During a recent conversation with a fairly experienced official that I admire, I found that he had a take that is different(or so I thought) then any other referee I have met. He said that he preferred AR over being center. He just liked the job better and felt more comfortable. Now this is no new referee. He learned the game in ireland and will probably be too old to reff in less then five years. I have always felt that being an Assistant can be MUCH more difficult then Center as you pretty much have to watch everything the center does AND call offside! It is very hard to look at up to three things at once. And so you have to sacrifice one or two.........Much to the chagrin of the players and Center that you are working for. Either way, would anyone here preferr the line to the middle?
I was supposed to referee 3 U-19 girls games on Saturday -- 1 middle, 2 AR (a normal schedule around these parts). Wouldn't you know it, but the one game in the middle ended up being a forfeit when one team couldn't field enough players. Not uncommon as well during the fall season around here where the H.S. aged have conflicts with school games and other events such as homecomings, etc. That left me doing 2 ARs and I realized that I'd much rather be in the middle, all other things being equal. Maybe I'm a control freak; more likely it's just that it keeps my attention more if the game is less than stellar.
For me, it depends upon... Who is in the center and how competitive the game is. If the center is someone who calls a game the same as or similar to how I call it, someone who uses his AR's effectively, etc., AND the game is a competitive game -- particularly if the defense is pushing up tight -- then I like being an AR just as well as being the Center. In these cases, I wouldn't say I PREFER being the AR, but I'd like it just as well. Then, there are higher level games -- D1 Amateur or lower level "pro" like PDL -- where I am not ready to do the center in a very competitive game. So in those games, I definitely would PREFER being the AR. In most, if not all, other cases, I'd just as soon do the center -- I prefer to stay busy and be able to move around.
I agree with Kevin that I would rather do a center, but that I also enjoy being an AR. Last night I did a select level U19 AR. At my level of conditioning, I was quite content with not trying to keep up with 22 18 year olds. I was sufficiently challenged trying to keep near the last defender and helping out with the middle of the field and out of touch issues. I also enjoyed AR as my kids centered U8 and U10 games.
That's another good point. I enjoy doing an AR on youth games when there's a younger referee still learning the game. In that case, I'm doing just as much watching him/her to "coach" them as I am watching the game.
This is an interesting question. I'd say that I prefer being AR simply because it's less in the limelight and there's reduced pressure that comes with that. The center has to see everything and be "in control" of the whole field. The AR's responsibilities are fewer, albeit no less critical depending on the level of the competition. I'm more of a behind the scenes type of person.
Interesting!! I never even considered that anyone would rather do this before. I am used to the Center position being rabidly fought for by the typical type A personality referee. This makes it a bit easier on the assignor when they know that they have guys who wont complain when they dont get a middle in lue of two or three lines.
I think center is actually easier than AR, if the center is blessed with good ARs. I think the AR job requires a deep attention to a number of things that are going on at once...such as keeping tabs on offside position across the field while at the same time watching close-in action in case the ball is kicked out. The center's job, to me, requires less of that meticulous type of concentration. The AR job is also more demanding physically. It isn't very often that a center has to break into an all-out sprint. The AR must not only keep up with a break-away attack, but must also attempt to beat a struck ball to the goal line. This may have something to do with FIFA's just-announced experimentation with a goal-line ref (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27602-2002Oct1.html). The only injuries I've gotten reffing have been the result of sideline AR sprints. Granted, the problem is my training--distance running without also concentrating on sprinting brings fitness but doesn't prepare the hamstring for quick twitches. That having been said, some of my most enjoyable reffing has been as an AR on the team of a very good center.
I'm little wondering that it's ruled that strictly that you're either referee or assistant. I'd assume that - unless it's real pro level - you'd shift from line to center time and again. My team is playing D4 in Germany and I recognised this only because a good looking woman was whistling at the beginning of the season. She was okay most of the time, but had some crucial decisions wrong. Then she returned to a women's national cup game and was horrible; finally last week she was assistant and did a great job there - that's when I recognised that at least in D4 they are changing the functions time and again. I think it's a good idea as in the German league system also the referees and assistants promote and demote; and that way you clearly see whether they should better be responsible for the center or at the line. D1 assistants are usually D2 referees btw (D2 assistans D3 referees and so on).
When there is a highly competitive match, I do prefer to run the line. It doesn't matter how good you are as CR, without your ARs right there alongside your job becomes tenfold more difficult. On the other hand if you aren't as great of a center but have phenomenal lines, the three of you can usually work well enough together to call a very consistent and solid match. I'm one of the higher-rated ARs in the region, so even if I'm the better of the trio at the center I probably help the game more by running the line. That's provided the other ref can run the line decent enough too. The only time I prefer the center is when the referee trio is at near-equal ability, or the other two referees are just horrible centers but decent ARs. At this current point in time I run the line a lot better than I run the center, mainly because I only do really well as center when my lines are very good. I have a hard time doing center when my ARs aren't too great.