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Hey mate, I referee in Queensland too. I gave out 8 red cards last season - 2 x DOGSO, 2 x OFFINABUS and 4 x second Yellow. The thing I find most helpful is to take your time. Sometimes it’s clearly red but even then I like to take a moment, check the considerations, confirm my thought process...

And the red card for DOGSO is only downgraded to yellow in these circumstances so as to avoid the imposition of a harsh double punishment for the one offence.

This will get easier as you gain experience. Sometimes it can seem a bit esoteric but it’s not as complicated as it seems. Slide tackles can be difficult to judge but the best exponents of them tend to get ahead or aside of the attacker, judge their speed and angle of entry carefully and...

Apart from the correct application of the LOTG, commitment and resilience are taught by playing games to their proper conclusion. No one likes losing or one sided games but it is part of any sport and makes better performances, when they come, all the sweeter. Good coaches on both sides will...

I find this one really difficult. In truth, if I am the referee and view the incident at actual speed and with the same angle as the video, I am probably calling it a footballing incident. Even when I slow the video down, analyse the movement of both players relative to the ball and one another...

For what it is worth I think it takes a good and committed referee to seek out the video of their game and to review their performance in such an honest way. It is also always good to solve the mystery of the incident that started the shenanigans and retaliation.

Sometimes they just come intent on chaos and retribution for all the season’s woes. It doesn’t sound like you could have done much more short of abandoning the game which no referee enjoys. Why they can’t finish the season with a bit of fun and good humour is a mystery to me. At least you got...

I had a similar situation to this in a recent game. Attacking team couldn’t understand why it wasn’t an automatic red card and at the end of the game the Coach wanted a forensic examination and explanation of my decision. It was so off putting I had to mention it to the Referee Development...

That sounds terrible. I hope the officiating team are OK and the appropriate sanctions are imposed on those involved.

The thing is that increasing levels of poor behaviour and abuse of authority figures is a widespread societal phenomenon and not just limited to referees in 2023. There is no doubt that the round ball game has a particular challenge with this kind of behaviour but it is not limited just to ‘our’...

In the mean time maybe take her to some senior club games with young but experienced referees where she can observe how they go about things. Once you have a focus on watching the match official in a game you can learn heaps about positioning, control, whistle technique, etc. I learned a lot...

Seriously… you are taking on and questioning the advice of a highly skilled and experienced referee who has displayed, in my opinion, incredible patience and grace in responding to your query. I am sorry your son was injured in training, this is unfortunate. But James has given you thoughtful...

Yes. Agree with everyone else here. It’s always easier to see with greater clarity what you perhaps could / should have done after the game has finished. Don’t worry, I am in my 4th year and still get free character assessments from coaches, especially when their highly fancied teams are not...

I have always been taught to apply the laws of the game as consistently as possible and in a way that advances the spirit and integrity of the game. In my (perhaps limited) experience young referees benefit greatly from the input of senior referees who give them confidence to referee with...

I felt DOGSO. Although toward the side line it is not on the edge of the field and the last touch from the attacking player would have brought the ball more central. No other defender capable of intercepting the attacker once away. I agree with you on distance and that is the only thing I felt...

These are subjective decisions based on the opinion of the referee. Whilst we would all like perfectly consistent decision making this is unrealistic even at the higher levels of the game. Referees are not robots. Handball must be one of the most contestable decisions in the modern game and I am...

A great letter that sums up how many of us feel from time to time. I often reflect on the different reception that I get at the end of a challenging game (where all and any of my mistakes are described as ‘disgraceful’) as compared to the players from the losing team (who just didn’t get up for...

Hi, I am 17 and have been refereeing OA football this season and a bit of last season. OA is definitely a step up compared to most youth games but it is one you will be able to make without too much difficulty. Player management has been the biggest issue for me. There is definitely a...

Thanks everyone. Got out alive last night. Ended up using coms which was good but poor reception with one AR was a bit of an issue. It was a high intensity game (as expected) and I was a bit nervous to start with. I think I handled most KMI OK but probably needed to lower my threshold for fouls...

Thanks for your support and advice everyone. I will take all of this on board and try not to **** things up. :)