A&H

Injury

boblardo

Active Member
Level 5 Referee
I did very few fixtures during preseason although did keep my fitness up throughout the summer. However, this weekend I picked up an injury.

The injury occurred after my fixture Saturday and knowing I had a game Sunday morning I called the ref sec on the way home to advise him its unlikely I can fulfill my appointment due to the injury to which he said "I will see what i can do". Late that evening I called him again to find out if a replacement had been sourced and he said he hadn't but I could try so and so, he's available.

I called any referee I thought could be available but all were unable to help out so reluctantly called both clubs to advise that its unlikely I would be at the fixture tomorrow as I have picked up an injury but I would call again in the morning to confirm. I called the following morning to confirm the injury was no better and I was unable to come to the fixture at which point the clubs contacted the referee secretary.

I have now had to withdraw from a number of fixtures including AR for FA Vase a supply league game which I always enjoy, on the bright side it looks to be only a minor 7-10 day lay off so hopefully won't impact my promotion season too much.

Couple of questions really
1) the ref sec is new this year but surely its for him to source & appoint a replacement referee
2) How will it be viewed on the supply league and via the FA. I gave my supply league 2 weeks notice and the FA 1 week?

Last season I was available to the Sunday league even if i didn't have a fixture on would readily be on standby for any last minute appointments etc so i feel really let down by the league which then made me question if I wanted to continue refereeing

Injuries happen, I am not sure what I could have done although I will probably now just accept 1 appointment a week
 
The Referee Store
Not really much you can do - even if they’re annoyed, you’ve given them as much notice as possible. At the end of the day, injuries are just one of those things - refereeing those matches on the Sunday would only have aggravated it
 
I did very few fixtures during preseason although did keep my fitness up throughout the summer. However, this weekend I picked up an injury.

The injury occurred after my fixture Saturday and knowing I had a game Sunday morning I called the ref sec on the way home to advise him its unlikely I can fulfill my appointment due to the injury to which he said "I will see what i can do". Late that evening I called him again to find out if a replacement had been sourced and he said he hadn't but I could try so and so, he's available.

I called any referee I thought could be available but all were unable to help out so reluctantly called both clubs to advise that its unlikely I would be at the fixture tomorrow as I have picked up an injury but I would call again in the morning to confirm. I called the following morning to confirm the injury was no better and I was unable to come to the fixture at which point the clubs contacted the referee secretary.

I have now had to withdraw from a number of fixtures including AR for FA Vase a supply league game which I always enjoy, on the bright side it looks to be only a minor 7-10 day lay off so hopefully won't impact my promotion season too much.

Couple of questions really
1) the ref sec is new this year but surely its for him to source & appoint a replacement referee
2) How will it be viewed on the supply league and via the FA. I gave my supply league 2 weeks notice and the FA 1 week?

Last season I was available to the Sunday league even if i didn't have a fixture on would readily be on standby for any last minute appointments etc so i feel really let down by the league which then made me question if I wanted to continue refereeing

Injuries happen, I am not sure what I could have done although I will probably now just accept 1 appointment a week
Specifically, what made you feel let down by the league? Something significant must have been said for you to be left so demotivated
 
You cant take charge as you're injured, its up to the league to sort not you.

You can always suggest a few and try and help but dont feel you have to.
 
Injuries happen, I am not sure what I could have done although I will probably now just accept 1 appointment a week

This is partially why I try and ensure that I'm refereeing with rest days in-between. Say, Saturday-Monday-Wednesday rather than Saturday-Sunday-Monday.

Injuries happen and if you have the spare day to recover it can really help either for yourself in recovery or for the officers to sort out a replacement. Not saying that you can't load up on fixtures - just be aware of your own body and the capabilities as such - I do feel a lot of referees over-exert themselves in this respect.


But anyway, you've done the correct thing in notifying and withdrawing. As far as I'm aware, it's usually the appointments officer who sorts out replacements.

Saying that you might want to check the league rules though - some leagues do have a minimum notification period - can be 2-3 days minimum for withdrawal and some officers will see it as partially your own fault if you've accepted too many fixtures that you don't have enough minimum time to report your withdrawal. - Usually they'll apply common sense here though.

Assuming they've got the hump, is this perhaps why? (Not having a go at you though, your health is the priority and there's nothing you can do about injuries tbh.)
 
Ref's secretaries have a hard job (wouldn't do it myself), and they will be frustrated when they are "let down" last minute, but I would always think the best in this type of scenario and assume they are frustrated with the situation rather than you (the OP).

Definitely their responsibility to sort a replacement, but I have always done what you've done if I have to come off a game and let the Home club know.

As to what harm this can do - well if the ref secretary can't easily find a replacement if you're injured, they can hardly not consider appointing you when you're fit as they clearly aren't oversubscribed!

in terms of Supply league / FA, these chaps are always talking to each other, so make sure you're availability is the same for both, anything else can land you in a potentially sticky situation.
 
I am genuinely injured so have let the FA/Supply League & Local league ref secs know and have closed all dates for the next two weeks.

I missed 0 games last year, in fact i did over 70 often taking games at the last minute to help the leagues out, sometimes even replacing late withdrawals!

Time to focus on recovery so I don't jeopardise the promotion season
 
What @MattyAB said basically. I am appointments secretary for my local Sunday league and if you call me on a Saturday night with an injury then i will thank you for the call put the phone down, swear a little and make some calls to find a replacement. I would certainly not expect you to do it.

What i do now is, where possible, leave myself as my spare. If anyone does get a injury and has to pull off then i have a ready made replacement in myself, if i lose two ref's to injury, well then i just revert back to swearing again**.

**Always at the situation, never the ref.

Injuries happen, what i do take exception too (and this happened last season) is a text at 3.30am from a ref simply saying, cant ref tomorrow. Now i am no Sherlock Holmes but i imagine that ref to be in a nightclub or someones house, rather inebriated at that time. I could be wrong but i doubt it very much!
 
Or at hospital with a ill child. But I imagine you know which refs are reliable and which are not. I wish I could stay up till 3.30 let alone drink till then!
#oldlightweight!

I think if that was the case, the person would say something like. "My child has been admitted to hospital, i'm really sorry but i'm likely to be here all night and won't be able to do the game in the morning"

But as you say, secretaries will know the ones for whom its a genuine situation and those that have lots of different excuses to get out of a game last minute....
 
What @MattyAB said basically. I am appointments secretary for my local Sunday league and if you call me on a Saturday night with an injury then i will thank you for the call put the phone down, swear a little and make some calls to find a replacement. I would certainly not expect you to do it.

What i do now is, where possible, leave myself as my spare. If anyone does get a injury and has to pull off then i have a ready made replacement in myself, if i lose two ref's to injury, well then i just revert back to swearing again**.

**Always at the situation, never the ref.

Injuries happen, what i do take exception too (and this happened last season) is a text at 3.30am from a ref simply saying, cant ref tomorrow. Now i am no Sherlock Holmes but i imagine that ref to be in a nightclub or someones house, rather inebriated at that time. I could be wrong but i doubt it very much!

Count yourself lucky that you can actually read the message if they've been drinking until that time!
 
I'm in my second season as a Referee Appointments Secretary and I know which referees are reliable and which aren't. I know that some will invent an injury to avoid a game but the overwhelming majority of referees are as honest as the day is long. I also know that too many referees offer availability to multiple leagues to try and help every league but in fact what they end up doing is disappointing more leagues more often.

Just not enough referees to go around...
 
Gosh.. To reading all the different posts about injuries.
One is also out injured for at least 1 month... All dates are now officially closed.
True there are not enough Referees because it is a challenging job...
Do hope you all recover quickly.....
 
I saw the physio yesterday.

I've managed to pull my hamstring at the point where the tendons attach to it. Luckily I didn't crack on and make things worse so possibly be back in the middle in November, but currently I'm limited to 3 10 minutes walks a day.

Have had to email all my leagues, and my observer coordinator, and the county and also MOAS
 
I'm in my second season as a Referee Appointments Secretary and I know which referees are reliable and which aren't. I know that some will invent an injury to avoid a game but the overwhelming majority of referees are as honest as the day is long. I also know that too many referees offer availability to multiple leagues to try and help every league but in fact what they end up doing is disappointing more leagues more often.

Just not enough referees to go around...

Did four seasons. A slight variation, "many referees offer availability to multiple leagues to try and" pick the best games for themselves and "in fact what they end up doing is" upset many leagues and get dropped from the appointments list. Agree that the majority are honest.
 
I saw the physio yesterday.

I've managed to pull my hamstring at the point where the tendons attach to it. Luckily I didn't crack on and make things worse so possibly be back in the middle in November, but currently I'm limited to 3 10 minutes walks a day.

Have had to email all my leagues, and my observer coordinator, and the county and also MOAS

Hi Zarathustra

I'm sorry to hear of your injuries.. you are not alone..
I'm also out of all types of Football, I pulled all the muscles in my lower back.. this is now week number 2..
Went to the gym to see fitness instructor who was not there.. no apoitment available to see my physio, large pool closed for refurbishment and so on and so forth.. informed county fa. F.a too.

Ask you physio about aqua therapy??
Do you swim? If not do not worry.

In the pool,, there is normally 3 types of graded exercises programmes in water.

1. Aqua therapy for injuries/disabilites.. very slow gentle movements...
2. Aqua tone.. for all round fitness
3. Aqua blast for cardiovascular fast pace workouts...
4. Hydrotherapy normally done for 1:1 sessions.

Your physio hopefully could guide you accordingly.. some gym fitness instructors either land based or water based could help too.

Where do you reside?
 
This is my first season back after straining my ACL at the beginning of last season. Starting getting back into it towards the end of last season but this is me now back to 'full fitness' although I must say, the solid ground through the summer hasn't done it much good and made me take a few weeks rest
 
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