Yampy
RefChat Addict
My CFA is Sheffield and Hallamshire FA and in my time as a referee, I've always found the people there very helpful.
One of the resources published by S&H is a newsletter called Benchmark, edited by a gentleman called Ted Ring. In this month's newsletter, Ted has published an article entitled "How Good a Witness Are You?" I thought you'd appreciate having a read of the artcile. There is no copyright on articles originating in Benchmark, but if they are reproduced in other publications we would appreciate an acknowledgement of the origin and of Sheffield and Hallamshire County RA.
HOW GOOD A WITNESS ARE YOU?
Every time you referee a game of football you are called upon hundreds of times to make a decision based on what you have seen. Sometimes these decisions are easy, and they may effectively make themselves, such as when a player clearly kicks the ball out of play when he is unchallenged. You see him do it, there is no controversy, so you decide the restart will be taken by an opponent.
There are times, however, when you have to make a potentially controversial decision, and you base that decision on what you have seen happen. It could possibly be a decision based on what you BELIEVE has happened; because that is the way you interpret what has happened.
Then there are those times when you decide that you have no alternative but to issue a caution or a dismissal. That is when you need to be a really careful witness of what has just happened. A very large percentage of referees make correct decisions in such circumstances. After the game, they travel home and then submit their report to the appropriate authority. If it is a caution, the procedure is fairly straightforward. If there has been a dismissal then the report needs to be given much more thought. After all, a dismissal might eventually lead to a personal hearing.
The Personal Hearing
If your report about a dismissal offence has been thoughtfully prepared and carefully checked before submission, there is a strong likelihood that there will be no appeal and no personal hearing. Be warned, however, that far too many referees let themselves down at this stage. Why? Because they have submitted reports that are simply not good enough!
A personal hearing is heard by a group of experienced members appointed by the County FA, whose task it is to ensure that justice is done. And justice is not likely to favour the referee’s report if it has been badly prepared. The disciplinary panel members rely on the referee’s picture in words of what happened. They need to be able to envisage the incident that happened.
So, what are the vital contents of a good report by the referee? He or she is the FA’s witness, so the report writing task needs to be done correctly.
We invite you to consider these letters --- W, W, W, W, H and V. These six letters represent what are the essential contents of a good report. Let’s examine them, shall we?
W --- WHO? Who committed the alleged offence?
W --- WHAT? What did this person do?
W --- WHEN? When in the game did the incident take place?
W --- WHERE? Where on the field of play or in its vicinity did it happen?
H --- HOW? How, meaning in what manner, did it happen?
V --- VIEW? What view and from what approximate distance and angle did you see the incident?
If all these vital facts are included in the report, then the disciplinary panel will know fairly accurately what happened and they will consequently make the right decision. There is nothing more frustrating for a panel than to be faced with a poor report that contains insufficient evidence.
Here are two kinds of report that are simply not acceptable ---
I sent XXXXX off because he kicked his opponent. (End of report!)
I red-carded XXXXX when he told me I was a useless p-----k.
Here now are two reports that would be considered good in terms of their content and wording ---
I sent XXXXX of Reds from the field of play after he kicked his opponent hard on the shin just outside the Reds’ penalty-area after 73 minutes. I was approximately ten yards away at the time, having a clear side-on view of the incident.(Not a long report, but it paints a reasonable picture of the incident)
XXXXX came towards me as soon as I had blown the whistle for half-time and angrily shouted, ‘You must be f-----g blind, you c—t, if you didn’t see that just now! You’re just another f-----g useless ref’. I was five yards from him and immediately facing him. I told him he was being dismissed and would take no further part in the game.
You are invited to give serious consideration to the quality of your disciplinary reports. Do you fall below a reasonable standard, or are you doing your best to make sure your reports are water-tight and so are less likely to lead to a personal hearing?
Think of those key letters ----- W, W, W, W, H, V. They may just help you!
REPORT-WRITING is an essential part of refereeing, so do it to the best of your ability!
One of the resources published by S&H is a newsletter called Benchmark, edited by a gentleman called Ted Ring. In this month's newsletter, Ted has published an article entitled "How Good a Witness Are You?" I thought you'd appreciate having a read of the artcile. There is no copyright on articles originating in Benchmark, but if they are reproduced in other publications we would appreciate an acknowledgement of the origin and of Sheffield and Hallamshire County RA.
HOW GOOD A WITNESS ARE YOU?
Every time you referee a game of football you are called upon hundreds of times to make a decision based on what you have seen. Sometimes these decisions are easy, and they may effectively make themselves, such as when a player clearly kicks the ball out of play when he is unchallenged. You see him do it, there is no controversy, so you decide the restart will be taken by an opponent.
There are times, however, when you have to make a potentially controversial decision, and you base that decision on what you have seen happen. It could possibly be a decision based on what you BELIEVE has happened; because that is the way you interpret what has happened.
Then there are those times when you decide that you have no alternative but to issue a caution or a dismissal. That is when you need to be a really careful witness of what has just happened. A very large percentage of referees make correct decisions in such circumstances. After the game, they travel home and then submit their report to the appropriate authority. If it is a caution, the procedure is fairly straightforward. If there has been a dismissal then the report needs to be given much more thought. After all, a dismissal might eventually lead to a personal hearing.
The Personal Hearing
If your report about a dismissal offence has been thoughtfully prepared and carefully checked before submission, there is a strong likelihood that there will be no appeal and no personal hearing. Be warned, however, that far too many referees let themselves down at this stage. Why? Because they have submitted reports that are simply not good enough!
A personal hearing is heard by a group of experienced members appointed by the County FA, whose task it is to ensure that justice is done. And justice is not likely to favour the referee’s report if it has been badly prepared. The disciplinary panel members rely on the referee’s picture in words of what happened. They need to be able to envisage the incident that happened.
So, what are the vital contents of a good report by the referee? He or she is the FA’s witness, so the report writing task needs to be done correctly.
We invite you to consider these letters --- W, W, W, W, H and V. These six letters represent what are the essential contents of a good report. Let’s examine them, shall we?
W --- WHO? Who committed the alleged offence?
W --- WHAT? What did this person do?
W --- WHEN? When in the game did the incident take place?
W --- WHERE? Where on the field of play or in its vicinity did it happen?
H --- HOW? How, meaning in what manner, did it happen?
V --- VIEW? What view and from what approximate distance and angle did you see the incident?
If all these vital facts are included in the report, then the disciplinary panel will know fairly accurately what happened and they will consequently make the right decision. There is nothing more frustrating for a panel than to be faced with a poor report that contains insufficient evidence.
Here are two kinds of report that are simply not acceptable ---
I sent XXXXX off because he kicked his opponent. (End of report!)
I red-carded XXXXX when he told me I was a useless p-----k.
Here now are two reports that would be considered good in terms of their content and wording ---
I sent XXXXX of Reds from the field of play after he kicked his opponent hard on the shin just outside the Reds’ penalty-area after 73 minutes. I was approximately ten yards away at the time, having a clear side-on view of the incident.(Not a long report, but it paints a reasonable picture of the incident)
XXXXX came towards me as soon as I had blown the whistle for half-time and angrily shouted, ‘You must be f-----g blind, you c—t, if you didn’t see that just now! You’re just another f-----g useless ref’. I was five yards from him and immediately facing him. I told him he was being dismissed and would take no further part in the game.
You are invited to give serious consideration to the quality of your disciplinary reports. Do you fall below a reasonable standard, or are you doing your best to make sure your reports are water-tight and so are less likely to lead to a personal hearing?
Think of those key letters ----- W, W, W, W, H, V. They may just help you!
REPORT-WRITING is an essential part of refereeing, so do it to the best of your ability!