Irish Soccer Referees Society

Limerick Branch

	The Qualities of a good Referee Consistency True consistency results from applying a uniform interpretation to each separate competitive action. No two situations are exactly alike, but a uniform interpretation is and should be expected. Therefore in recent years, the referee's interpretation of intent has been removed to encourage a more "black or white" approach. The interest effect has been the reaction of coaches and commentators now pleading for referees to use their discretion, especially when their players are in trouble. The difficulties caused by inconsistency are threefold: - a) Players do not know what is allowed and what is not b) Coaches become frustrated and suspect officials competency, and c) There is a human tendency for referees to try "even up" decisions. This, as any experienced official will tell you, is a recipe for disaster. At the very least, it should be possible to be reasonable consistent within the duration of the game. Man Management The best referees quickly establish a good rapport with players and officials. This is not trying to win a popularity contest, but neither is it going out of your way to make enemies. If you treat players and coaches with the courtesy and respect that you would expect to get yourself, you will not go far wrong. However, bear in mind that you still have to keep a certain distance in order to show your impartiality. This is particularly important when you might be more personally familiar with one side over the other. Remember you are dealing with & minimum of twenty-two different personalities out on the field of play, so it is therefore also important that you be yourself and use whatever gifts you have in order to establish your authority. Decisiveness Make your decision as near simultaneously as possible to the incident, as hesitation only encourages dissent and controversy. You can sell your decisions, even if it is wrong, by your manner, impression and proximity to the incident. Poise "If you can keep your head while all around are losing theirs", the chances are you are the referee. Your self-control during moments of tension and crisis can assert leadership and help prevent a bad situation become worse. Integrity You can only give what you see so position, fitness and movement around the field of play becomes even more important. It should go without saying that you must be unbiased and honest in your decisions. Judgement This comes from a thorough knowledge of the Laws of the game and the competition regulations. However, the best teacher of this section is experience. The more games you have under your belt, the better your judgment especially in those crucial decisions that change the course of a game. Self Confidence Do not worry about feeling nervous before a game. It would be far more concerning if you felt nothing, and the chances are that you would not be sharp and alert during the match. The good official can stay in control and not let his nerves control him. Again, experience helps us towards that goal, so always avail of the opportunity to work with more experienced colleagues. Enjoyment Hard work, dedication and practice stein from a high level of enjoyment or motivation. Remember refereeing for 99% of us is a hobby. If you are not enjoying it, it will show in your attitude and refereeing. That is not to say that you should give up if you happen to have a bad match. We all have our off days. The secret is to accept them as one of those things and learn from them. Was this due to inadequate preparation, lack of fitness, outside difficulties? In fact, you can sometimes learn more from such a match. The answer is in an honest self-appraisal. Positioning & Movement The first thing a referee must have is control over the match he/she is officiating, and one of the keys to effective match control is sensible positioning and movement around the field of play. You should first ask yourself a question. Are we fit to referee or do we referee to get fit? Referees must have the ability and stamina to last ninety minutes (not forgetting extra time and penalties!), and we should bear in mind that even local bar teams have training nights. It has also been proven that physical fitness assists in mental alertness. It is very hard to make crucial game decisions when you are trying not to deposit your stomach contents on the field of play. As a rough rule of thumb, I would suggest that you should always try to keep the ball between you and the active Assistant Referee. This applies as much to the club official with the flag, and please remember that both require the same courtesy of acknowledgments during the game. You also have to balance between being close to play, yet not too close as to restrict your overall view, an ability that again conies with experience. A decision given from five to ten yards will not usually result in dissent. A decision from thirty yards away might although sometimes the most difficult tend to be those situations right under your eyes. Positioning is vital at set pieces. Try experimenting during a game, as players notice repetitive static positioning particularly as the standard improves at which you are officiating. For example, I would suggest that you should not stand in the same place for consecutive corners. Likewise, dead ball time can be used to your advantage by getting to the next potential "pressure point". With free kicks in the middle of the field of play, I would not be too concerned, if the ball was within two or three yards of where the offence occurred especially if there was a possible advantage to the offended side. If however the ten yards were required, I would suggest placing the ball, and telling the players to await the signal before taking the kick. For throw-ins, try not to be too close to the Assistant Referee, and make use of the extremities of the field of play. Likewise with goal kicks, the pressure point is the possible Forward/Defender confrontation. Therefore, come in from the touchline towards the situation. At Penalty Kicks, the referee should take the major responsibility, with the Neutral Assistant Referee acting as goal judge only, and hopefully not involved in undue controversy. During open play, use the Diagonal as a guide, moving of it as you read the game, again keeping the ball between yourself and your assistant. His flag is for you the referee to act on, not an automatic signal to blow the whistle. Four seconds is quite long enough to enable an accurate assessment of possible advantage. Other factors that affect positioning are the state of the field of play, weather conditions, the standard and ability of the players, but more than anything else is your personal fitness. This means actual training. Those that think that actually refereeing matches is training enough are kidding no one but themselves. Being near the action can make the difference between calming a situation or an evening of writing misconduct reports. © FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND