Tips for a new ref

[olympiakos3]

howdy partners, i am about to begin my first season of reffing in a few weeks (high school) and was wondering if you all had any tips for a first-timer like myself. i have played all my life so i am not new to the game, but as far as reffing goes i am, so im getting a little anxious. any pointers would be awesome.

[CCSC_STRIKER20]

1. Make sure you know all of the mechanics of refereeing (ie signals, when to blow the whistle, etc.)

2. Be confident the second you get to the field. Do things in a professional manner and most people involved in the game (players, coaches, and parents) will respect you more.

3. Be prepared to take praise and criticism, but don't base your decisions on the pitch to what the players and coaches are saying to you.

[refmike]

Roll around in the mud so people won't see your new uniform and know you are a newbie.

[IASocFan]

The "how to become a ref" thread (http://bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78618) has some useful ideas.

My immediate thoughts:
KNOW your restarts, use a firm whistle (particularly when appropriate - not so much for throw-ins or subs), and eye contact with the other referees.

Don't be afraid to use your cards, but make sure you get something. Deal with dissent early rather than later. The players frequently mimic their coaches when it comes to dissent.

[BC_Ref]

For the whistle, if you aren't very comfortable using one as a "voice" (if you officiated another sport you might be used to using a whistle to communicate), I'd suggest blowing too loudly rather than too softly at first. You gradually figure out when a quick "cheep" is all you need (a simple "ball out" or an obvious but minor foul in a well tempered game), vs "that was a foul" type whistle. But a wimpy "tweet" at kick-off or for your first foul doesn't help buy any respect.

For high school, do you have a mentor or anyone you can find out what the local style is? I've been told that some states or areas are very strict in their NFHS enforcement (signals, time-outs, etc...) while other areas tend to be refereed in the USSF style with minor adjustments for cards (the soft red) and stopping the clock w/o macarena dance to indicate what type of fouls. You can also find out any "expected" but not explicitly listed duties. One example is policing the hand-shake line. Some places it is verbotten (final whistle blows, the refs verify the score and leave post haste), but in others it is expected. Unfortunately, in high school soccer you are running between the stated rulebook and the soccer "spirit of the game" tradition and the rulebook doesn't always win. So try to adapt to the local system, which might have a noticeable difference than the leagues you are used to playing in (I'm assuming you played club soccer given your "many years" of playing)

My last piece of advice is to hustle to the extent possible and reasonable. It is much more difficult to "sell" a foul call if you are 50 yards away rather than. You might be right, but optics matter.

Good luck and enjoy. You'll soon become a referee junky :)

[USSF REF]

Some articles were writting on the ask the ref website about this topic Ask The Ref - Advice for new refs (http://www.asktheref.com/Soccer/Referee/Articles/Advice%20for%20New%20Referees/)

There are some good ideas there.

[Wahoo]

One suggestion I have (and I'm not sure if others will agree)

Do NOT make "make-up" calls.

If you feel you may have made a bad call, please do not look to even it out.
You can't.
If you feel guilty for calling a light penalty kick - don't call a similarly questionable one for the other team.
If you card a player on Team A - don't be more ready to card a player on Team B.

Basically - understand that there calls don't balance out.
If you honestly feel you may have made an incorrect decision on a previous play, learn from it, and don't make the same mistake again.

Be confident in your abilities and knowledge and try to do the best you can.

[NHRef]

I agree with no make up calls for bad calls, but be carefull with the "light PK" statement. If you make a legit, but light PK call, you have now set the standard for a PK and consistent is important.

I am not saying to make up for a bad PK with another bad PK, but if you have set the PK foul bar low, then it needs to be low for the game, or at least the immediate future of the game.

[Wahoo]

I agree with no make up calls for bad calls, but be carefull with the "light PK" statement. If you make a legit, but light PK call, you have now set the standard for a PK and consistent is important.

I am not saying to make up for a bad PK with another bad PK, but if you have set the PK foul bar low, then it needs to be low for the game, or at least the immediate future of the game.

Thank you - I agree with this description and that's what I meant to write but I worded it poorly.

You are correct, you shoudl be consistant with your calls and if you set the bar at a standard - keep it there for both teams.

[Hattrix]

I'm sure this is available in one of the Advice threads listed here, but, in addition to hustling, your positioning is important, especially to avoid getting run over or hit with the ball. Early on this is probably going to be an important consideration. I read a nice pointer once to "hide" behind a defender. If an attacker has possession, the one place he's certainly not going is right through a defender a few yards away. Taking up those kinds of positions is going to keep you near the action but out of it.

Oh, one other thing, if you're doing high school, know the differences between the laws of the game played by the few million American high school players and the billions of other players in the world. Specifically things like restarts for after injuries. If you whistle the play dead to let a coach or trainer deal with an ouchie, and one team had clear possession, that team gets an IFK from where they were when the whistle blew. That spontaneous sportsmanship that elicits applause in the real world is illegal in high school ball. Look into the heretical concept of a "soft red," too, and good luck not vomitting.

And good luck overall, too.

[nik17]

Olympiakos3,

Do you live in the Unites states?

Your nick name is Greek

are you?

[IASocFan]

Olympiakos3,

Do you live in the Unites states?

Your nick name is Greek

are you?

nik17. Please use the pm function for this.

[Pecho Frio]

- have a harsh pre-match talk with players. make them understand u r no shy boy

- using your whistle wisely can save u from avoidable red cards. for ex, u saw a harsh challenge ; whistle with force, the players generally will calm themselves.

- when I began reffing, I was a lines-man, which is much more difficult thn being the main-ref, imho. As a lines-man in amateur leagues, never pay attention to the crowd behind you. They may try to distract you or make silly jokes etc., never respond.

- again, when u r a lines-man, dont get urself involved in situations where the main ref doesnt need you. Dont try to be the hero, giving away fouls and penalties. There's always the chance that the ref does not share your opinion and cancel your decision, which makes u look like a total ass in front of the crowd ( happened to me several times :D, and to my assistants as well )

- A lines-man is an assistant referee, ur job is to assist, not to give any decisions. An assistant ref does not have the right to make decisions concerning the game, he/she has no autority. Never forget that.

- Always count the players before the beginning of a game :)

- Check everything before you go on the pitch. Whistle, ball, badge, pen, cards etc.. Once I had forgotten the ball in the ref room. Not a very nice day that was :)

- If you are the main ref, talk with your assistants before the game, Tell them where you need them and where you don't. This would prevent opposing decisions, which give the crowd and the players an advantage to put pressure on you and your assistants.

That's all I can think of right now. In which country do you plan to be a ref in ?

[JChiavacci]

I would have to say be consistent with your calls. The players are looking to you to set the standarad on what is acceptable. Get control of the match from the start. It is easier to be strict/tight from the first whistle then ease up then it is to do the reverse. As stated earlier do not be afraid to use you whistle. A firm whitsle exudes confidence. Do not be afraid to talk to the players during the play (i.e. #22 watch those hands, #3 make sure you play the ball, no foul there good tackle) as this continues to define your standards of play while keeping the flow of the game going. When applying advantage make sure that you signal as well as shout "play on" so the players know so saw the ingringement.

Lastly, remember the refs are the only ones who do not have a vested interest in the game. Everyone else will most likely have a bias viewpoint. So, make your call give direction and move on and remember it is only a game.

[NHRef]

It's really pretty simple, just be consistent, call what YOU see, not what you hear being yelled for, and be fair and firm. Even when you are not sure of the call, you have to be sure of the call :) If you appear confident and sure, those around you (the players) will be more likely to go with it.

About the only thing in this thread I disagree with is the "harsh pre-match talk with the players" . IMHO this is a bad idea, prior to the game, they aren't going to listen, they just want to play. Being harsh at this point is basically threatening them and they will react to that by challenging you. Tell them pre-game, to play fair, respect the calls and have a good game. Save the harsh talk for specific things on the field you need to deal with.

[USSF REF]

- have a harsh pre-match talk with players. make them understand u r no shy boy

- A lines-man is an assistant referee, ur job is to assist, not to give any decisions. An assistant ref does not have the right to make decisions concerning the game, he/she has no autority. Never forget that.



I would advise against having a harsh pre-game talk with the players. This will only give them a bad first impression of you. They will feel that you're unapproachable and will react accordingly. They will also think you're a dictatorial jerk. It is better before a game to just do the player check in's, have some friendly saluatations and if you must discuss anything about the game, leave it to a minimum and only to unusual things about that game (like OT).

An assistant referee's job is to assist, not insist - thats true. However, An assistant referee MUST make decisions during a game, remember that these decisions are subject to the referee's final authority. However, as an assistant referee you will likely be called up to make decisions regarding offside, ball in/out of play on your touch/goal line, goal scored, not scored (over the line), direction of throw-in, corner and goal kicks, fouls within a certain radius of yourself, and all the while you will be communicating with the players and assisting the referee as much as possible.

Remember one thing though, it is not the AR's job to insist that a call must be a certain way - don't be offended if the Referee over rules you. Though you must do everything in your power to alert the Referee is he is about to allow the laws of the game to be broken. An example is if the Referee has given 2 cautions to a player and he hasn't shown the red card, the AR really needs to get the referee's attention BEFORE play restarts so they can be sure they send that player off. Another example might be giving a direct free kick to the attacking team within the defending teams penalty area - obviously this should be a penalty kick, so allowing any other form of direct free kick would be wrong, and it must be corrected.

[Bill C]

During the season, invest the time to go to some games that have some very experienced ref assigned to the center. Watch the game with a focus on the refereeing. Take a clipboard and take notes about the game both as a virtual official and as an assessor. How would you handle a situation? What advice might you offer to the referee or AR?

There is a lot to be learned from each game you go to, so pick out a couple things to focus on and concentrate.

Bring a seat cushion for the bleachers.

[Pecho Frio]

I would advise against having a harsh pre-game talk with the players. This will only give them a bad first impression of you. They will feel that you're unapproachable and will react accordingly. They will also think you're a dictatorial jerk. It is better before a game to just do the player check in's, have some friendly saluatations and if you must discuss anything about the game, leave it to a minimum and only to unusual things about that game (like OT).



I think the harsh pre-game talk shd depend on the players and their characters. Here in Turkey, football players do not have a good education, they were raised by harsh discipline and it's the thing they understand best. Their thinking of me as a dictatorial jerk is what I want them to think. They respect and fear harsh autority, which makes the game much more calmer .

Of course I always prefer to look friendly and nice, but if you do that over here, problems begin. And I assume that the person who asked for help is going to ref in the greek amateur league, and I know that Greek and Turkish culture and so players have very similar idealogies. But I should have mentioned that in my first post.

[USSF REF]

I think the harsh pre-game talk shd depend on the players and their characters. Here in Turkey, football players do not have a good education, they were raised by harsh discipline and it's the thing they understand best. Their thinking of me as a dictatorial jerk is what I want them to think. They respect and fear harsh autority, which makes the game much more calmer .

Of course I always prefer to look friendly and nice, but if you do that over here, problems begin. And I assume that the person who asked for help is going to ref in the greek amateur league, and I know that Greek and Turkish culture and so players have very similar idealogies. But I should have mentioned that in my first post.


Yes, that makes more sense. You really need to understand the culture of the players your're refereeing. What may work for Pecho Frio here is probably not going to work in the USA - and what works best here won't necessarily translate in Greece or Turky or any place else....

[LoewenBoy]

"Use the Force". Do NOT forget what it was like to be a player. Try to position yourself to catch those little things that players like to do, without missing the big picture. Stay fit and aware. You are being paid and owe it to your players to be in the right position to make a call.