First Game as AR (positioning q)

Just been asked to run the line on Sunday for a game and I'm insanely nervous. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm more nervous than I was for my first in the middle (is that weird?)!

I've been asked to arrive in a suit and tie - is that an indicator of anything?

Key question that's playing on my mind, having revised the AR positioning, I'm a bit confused on penalties. If there is one and I come forward to the penalty area/goal line intersection, how and when should I return to the touchline?

Any general tips to do a good job are gratefully received - especially on how to look at the offside line across the pitch and be sure at what point the ball is kicked at the same time (I hope that makes sense as a question!).

Cheers,

Josh

What level of the game? Suit and tie for Sunday games is rare unless it is a WPL / WSL game, county appointment, or a game played at a senior ground with a boardroom.

On penalties move away once the penalty has been scored or saved. If it saved make sure you run backwards so that you have a good view of the goal line in case a subsequent shot comes in from the rebound, or you are called to rule on an offside.

Generally listen to what the referee says before the game in terms of what they want from you. Take penalty decisions for example, some referees will leave it totally to you (rare), some will invite you in to make the decision (the majority) and some will tell you not to get involved in penalties even if you are certain (thankfully also rare).

josh91 said:

how to look at the offside line across the pitch and be sure at what point the ball is kicked at the same time

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Most of the time, the best way to do this is to be LOOKING right across the line and LISTENING to when the ball is kicked. The only thing to be wary of with this is missing a subsequent deliberate play of the ball by a defender but this is (fortunately) rare.
Other things to consider, always sprint to the goal line if you're needed there to judge ball in / out of play and even more so in / out of goal! And try very hard not to ball watch but instead be watching those areas of the pitch that are out of sight of the referee.

Enjoy and good luck!

My first game as an assistant referee was horrible, I will be honest. It is a lot better than it seems, and it is very enjoyable.

Penatlies, position where the penalty area and goal line meet, watch for the keeper moving off his line, then once everything has been done, take your position back on the touchline, but running backwards so you can still see whats going on.
Take in what the referee says in his pre-match - usually it's just clarifying an assistants job, but there is usually 1 or 2 things that you will need to be precise about. Smile, enjoy and take advantage of the experience. I have done 10 lines since July and have learnt something in every game, especially working with the Welsh prem refs and using the comms.

As for the offside, as said above - watch the line and listen for the ball to be passed is excellent advice. Don't worry if you make a mistake, you are a team of 3/4 and all the officials will defend your decision.

If you want to feel positive about yourself, I have been officiating for 26 years, probably 70% as referee, 30% as assistant, and I still would class myself as an average assistant, so, you will probably do better than I could !

I wouldn't worry too much about penalties. How many are you expecting in a game? I reckon I've done 30 games as an AR in the past couple of seasons and I think I've seen 1 penalty at my end. You'll have a helluva lot more offside decisions and ball out of play calls to make than penalties. Those are your bread and butter.
Working as an AR is a fantastic tool to learning as a referee, enjoy it.

Take your time with everything.
Eye contact.
Look for the referees little signals (as agreed).
If you think there is a foul between you and the referee, look at the ref first: is he/she blowing, you don't need to flag; is he/she about to give advantage, don't flag: has the ref obviously seen it, you don't need to flag...

I talk to myself, especially late in the game when it gets harder to stay alert, and e.g. at free kicks: "7 is off, green boots is off, now they're on"...

As said above, your ears are as important to use as your eyes. Remember to hold the flag whilst crabbing in your left hand (most of the time) - the flag should be between you and the ref (so if you are turning to run up the field, swap the flag to your right hand, and as you turn to face the field again swap it back to your left). And ignore the stupid comments you will get from behind you - if you've got your positioning right, you will _always_ be better placed to call offside. Most importantly though, enjoy!

I was personally surprised at the angle of the game. It's very different to being in the middle and/or playing (obvious I know). Little things like which way to flag were hard at first because of the angles and remember who is going which way - in the middle you are usually just behind or beside play, as an AR you are always ahead of it...but it gets easier with experience. Sounds silly to write now but think others on here will agree it's weird at first.

Talk to yourself a lot and make sure you are 100% focused. As others have said you are a team - if you aren't sure look at the ref and he/she will make a decision.

Do you know what competition it is? If not i would suggest finding out and having a read of the competition rules. Yes, the referee should know them but as an assistant I think you ought to know them too.
IF there is a penalty you need to return to the touchline as soon as a goal is scored or keeper saves. In both instances run backwards so you have an eye on play and support the referee with an inxisents as required.

General advice
Always stay level with the second last defender or ball if it is with an attacker.
Be 100% focussed on what s going on in the game.
Your peripheral vision will help with offside but as others have said use your ears too.
Listen to what the ref says in prematch instructions.
Have good read over the laws of the games. Particularly law 11 and the practical guidelines.

All the best and come back and let us know how u get on.

Thanks everyone - some really practical advice. Really appreciate it.

I don't really have anything new to add on top of what everyone else has said, but here are a few pointers:

1. Always keep the flag in the hand that is closest to the referee/ facing the field of play.
2. Change hands before signalling, I.e if flagging for an attacking throw move the flag into your right hand before raising the flag
3. Try to face the field of play and side step/crab as much as possible, it will make judging offsides easier.
4. Always follow the ball to the goal line, even if it's a shot from the half way line, you need to get there as quickly as possible, in case you need to make a tight goal/no goal decision etc.
5. Let the ref and the other AR know it's your first time, don't be afraid to ask for feedback at half time or after the game. No one will have a problem offering you advice.
6. During the pre-match briefing, if you need clarification on something ask. It's better to cover it then rather than potentially make a mistake during the match.

Finally, enjoy it. I love running the line, and it's great for your development as you will generally be on a match at a level higher than you would normally referee, and you'll be working with more senior/experienced officials.

Of course you need to keep 100% attention on the game and your role, but, it's good to see how other officials interact with players and team officials, and how they deal with certain situations etc.

James Long said:

All the best and come back and let us know how u get on.

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I really enjoyed it. It was hard, but I think it went well, and I am comfortable in all my decisions.

The ref gave me some very complimentary feedback after the game, which was nice.

I did windmill once though, which was a touch embarrassing.

A sincere thanks to everyone for taking the time to post the above advice - it was really helpful and I definitely had a better game than I would have done without it.

Someone at the club filmed the game. So I'm going to try and get a copy and analyse how I did.