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I'm interested in tips on keeping a positive mindset. Some context: I reffed two matches for my local club this weekend (U12 boys and U16 boys). Both relatively challenging, which why I was asked to ref (as some of our younger refs have had negative experiences with these teams). In the...

I've been asked to ref an U16 match this Sunday because there were a few discipline issues (bad fouls, dissent etc) the last time one of the teams played. I'm not very experienced at reffing but am one of the older refs at our club, hence me stepping in. Should I just follow my usual routine...

I reffed an U16 boys match. Very clear dissent from the away no 14 led to two yellows and a dismissal. Not a single doubt about the decision. At the end of the match, the away coach comes to talk to me, says the player was provoked for the first yellow by the assistant referee and so it...

So I decided to do a blog of my experiences as a grassroots youth football referee. And here it is: https://grassrootsreferee.blog/

What is best practice when players shout "mine" or "my ball"? I think the laws of the game mean that "verbally distracting an opponent during play" is an offence. Back when I was playing (a long time ago), we were told never to say mine or my ball, but instead to use our name. This seems to...

I have confused myself over the offside rule. At a match on Saturday, where I was a coach rather than a ref, the midfielder played the ball towards a player who was in an offside position. The assistant referee flagged for offside just as the defender headed the ball out of play. The referee...