The Ref Stop

Mass Confrontation

Macagibson101

New Member
On my game last Tuesday, all going fine and then a two footed tackle leads to a 16 man mass confrontation, I felt I was having a good game with 2 cautions before hand and then I totally lost match control and had no chance of getting it back. 2 Dismissals came in the mass con. The player who made the tackle and the first to react. One from each. Got a flag threw at me at the end of the game but a CAR and then could a club sec. came up to me at the end. That was fu**ing sh*t ref as well as much more along them lines. At 16 this is hard to deal with grown men for obvious reasons.

After all this, I receive a message that somebody had said I had an amazing game to my league sec. and actually can't believe, I debated quitting it if I'm honest. And then casually this morning, my dad is playing golf and the game comes into talk and he says "the ref was amazing, did everything what was needed, he could be up there with the top refs, best ref I've seen in ages" Relived and happy at the same time.
 
The Ref Stop
On my game last Tuesday, all going fine and then a two footed tackle leads to a 16 man mass confrontation, I felt I was having a good game with 2 cautions before hand and then I totally lost match control and had no chance of getting it back. 2 Dismissals came in the mass con. The player who made the tackle and the first to react. One from each. Got a flag threw at me at the end of the game but a CAR and then could a club sec. came up to me at the end. That was fu**ing sh*t ref as well as much more along them lines. At 16 this is hard to deal with grown men for obvious reasons.

After all this, I receive a message that somebody had said I had an amazing game to my league sec. and actually can't believe, I debated quitting it if I'm honest. And then casually this morning, my dad is playing golf and the game comes into talk and he says "the ref was amazing, did everything what was needed, he could be up there with the top refs, best ref I've seen in ages" Relived and happy at the same time.
You can't legislate for what some players will do and from your description, you did what you could. Positive feedback is always good to receive. Store it away and keep it for the times when are think you are brilliant and you find out from feedback that you really were crap. :)
 
Had a similar game last week, and considered quitting, my ref sec was supportive, and decided to stick at it.
Bear in mind that I am 41, so I can only imagine what would have been like for you at 16.
My best advice, join your local RA and talk to some more experienced referee.
 
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Sound like you did brilliantly - well done. Definitely don't quit!

What can we learn from your game - is there something you would do differently before, during or after the mass con?
 
Yeah, I just needed to step back and get a wider view of the situation, and try and remember numbers (it sounds easy but when it's happening it's a lot harder!)
 
Sounds like you did what you needed to do.

Mass confrontations are a nightmare for a lone ref to manage. You got the main 2 protagonists and they walked. Good stuff. Easy to lose track of people in a melee. Mass confrontations can come from nowhere, even in the most sedate of games and will always test you, even if your a team of 3 officials! You sound like you held your nerve.

As a 16 year old, having a bunch of idiots behave like that can be intimidating. Don't let a small number of idiots spoil your enjoyment of the game mate.
 
Sounds like you did well! Has anyone else heard/does this..... In a mass confrontation as stuff is going on, take a step back for safety, watch what is going on, and write down the numbers of those invloved who you know are going to be cautionned/dismissed. It sounds like a decent way of managing what you have to do but is quite a lot to do at the same time.
 
i've yet to experience this , and i'm not really looking forward to my first one... will i keep track of who does what? will i send the correct offender off, will i book the right man/men ... will i regain match control?
reading your post i reckon you've done the best you could there , and certainly as a 16 year old that must have been very intimidating.
As for the flag throw and the follow up comment ? i am baffled as to why people think they can talk to someone like yourself in that manner. They should be nurturing your interest and assist you along your journey to becoming a very good official.
 
On my game last Tuesday, all going fine and then a two footed tackle leads to a 16 man mass confrontation, I felt I was having a good game with 2 cautions before hand and then I totally lost match control and had no chance of getting it back. 2 Dismissals came in the mass con. The player who made the tackle and the first to react. One from each. Got a flag threw at me at the end of the game but a CAR and then could a club sec. came up to me at the end. That was fu**ing sh*t ref as well as much more along them lines. At 16 this is hard to deal with grown men for obvious reasons.

After all this, I receive a message that somebody had said I had an amazing game to my league sec. and actually can't believe, I debated quitting it if I'm honest. And then casually this morning, my dad is playing golf and the game comes into talk and he says "the ref was amazing, did everything what was needed, he could be up there with the top refs, best ref I've seen in ages" Relived and happy at the same time.

I will PM, as I have some contacts who discuss this with you.
 
Mass confrontations, don't you just love sorting these out. What amuses me is how they ever happen in the first place as at least 20 players will claim that they are only trying to calm things down!!
 
Sounds like you did what you needed to do.

Mass confrontations are a nightmare for a lone ref to manage. You got the main 2 protagonists and they walked. Good stuff. Easy to lose track of people in a melee. Mass confrontations can come from nowhere, even in the most sedate of games and will always test you, even if your a team of 3 officials! You sound like you held your nerve.

As a 16 year old, having a bunch of idiots behave like that can be intimidating. Don't let a small number of idiots spoil your enjoyment of the game mate.

Quite right SM.

As I mentioned on another thread - on Monday a player waited for another at half time and whacked him as he came off (out of sight of us 3 officials). No one saw THAT coming!
 
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