Double Header Appointment.

[Kes]

Got one coming up this Saturday.

Both open-age. 1pm kick off followed by a 3.30pm kick off (same venue). Both 90 mins, both full match fee.

At age 54, it's gonna test the old hamstrings somewhat and my sometimes dodgy Achilles but it seems there's a bit of a referee shortage in our league this month so I've agreed to do it.

Anybody else been asked to do similar recently?

 

[one]

Got one coming up this Saturday.

Both open-age. 1pm kick off followed by a 3.30pm kick off (same venue). Both 90 mins, both full match fee.

At age 54, it's gonna test the old hamstrings somewhat and my sometimes dodgy Achilles but it seems there's a bit of a referee shortage in our league this month so I've agreed to do it.

Anybody else been asked to do similar recently?

Frequently (once every few weeks) do double header Saturdays and a centre and line on Sunday. The norm is one centre one line each day.

4 years ago (age 51) did a triple header on Saturday. U18 + 2 X AA. All 90min games. The trick is not to go all out on the first game. You can decline them but it would be someone else standing in the centre circle with no or little idea. At least you would do a few K's and know the LOTG and how to manage the game.

 

[OIREF!]

Our local leagues were struggling for referees a few years ago so ran a few double headers on Saturday afternoons (1300 and 1500 if I recall). For some reason the match secretary chose to schedule quite a lot of these at different grounds! Our local RA wasn't keen on this but a few referees, myself included, gave it a go. In hindsight I found it too much - physically not too bad as I'm fairly fit but the mental concentration for 2 x 90 minutes was tough particularly if you'd had a hard first game.

 

[LothianRef]

Got asked to do one last Sunday. KO for the first game was then changed though so I had to decline.
I did one a few months ago though but my legs were dead by the end as it was on 3G. And they were just u13 & u14. I’m only 17 as well so I dread to think what it’ll be like later in life.

 

[Degnann]

Done 2 games back to back on Sunday just gone. Albeit youth games so 2 and half hours in total for both games. Legs were surprisingly okay the following day.

 

[Peach]

Although I'm only 36, I do two games on Saturdays - youth first, but decent standard, then Adults in the afternoon. On Sunday I play in the morning (or ref if the league are short) then referee either women's or youth in the afternoon!

I think as the standard I officiate at increases, the less I will be able to do. I can honestly say though that my fitness or performance doesn't drop over the weekend. Sore on Monday mind! Normally get an AR game midweek and have just started 5 a side for an hour twice midweek. Did 19 games last month, and will complete the same this month unless any are cancelled! Massive shortage of refs unfortunately.

 

[RefIADad]

I did one a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, I had neutral ARs, so I didn't have to cover the field like many of my colleagues around the world have to do working solo!

When I work back to back games like this, I focus much more on angles than trying to get right on top of a play like I may do in one game (admittedly, I sometimes get too close to play so I should work on this even when I have just one game). I pick my spots to get into the deep corner of my quadrant. If I know a ball is going out on an end line and there will be no challenge on a ball, I'll hold back.

If the first game is in a comfortable situation (score margin is pretty wide, no chippiness), I'll work on saving my legs a little bit for the second game. If it's a close game, I make absolutely sure I'm going all-out in the last 15 minutes. I realize that may hurt my first 10-15 minutes in the second game, but I want to be where I need to be in that first game.

 

[JamesL]

I used to do it a lot when I first started. Youth but one could be u17/18s which were full length games.
I'd agree that it is mentally tiring over physically tiring. But I also found I became more susceptible to injury. Had issues with my knee and plantar fasiciitis in both my feet. As I moved to adults I canned the double headers and only now referee my l4 games I am assigned, unless I have a free weekend

 

[Ben448844]

Although I'm only 36, I do two games on Saturdays - youth first, but decent standard, then Adults in the afternoon. On Sunday I play in the morning (or ref if the league are short) then referee either women's or youth in the afternoon!

I think as the standard I officiate at increases, the less I will be able to do. I can honestly say though that my fitness or performance doesn't drop over the weekend. Sore on Monday mind! Normally get an AR game midweek and have just started 5 a side for an hour twice midweek. Did 19 games last month, and will complete the same this month unless any are cancelled! Massive shortage of refs unfortunately.

I'm the same age and I do double headers every Sunday and occasionally on Saturday too. Like anything, if you're doing it regularly it becomes pretty easy. If you aren't its going to be a challenge. But one worth doing and seeing how you feel afterwards

 

[Big Cat]

Got one coming up this Saturday.

Both open-age. 1pm kick off followed by a 3.30pm kick off (same venue). Both 90 mins, both full match fee.

At age 54, it's gonna test the old hamstrings somewhat and my sometimes dodgy Achilles but it seems there's a bit of a referee shortage in our league this month so I've agreed to do it.

Anybody else been asked to do similar recently?

I'm not that keen. I could've taken a second game this Sunday, but it's not really for me. It's not so bad if the games are back to back (same location), but if it involves getting in the car, my satnav will take me home
It might help the teams, but not if you feel like you're short-changing them by holding back

 

[Ben448844]

I'm not that keen. I could've taken a second game this Sunday, but it's not really for me. It's not so bad if the games are back to back (same location), but if it involves getting in the car, my satnav will take me home
It might help the teams, but not if you feel like you're short-changing them by holding back

If its not for you then don't do it. Personal preference. Im always a bit wary of those who have definitive right or wrong answers on these things. There are plenty of amateur footballers who play twice a day, three times a weekend (done it myself many times). For some people multiple games just isn't going to work. For others its no issue at all and its a good way of staying fit (to do several games a weekend you will be at a decebt level of fitness anyway).

Each to their own. Its not about how many games its about how we go about enjoying our refereeing each weekend thats important to me. I spend half the fees every Saturday evening taking the family out for tea, got to keep them sweet too

 

[Big Cat]

No right or wrong... agreed
Short changing the teams is my biggest issue. You're not gonna arrive an hour ahead of every game, fervently inspecting the pitch, enthusiastically checking kits and gauging mud splattered balls to make sure they're 9 to 12 PSI (depending on preference and ground conditions)
And some of at least, might be deterred from frequently hogging the touchline opposite the CAR, just in case we miss that all-important wide-angle
Generally, my form tends to dip a bit when sucked into that 'extra game'. Less is more IMO

 

[santa sangria]

I am doing loads at the moment. I will do at least 26 full matches in September (plus 6x 25 min 8 y.o. games last Saturday). I am doing 4-5 match days per week.
We have a Covid inspired scheduling crisis. The season will finish in about three weeks. The season has been compressed and new refs not trained.
Someone has to pick up the slack!

I just got back from a double header, but it was ref + AR - no problem. I can do a pair of our 6th tier matches as ref back to back no problem (18-20k on the watch) - they are NARs but rolling subs and not such fast games.
I flag in the 4th tier - there I am more careful as there is more prep time and travel so nearly always one per day.
Tomorrow 6th tier whistle, Friday 4th flag, Saturday 4th flag (with travel and will take the fam...)
TBH I feel absolutely awesome right now. I am 46 but I can run and run and I am loving all the games. Fam wants to kill me though!

 

[RefIADad]

No right or wrong... agreed
Short changing the teams is my biggest issue. You're not gonna arrive an hour ahead of every game, fervently inspecting the pitch, enthusiastically checking kits and gauging mud splattered balls to make sure they're 9 to 12 PSI (depending on preference and ground conditions)
And some of at least, might be deterred from frequently hogging the touchline opposite the CAR, just in case we miss that all-important wide-angle
Generally, my form tends to dip a bit when sucked into that 'extra game'. Less is more IMO

On a non-tournament weekend, I try to avoid doing more than 1 center and 1 line per day - primarily to keep my family happy. At tournaments, I usually try to work the games before and after my son's games so they don't have to wait around for me too much.

 

[RustyRef]

This isn't a double header as we traditionally know one. Normally that happens at the end of a season where clubs are running out of time and two teams play each other twice on the same day, with the duration reduced to 60 minute games. Always interesting when you send a player off for VC in the first game but they are allowed to play in the second one ...

10 years ago I could comfortably referee two games on a Sunday. Now my legs are screaming at me for even typing an email about it, really don't think it would be a very good idea.

 

[markref]

What is now a step 6 league in Kent used to be my supply league, but the teams didn’t have floodlights at the time so couldn’t really play midweek games. We regularly had double headers as Rusty describes. You’d hope not to be assessed on the second game!
I had two teams who ground-shared but really didn’t like each other. I had 4 off in the first game - mixture of sfp and vc. A few minutes later we’re playing another game and those players are all back on the pitch! A different 3 off in the second game!

 

[GraemeS]

This isn't a double header as we traditionally know one. Normally that happens at the end of a season where clubs are running out of time and two teams play each other twice on the same day, with the duration reduced to 60 minute games. Always interesting when you send a player off for VC in the first game but they are allowed to play in the second one ...

10 years ago I could comfortably referee two games on a Sunday. Now my legs are screaming at me for even typing an email about it, really don't think it would be a very good idea.

This is what I was expecting the discussion to be about! And I was about to come in and say that there's no chance I'd go near one of those "double headers" anymore - I've done it three times and always, the second game is primed to explode for the entire 60 minutes.

I'd much rather do 2 consecutive 90's with 4 different teams than try to do the shorter 60 minute games with the same 2 teams twice!

 

[ARF]

Even in my early 20s my legs/knees greatly disliked doing two games in a day, now I'm the wrong side of 30 I'll avoid even doing two games in a weekend anymore

 

[PinnerPaul]

I did two lines back to back last season at the same venue. 1st one was a County Rep match, which did mean I missed the traditional post match hospitality and speeches - you can make your own mind up about which one was most upsetting!

 

[Kes]

Thanks to all for your contributions.

Like one or two other "senior souls" on here, my only real concern stems from the affect 3 hrs of football might have on my aging pins around 30 mins into match 2 but I've confirmed the fixture(s) now and will just go out there and do my stuff. I've around 40 mins between the two which is important since I'll have time to re-hydrate (but also stiffen up) so if I manage that appropriately I expect to be okay.

I'll update the thread at the weekend with how it went and hopefully won't have to regale the esteemed membership with a horror story beginning with the words "Never Again".