The Ref Stop

Would you play this tomorrow??

I've mentioned several times on here that I gave up playing after tearing my LCL. That was on a muddy pitch (not to the point of puddles everywhere) but I did this whilst in possession of the ball, turning in midfield under no pressure but foot planted in the ground which didn't come with me as I turned. I wouldn't argue the pitch was bad enough to call it off though but it certainly was getting that way
 
The Ref Stop
Big Cat said:
Every generation knows better than their descendants. Fact!
For lots of reasons, games are cancelled far too readily for my liking. I found it intriguing across the same geographical area, my local grass roots league got three quarters of our games played, yet there was only two (from dozens) step 5 to 7 games that survive the same weather. Either my immediate colleagues were wrong to play, or it shows the forces acting upon referees at the next level up
In my experience playing, home groundsmen were always keen to 'protect the pitch' when we knew they had a weakened team that day
Grass always recovers, especially when tended to do so. Wet weather followed quickly by a very dry spell causes problems, but that's not our problem.
VAR, HB, Dissent, inclement weather, rub of the green.... What 'football expects' these days, is an exact science, but that's not what sport should be about
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Lots more considerations at those higher levels. Further travelling distances, earlier attendance at ground, paying spectators, etc. If the game isn't likely going to be played it is preferable to get it called off before the away team and their supporters set off travelling. Some of the distances at those levels are significant, take the Thurlow Nunn D1 South League, which is step 6, you have Hashtag United who play at Haringey Borough in North London and then as far away as Harwich & Parkeston out on the East coast past Ipswich. That's bad enough on a Saturday, midweek it is horrendous and could easily take 4-5 hours.

It certainly isn't down to groundsmen being precious as at those higher levels only a referee at the same level as the match referee can call the game off, whereas at lower levels if the groundsman calls it off it is off regardless of what any referee may think.
 
My fav one? Top flight game here, me AR, 215pm, could not see due to fog
We went to lines, ref in middle, could not see
Decision to let folk in. Now or never. Game off
By time we finished our tea and biscuits, 10 mins later, crystal clear!

I had a works social that night, and tbh, one of the journos, who i know since school, said as much.

Such is life...
 
RustyRef said:
Lots more considerations at those higher levels. Further travelling distances, earlier attendance at ground, paying spectators, etc. If the game isn't likely going to be played it is preferable to get it called off before the away team and their supporters set off travelling. Some of the distances at those levels are significant, take the Thurlow Nunn D1 South League, which is step 6, you have Hashtag United who play at Haringey Borough in North London and then as far away as Harwich & Parkeston out on the East coast past Ipswich. That's bad enough on a Saturday, midweek it is horrendous and could easily take 4-5 hours.

It certainly isn't down to groundsmen being precious as at those higher levels only a referee at the same level as the match referee can call the game off, whereas at lower levels if the groundsman calls it off it is off regardless of what any referee may think.
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Alot of this type of chat on social media last week due to frozen pitches and late call offs at contrib/semi pro games. Alot of the complaints revolved around food that was bought (just trying to add weight to their compliant imo) and about a local ref regarding the pi5ch as playable during an AM inspection, only for the actual ref to call it off later in the afternoon. Of course, the temperature was in the minus at alot of grounds last Saturday, the conditions could easily have got worse between inspections but the view of many clubs appeared to be that if the AM inspection passed the pitch fit then it was outrageous that the actual referee called it off, which is of course nonsense
 
Personally, what I find counter productive and slightly mad is that volunteers at clubs clear snow etc at grounds and this is celebrated on social media as heroic efforts. Then when the game is called off on match day, the referee is slated. If the pitch is under snow or frozen with no indication of higher temperatures forecasted then call the game off early! Especially this season where there have been fewer weather cancellations than any season I can ever remember. I've been appointed to 44 games so far and 43 have gone ahead which is unheard of in the North of England
 
Unless its council or privately called off I made the call on all my games despite delegations trying to influence me either way.

I remember one where it was freezing overnight and was asked to do a pitch inspection the night before because one team was travelling from Leeds and didnt want the fuel and transport costs etc.... That evening it was frozen so i called it off, sadly for me, the morning was much warmer and I learned a painful lesson as one team had great pleasure in winding me up saying it was playable!!! Lesson learned!!!
 
Sheffields Finest said:
Unless its council or privately called off I made the call on all my games despite delegations trying to influence me either way.

I remember one where it was freezing overnight and was asked to do a pitch inspection the night before because one team was travelling from Leeds and didnt want the fuel and transport costs etc.... That evening it was frozen so i called it off, sadly for me, the morning was much warmer and I learned a painful lesson as one team had great pleasure in winding me up saying it was playable!!! Lesson learned!!!
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You can only go with how it is at time. If you were faced with a y/n on the fri night, and it was a n.....then thats that
 
Maybe dodgy, but i once went 3 hr on a fri and hotel on expenses.....no way would be on...so. Safe to say...late night!

Woke at 11 am next day and was like tropical....apart from me, who was sub human...

Can still recall saying to lass on reception. Gimme two bills, one for room and the other, i prob best pay myself....
 
Nothing too fancy for me... I once called one off in North Sheffield, got paid half my fee etc and all that, on my way home and gets another call 4 miles away, ref hadn't shown up, perfectly playable, game on.. Lucrative day!!!
 
Ben448844 said:
Alot of this type of chat on social media last week due to frozen pitches and late call offs at contrib/semi pro games. Alot of the complaints revolved around food that was bought (just trying to add weight to their compliant imo) and about a local ref regarding the pi5ch as playable during an AM inspection, only for the actual ref to call it off later in the afternoon. Of course, the temperature was in the minus at alot of grounds last Saturday, the conditions could easily have got worse between inspections but the view of many clubs appeared to be that if the AM inspection passed the pitch fit then it was outrageous that the actual referee called it off, which is of course nonsense
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I think the main one was about a call off in Scotland, a local referee passed it fit at 11:00 but the match referee called it off when he arrived as it was frozen. The local referee has to get the blame there, if it was frozen at 11:00 it will be frozen at 14:00, especially as the forecast was not to get any warmer.
 
I've had a game where the league had gotten a local ref to check the pitches.

I turn up at 1300 for a 1400 kick off and half of my pitch is in the shade of some trees and still frozen solid.

The three other games at that location went ahead, I just got the pitch in a funny place, ended up helping out a team with the bare 11 and running the line for them as a CAR.
 
RustyRef said:
Lots more considerations at those higher levels. Further travelling distances, earlier attendance at ground, paying spectators, etc. If the game isn't likely going to be played it is preferable to get it called off before the away team and their supporters set off travelling. Some of the distances at those levels are significant, take the Thurlow Nunn D1 South League, which is step 6, you have Hashtag United who play at Haringey Borough in North London and then as far away as Harwich & Parkeston out on the East coast past Ipswich. That's bad enough on a Saturday, midweek it is horrendous and could easily take 4-5 hours.

It certainly isn't down to groundsmen being precious as at those higher levels only a referee at the same level as the match referee can call the game off, whereas at lower levels if the groundsman calls it off it is off regardless of what any referee may think.
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Good point - you can get fairly deep in the football pyramid and still have large travelling distances.

QPR women (step 4) have the likes of Portsmouth and Plymouth in their league.
 
My friends game was called off last week, He never went out the door, it was down to
the council not wanting their pitch played on worried about water making the pitch
unplayable in later weeks, its getting out of our hands now....
 
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