Search results

As match official, we are often blamed for all sorts of things beyond our control. However, in this particular case, the Assistant Referee’s bald head is the cause of the problem. A game was being filmed by an AI (artificial intelligence ) camera which kept mistaking our hero’s bald head for...

Here’s another incentive that, I think, often gets overlooked and is perhaps particularly relevant to you as you will be graduating soon and entering a tough jobs market. Refereeing has many, many transferable skills that are attractive to employers: soft-skills, communication, making difficult...

I’m not sure, but I think to re-register after a couple of year’s break you may need to take a Laws of the Game test. I don’t think you will have to redo the basic course (I think you have to redo the course if you haven’t been registered for five or more years.) My advice is to get in touch...

I had my first (mass con) earlier this season. It was U16, I was on my own (ie, no neutral assistants) and yes, parents did get involved. My experience? What went well, would be better if ... Other than the initial couple of protagonist, I had no idea who was doing what, who were the heroes...

@Big Cat is (as usual) correct. JPL is a triumph of marketing - it’s just a league for youth football, like any other, but I suspect someone somewhere is making a few quid from it as parents and players are buying into the dream. To be fair, standard is quite high - round here the JPL play on...

Thanks all, useful background info. Am surprised at only £15 (£3 difference) for a red card. How does it work if it’s 2 yellows resulting in a red? Is it £12 (for first yc,) then £15 for red, what-about for a straight red?

This is what it says on the paperwork:

Does anyone know what a player/club gets fined for a yellow card? I ask because, as you may know, I’m involved in schools’ football. In a recent cup competition two of our players were booked (C1, foul tackle for both. No complaints, correct decisions) and we’ve just received the paperwork...

... and the reason our (excellent) RDO introduced them (fitness tests for all promotion candidates regardless of level) was to get promotion candidates thinking about fitness well before they start going from 5 to 4. He was finding some candidates (5 to 4) were finding it a challenge. A good...

A phrase I have found useful is: “you’ve hit my tolerance level” if these comments are not coming from a single player, I’d be bringing both captains in and telling them ”enough‘s enough. My tolerance level has now been reached, and we need to put a stop to these comments. If they carry on...

After your thoughts, please, about an incident from my game this morning. I am more than happy with how I dealt with it from the context of this particular game, but curious as to what should be done by law. 15 mins to go. Blues 5-0 up, game was only ever going to end one way (I give you this...

^^^^^ This, this and this ^^^^^^^^^ See your promotion season not as a year to prove yourself, but as a year to improve. One of the great difficulties as a grass roots referee is getting an objective and unbiaised opinion of your performance, being observed is a rare opportunity to gain useful...

i had this very thing in an observed game last season in my (successful) 7 to 6 promotion. Reds asked to make a double sub. All went well, I saw the subs off, checked oncoming subs, all good. 10 mins later, blue manager shouts “sub please ref”. “Ok”, I reply and tell the keeper (it was a...

I’ve done a fair few pre-seasons so far. One club has been notably more pro-active than all the others with respect to Covid, and when they booked me in to do my first game with them they asked if I was OK to be paid by BACS, which I was. ive now done three games for that team and no going cap...

When I first started refereeing I was interested in wearing a body cam, not for my own protection, but as a means to help my development. I’m not sure how good these cameras are, but I did think it would be an easy and useful way for me to look back at my game and use the footage the analyse...

Ok, so this didn’t happen in my game today, but had the striker not lofted the ball over the bar it might have done, and got me thinking.... Keeper way out of position, attacker gathers ball 10 yards outside box and shoots at empty net. Covering defender has spotted the danger and has...

What I don’t understand is why the taking of the knee happens after kick off? When we do a minutes silence we have the minutes silence then start the game. Why not do exactly the same with taking the knee?

I’ve done a couple of games recently when I’ve been paid by BACS Both were evening games, both paid me the following morning (I had said that this was fine, and I know (& trust!) the club personne) the person with the club’s bank details may not be the manager coach at the match, so they may...

Personally, I’m disappointed. With no other football available to watch, I have been taking charge charge of games on public pitches in front of crowds between 20 and 70 spectators, a new experience as normally we’d be lucky to be playing in front of one man and his dog! Indeed, on Saturday I...

I have been in this very position. it was an U14 inter school County Cup game. Ball kicked back to keeper who gathers. I blow and indicate free kick. Keeper throws ball to attacker (I think this was a function of age and innocence - probably wouldn’t happen in OA game where players are a...