Refereeing a Friendly match

I am refereeing my first armature match tomorrow night. I have been told that there will be no team sheets. With it being a friendly I fully expect to keep my cards in my pocket. If I was to card someone should I still show the card or try and let it go as much as possible. Not sure how red cards normally work in friendly matches if say anything was to happen during the game.

Nope, follow the procedure you've been taught. Don't keep your cards in your pockets just because it's a friendly - use them like in any other match. If you have to use them, isolate the offender, get their name and report them in Wholegame like usual. Just because it's a friendly, doesn't mean you have to treat it any different.

Taking on ANY game where you dont know the identity of the players is as dangerous as it gets for a referee.
What are you going to do when number 5 headbutts someone and you have nothing to reference it to.
What are you going to do when number 8 smacks YOU in the face and you are none the wiser as to who they are

Amuater teams (you appear to be Glasgow?) in this area know its part of the regulations in playing a fixture that team lines, or at very least, a sheet of paper with names and numbers is provided

Good luck

Ciley Myrus said:

Taking on ANY game where you dont know the identity of the players is as dangerous as it gets for a referee.
What are you going to do when number 5 headbutts someone and you have nothing to reference it to.
What are you going to do when number 8 smacks YOU in the face and you are none the wiser as to who they are

Amuater teams (you appear to be Glasgow?) in this area know its part of the regulations in playing a fixture that team lines, or at very least, a sheet of paper with names and numbers is provided

Good luck

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice - Do you think I should contact the teams to ask if team lines can be provided? The league secretary phoned me last night to ask if I was free Friday for a game. With this being my first friendly match I am unsure of the normal procedure and he might be taking advantage by saying the game won't have team lines. Should the match also be added to the extranet (referee online system)?

The match will not be on the extranet, as this is for SFA appointed games only.

I would certainly at very least ask for team lines before the match, and if they dont have them, ask for names and numbers on paper. If no misconduct occurs great. If it does, you report it as normal to the teams registered league discipline contact

am slightly concerned a league secretary in my area is advocating a game without team lines, not that its my business but, its certainly not usual procedure

Remember it is a practice game for them AND for you.

Do everything normally, including cards.

But especially... use your cards as normal, otherwise, when something crazy happens, and it will, you will be ****ed.

My advice to anyone doing a friendly is : don't do it in the first place.

Good lord, I though some of the posters in here claimed to be tough! It sounds like you've been given a great opportunity to do your first match without any risk of a poor decision messing up a team's league season - enjoy that chance! But anyway, some tips....

Number 1, is to immediately stop thinking of it as a "friendly". Get in the habit of calling it a "practice" match, or something like that. The point of the match is for both the teams and yourself to practice being in a real match environment, the point is not to be friends. So don't adjust your tolerance at all - a cardable offence should get a card, same as it would in any other match.

Lack of team sheets, so what? The LOTG tell you how to issue a caution or dismissal, they do not specify that you should get a team sheet. So do what the good book tells you - isolate the player, ask their name, confirm the spelling, explain what's happening and then show the card. You'll be expected to do that at all levels, having a team sheet will never be an acceptable reason to flash a quick card.

However you should still ask for and expect to be given the names of substitutes regardless of team sheets, as that is a LOTG requirement. As with all things, don't forget that it's still your job to apply the laws of the game - the competition (or lack of) that the match is in will never change that.

Yeh, alternatively you can turn up with your LaLaLa ears on and Cuban cigar and watch what happens in front of you without a care in the world.....not!

All games are equal, don’t drop your guard, they’ll sink into naughty mode and play on your good nature! Hard to pull back after that!

You can let small bits go, but always be willing to do the right thing not the easy friendly thing! Don’t ignore everything as it’s a ‘friendly’

The game went well - Although I had to send two players off Two (bad) reckless tackles by one player who was only on for 5mins & the other for a player grabbing another player by the throat. It was decided by both teams that the players who were sent off got replayed and wasn't allowed back on as a rolling sub. Enjoyed the experience and felt I did well although got a few learning points from the game.

Thanks everyone for the advice pre game.

G Referee SCO said:

The game went well - Although I had to send two players off Two (bad) reckless tackles by one player who was only on for 5mins & the other for a player grabbing another player by the throat. It was decided by both teams that the players who were sent off got replayed and wasn't allowed back on as a rolling sub. Enjoyed the experience and felt I did well although got a few learning points from the game.

Thanks everyone for the advice pre game.

Click to expand...

You let the team's replace the dismissed players?
Why on earth would you?
Even in a "friendly"!

Shhh or someone at the FA will think this is a good idea.... Potentially more fines booty!