The Ref Stop

County takes priority

I like the way that all the L7, 8 argue against the system, and the assessors, 6, exerienced guys get argused with - classic reading.

Hierarchy is in place for a reason - and the county / FA tell us where we are going. God help you if you say no to a county / FA appt and then take a league game in its place. London way that's call suicide, and you may well be taken off your promotion scheme for it, have a major black amrk against you name, if not have a county official turn up at your game to either manke that point, or to carry out a submissalbe assessment that you might find to be quite scathing and could put your out of yor prom.

And our County officials DO check with leagues if we have played on closed dates. Not forgetting to close out on MOAS which then overrules county!

Phil Dowd does youth football for his kids school level - as @HertsFinest said - But Mr Riley, Tom playing tomorrow ...............
 
The Ref Stop
What if one has no interest in career progression and no plans to ever go for promotion? I'm happy doing the youth matches I do.
 
Well that's come across very condescending.... Well done.
Have a look through many threads where there is a two sided discussion where both sides are putting their point accross - they do make good reasing as BOTH sides have very valid points.

some are worthy of a screenplay and popcorn!

Personally I think that the CFA should show a bit more repoect for refs that have had games arranged in advance, dn not just come barging in at the last minute. But that would make for a very difficult set up.

Not meant as condesenting, but if thats how it comes accross to you.
 
Herts, HRW spent lots of time in the forces so hierarchy and following orders is second nature to him

Having said that, I've been taken off a game a couple of hours before I was due to ref it to cover a higher status game and, since the ref sec was going to arrange cover for my original game, I had no issue with it whatsoever.....it's their ball after all
 
@DaveMac I'm essex fa too, do we still have to send in the competition form by post or can we use whole game? Baffled by the use of snail mail!
 
Am I missing something, isn't it better to be refereeing at a higher level?? It's happened to me twice this season once I was doing a local parks league fixture got a phone call Friday night putting me on a county league fixture, and the other was taken off for a L4 fixture on the line, I snapped their hand off for both fixtures.
 
@svenny76 for me personally the games I already had booked in were much more important. However I do appreciate a County cup of game is of much higher stature. .
 
If you get removed from your Dog&Duck league game and get asked to referee a County Cup game, you should take it as a compliment. Appointments Secretaries realise and generally accept that the County will ask for and get their referees, but will only do so when they really need to.
 
I referee for my own satisfaction and to try to contribute in a small way to the enjoyment of those involved in the games that I referee (not always 100% successfully). I am keen to improve as a referee but have no interest in promotion. I would absolutely not let down two girls teams in order to referee a County Cup game unless there was someone to replace me on the girls' games. However, I fully understand that not everyone has my shocking lack of ambition and those interested in climbing the ladder or getting what are considered the best games have to do the opposite.

To help increase the number of available refs so that the DaveMacs of the world are not put in this invidious position, I think we should instigate a scheme whereby all games that need a ref should get one before any neutral assistants are appointed so that unless, for example, the U14 Girls games are covered there will be no assistants on any games in the country. Professional teams would only be allowed to use their own subs as CARs. The sight Kevin Nolan running the line would warm hearts around the country and would concentrate the PLs mind on referee recruitment and retention...
 
I think you miss the point. It is not about ambition or promotion - it's the general running of football matches across a county.

An under 14 girls game, and I mean no disrespect to them here, will no doubt be used to having no referee. No big deal in the grand scheme of things as they will do what they do when this happens, someone from the club steps in. A county cup game just can't happen without a referee?

Is it nice for the girls teams? No. does it feel nice for the referee being pulled away? No. Will this ever change? No.
 
I agree with SM

Its the county that trained you and gave you your badges and allowed you to become a referee. When they come a'callin' you step up and do the game.
 
I agree with SM

Its the county that trained you and gave you your badges and allowed you to become a referee. When they come a'callin' you step up and do the game.

I can't really agree with this statement. I paid for the training to get my badges. This is something I do out of choice. I am regularly informed of how short of referees the FA is, therefore by being active and doing at least a couple of games a week I am helping them out. I'm not paid a regular wage by them, so don't feel as though they can tell me what I have to do. They of course can do that as it is their decisions to make.

That said, the only issue in this instance was the games were important to me. Had it been any other game, a normal weekend I'd have switched games without any question.

Edit - what I've written seems a bit more aggressive than I intend it to be, but I'm on my mobile and changing the odd word to soften it a little will be a pain! But I didn't intend it to read as it has done!
 
Don't worry Dave I thought it was fine!

That's more my personal attitude. Probably because I am focused in my ambitions to climb the ladder but of course everyone has different attitudes and reasons for refereeing and I completely agree with your point too
 
@HertsFinest I think I'm going to move across the border! Assigned to a game a 40 minute drive each way. I am not a promotion candidate, I've been doing this 6 months and I'm already sick of the beauracracy! The amateur game needs to take itself a little less seriously!
 
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