less argumentative with me than I have seen them with other referees.

    Epic! Looks just like my old treeplanting beard.
     
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  21. Bubba Atlanta

    Bubba Atlanta Member+

    Mar 2, 2012
    Yep, Atlanta
    Club:
    Atlanta United FC
    "And moss grows fat on a rolling stone..."
     
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  22. andymoss

    andymoss BigSoccer Supporter

    Sep 4, 2007
    Nashville, TN
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Yeah! What of it?

    [​IMG]
     

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