What's the best compliment you've received?

[intechpc]

OK so I got the idea for this thread while reading another. We all have shared countless times the myriad of insults, accusations and arguments we've received on the field as referees. I'm curious about the other side of the fence. What compliment did you receive that really meant the most to you or stuck in your head the most? Whether it was from a coach, player, spectator, peer, assessor or whatever I'd love to see you share it here.

For me it came from a coach this past fall season. I was assigned to work four matches in a row on one of the last Sundays of the season. The matches were all U17 and U18 Girls Premier and First division games tightly packed with only 15 minutes between match times. I was assigned to work the final 3 as CR with no AR's (there was a big tournament going on so very few available referees). The second game featured a matchup with one of the top tier clubs in our state coached by a coach who is pretty well known for his less than friendly demeanor in the technical area. The game went well and both is players and the coach himself were happy with my performance.

When the fourth match finally rolled around, I discovered it was another visiting team from the same club coached by the same coach!! During the very abbreviated pre-game this coach (for the blue team) started telling the coach of the other team how good a job I had done in the previous match. The match went well, the visiting team went up 1-0 early and held the lead until the last few minutes when the home team put in an equalizer. Again after this match the visiting coach approached me and said "Tony, you're a stud man!!". Ok so I kinda chuckled and thanked him, he then went on to tell me he thought I was one of the best referees in the state and that he had to talk to the SDA the following week anyway and was going to pass along his compliments to the SDA.

So for me this was huge. This guy is well known among referees as being difficult to deal with, I caught him on two games in the same day, in the second of which he was not happy that his team gave up a late goal. Additionally, this was a hard day for me, the worst possible situation, four 90 minute matches by myself with no assistants. And the result, the coach is glowing and falling all over himself to compliment me. Really gave me a boost of confidence heading into the off-season.

OK folks, now I want to hear your stories.

[ThreeCards]

I was once told by both coaches after a U17 DI match that I was the best referee that they had ever had in San Antonio. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I was visiting from Austin.:rolleyes:

Having coached teams in tournaments in San Antonio, I'm not really sure that this was a compliment now that I think about it.

[scref]

For me it was this past fall, my final assessment for my State. It was a U19 D1 with the two top teams tied for first. My assessor was know to be a tough assessor.

The game was a very fast and physical game as you would expect for this level. After the game I was a little nervous if I had past based on the reputation of the assessor. As I walked off the field the assessor was waiting for me. I made eye contract with him and he gave me a thumbs up and said "What I saw from you is what we expect from a State level Referee"

That made my day!!!!

[refmedic]

"You are the worst referee I have ever seen" -from a coach that I dismissed in the 4th minute after he called my female AR a c**t for raising the flag for offside.

A retired FIFA AR came to me after one of my matches at youth regionals and told me that he had never seen such a young referee (I was 17 at the time) who had such an impressive on-field presence. I just about fell over.

[USSF REF]

NJ Champions league... the losing team would finish dead last.

From the capatin of the team that just lost 4-0 and had their teammate sent-off for VC.

"You were the best ref we had all season."

The winning team... "Please keep refereeing, you're going to make it all the way. Would you like to come back to the Scots club and have drinks with us...

I couldn't accept their offer, I had to go home.

[pasoccerdave]

After a game where I was CR, the U-11 boys coach thanked me for the game, and told me he had to explain what advantage was to his parents. I guess they hadn't seen that before.

[GKbenji]

I did a scrappy U12 boys game, and had to call a Blue defender for a foul in the penalty area just a minute and a half in. Blue was underskilled and overly aggressive, and commited more fouls than white by at least a 2-1 ratio, and lost 2-0 (including the PK).

After the match, I was doing paperwork and a parent wandered by and said, "Ref, you did a great game today--called it just like it needed to be called."

"I doubt the parents of the blue team think so," I replied.

"I am from the blue team. Excellent job, thank you."

I just about keeled over in surprise.

[andymoss]

Adult D2 final.

Two top teams had made their way through. A LOT of history between them. A much harder game than the D1 final promised to be.

I had my two "brothers" as ARs - we have done almost all of our assessments together, so we have an almost telepathic relationship.

I was so "on" that night.

At HT as we were walking off, two or three of the players from both teams made comments about me "being everywhere" and making us "look silly" and that I hadn't missed a thing all game.

Talk about pressure for the second half!

We nailed it and a 1-0 game finished with no misconduct.

We started late as a youth game went into OT then KFTM on our field.

Our field was the furthest from the exit, yet players and referees from the other two fields came over to watch the end.

The game came in the 82nd minute.

All the above mentioned comments came out after the game from players from all teams - "you're the best", "great job", etc.

I was buzzing for days after that one.

[rippingood]

Was at a tournament a few weeks ago. Did the U14 3rd place match and both coaches and several players complimented the referee team (thanks for letting us play, good calls, you are the first ref who called our center mid for pushing on headers from the start- we've been working on him for ages with this, etc)

Whole crew ran over to do the U-10 final; best U10 match I've seen in years and both coaches are happy with the way their teams played. Losing coach says "I'm glad we waited (there was about a 10 min delay since the U14 match started a bit late) for you guys." winning coach says - "I see they kept the best for last" which made me smile becuase I did one of their early round matches...

This was a few weeks after I was declared the worst referee by a father whose daughter's team had won 6-1 in a league post-season playoff (I apparently made every call in the opponents' favor). Funny thing is - I felt pretty good after both days.

Best though was that my daughter (HS soph) said the guys on her HS JV team knew I was her dad and they told her that I was "the hardest and easiest" ref. Huh? They can't get away with any nonsense (hard part) but I don't make weird calls (easy part)and it the same for both teams and I play lots of advantage. I'll take that!

[nonya]

From my father, who I had just red carded for taking down a player in the box, (he plays in a O-45 league) who told me that my son really does have the balls after all to send off his old man.

[roby]

Nonya...I love that one!

Having Reffed for 30+ yrs I usually forgot the brickbats by the time I got to my car. Any compliment kept me warm and fuzzy for a bit longer. A local soccer coach for a 14U select girls team told me after an excellent match, "thank you for being you". It doesn't get any better than that.

Play on........

[o5iiawah]

At the time, i had only been reffing for about 3 weeks and I was doing a O18 mens tournament that lasted all day long. About the end of the 4th game or so, the home captain (who also organized the tournament) asked me how long I had been reffing.

At this point, most of the teams were gassed and the level of play had dropped off a bit. Got most of the cards out of the way in the first few games so I had no shame in telling him 3 weeks.

He said, "last game you carded one of our guys for dissent, another for a clumsy 2-footed challenge from the front, and called a penalty despite our protests. You did a really good job"

[ref2coach]

The one I most remember also goes back to when I was a new referee. Our home park Hosted the State D2 state tournament. It was my first season I had been refereeing ~2.5 months. After a u16 3rd place game, the state "events" director said to me, "I really like the way you referee" I have seen you in 4 games as both a Referee and Linesman. You show respect for the players the game and you seem to enjoy yourself on the pitch." He then asked if I was going to the Div 1 Tournament the following weekend. I told him I had not been invited. He told me he would "take care of that". Next day I got a call from the SDA was invited to the D1 and provided a mileage stipend even though I was only a grade 8.

[NHRef]

Probably the nicest was non-verbal. I did an O40 game, final game of the year for both teams, winner went to the playoffs, looser was done. The two teams had played earlier in the season with a 1-1 tie. One team had a history of 2 players picking up cards, yellow and red, the other had no cards all season. I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but knew it could explode easily.

Game went great, worked my butt off, outrunning players to get in decent position to call offside (no ARs). No cards, but talked one guy through being a nut and turned his dissent into laughter on his part.

At the end of the game, 2-1 final. As I was walking off the field to grab my bag, both teams stood, and started applauding, I turned to see what was going on, they where all facing me and the captains/coaches of both teams came over to shake my hand.

Made me feel pretty good!.

also had comments from parents thanking me after games, they all make you feel good, especially with comments about caring about the players.

[IASocFan]

Probably the nicest was non-verbal. I did an O40 game, ...

also had comments from parents thanking me after games, they all make you feel good, especially with comments about caring about the players.

Impressive! Parents at an O40 game!

I moved away after college, and my parents have never seen me play. I first played when I was a senior in college!

[todler]

Last game of my first year, I was the bench AR. tight game, with the loser going home, winner into the playoffs. 1 - 0 good game, and ran my self ragged.

At the end, the losing coach comes over and said we were the best crew he'd seen all season.

[Gary V]

Great thread!

My daughter, now in college, was in a choir when she was 4th-5th grade. One day one of the other girls in the choir came up to me. "You were my soccer referee. You're a good referee." Coming from an 11-year-old who didn't have any reason to talk to an adult, that felt good.

[NHRef]

Impressive! Parents at an O40 game!

I moved away after college, and my parents have never seen me play. I first played when I was a senior in college!

ahhh typing to fast I guess, parents at youth games, no parents at O40, but wifes and kids! :)

[andymoss]

also had comments from parents thanking me after games, they all make you feel good, especially with comments about caring about the players.

Even better is when they take the time to come and find you after the game in the ref tent and thank in front of the assigner and everyone else.

[ref47]

[QUOTE=IASocFan;16634739]Impressive! Parents at an O40 game!

i am willing to bet that at almost any adult match there are parents present. players are often parents, too.:D