A&H

First ever game...

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MK93

New Member
So this Sunday marks my first ever game as a Referee... a youth u14 game between two football league clubs!

It’s been a couple months since I finished my ref course... so I need a refresh of what to do/what’s expected of me from the moment I get there.

Any chance of some help/tips?
 
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The Referee Store
Relax, dont over complicate things, remember the basics, maybe write a quick check list for yourself now, not the night before,
On the pitch be calm, appear confident in what you are doing, see a foul? Give a foul
Stay hydrated
After the game mentally think of the positives and change the negatives into, right, if I see that kinda thing again, I know what I would do different
But most importantly, enjoy
 
Introduce yourself to both managers. Find somewhere to put your bag. Make sure you travel in a track suit with kit under it as there might not be changing facilities. Do a pitch inspection if there is dog poo or rabbit scrapes get the home team to sort it out. Check out the nets and posts. If there is a hole in the net get the home team to sort it out. Check players equipment no jewelry etc, check match balls. Coin toss breif captains and linos.
Make a note of who kick off. Count both set of players. Check linos and keepers are ready, start stopwatch, make a note of the real time blow whistle be confident and do not forget your coloured friends and try to enjoy. Let us know how it goes
 
Sound interesting!
Remember to use the whistle and your cards. Take your time when you need to. Don't give away to the teams/coaches before that it's your first time.

Do you have assistants?
 
MK93 said:
So this Sunday marks my first ever game as a Referee... a youth u14 game between two football league clubs!

It’s been a couple months since I finished my ref course... so I need a refresh of what to do/what’s expected of me from the moment I get there.

Any chance of some help/tips?
Click to expand...
Everyone’s got good tips. Remember to write down who kicks off. I very nearly had an embarrassing moment on my first game because of that
 
In no particular order:

Pack your bag the night before

Make sure you know where the venue is and how long it take to get there, maybe leave a little earlier than necessary to allow for traffic.

Get to the venue in plenty of time, check your League rules to see if they specify how early referees need to be there before a match. If they don’t make sure you’re there with plenty of time to find the pitch, meet managers, do your inspections etc and warm up

Relax

If you make a mistake (we all do) forget it for the rest of the match. By all means go back to it when you’re back home, but if you’re thinking about it during the match your likely to miss something.

Self reflection is a great tool to evaluate your performance, and to see how you can improve

Don’t forget to let us know how you get on
 
Another question if anyone sees this before my game tomorrow... what’s the deal with team sheets? Do I need to request or will I just have them handed to me? Do I write down all the names and give it back or keep the sheet given for my own reference?

Thanks!
 
MK93 said:
Another question if anyone sees this before my game tomorrow... what’s the deal with team sheets? Do I need to request or will I just have them handed to me? Do I write down all the names and give it back or keep the sheet given for my own reference?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Certainly any games I done, each team hands you two, one of which you sign and give to opponents, one of which is your reference, and it should tell you on it where to scan/send if too.
If you aint handed them, dont be afraid to say, "guys, can i have your team lines please"

Occasionally the team might already have handed the opponents theirs, in which case a simple, "just checking Utd gave you their teamlines?" should suffice
 
Round my way each manager hands you the teamsheet about 15 mins before. You might get it late depending on the timekeeping of players and it might be adjusted if players don't turn up. Some leagues want you too scan and email them to you, some just want you to keep them.
 
Ciley Myrus said:
Certainly any games I done, each team hands you two, one of which you sign and give to opponents, one of which is your reference, and it should tell you on it where to scan/send if too.
If you aint handed them, dont be afraid to say, "guys, can i have your team lines please"

Occasionally the team might already have handed the opponents theirs, in which case a simple, "just checking Utd gave you their teamlines?" should suffice
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Thank you Ciley 👍🏼
 
From my experience of coaching i dont recall any of the leagues i was involved in having team sheets (unless its something new this season) in junior football that is.
 
Yeah will depend on your league - the Sunday league I started on didn’t do team sheets - perhaps worth checking the rules of the league you’ll be officiating in and seeing if they mention anything?
 
Most of the youth leagues do not use team sheets, but for youth county cup games they do and also at higher level youth leagues they are used.
 
MK93 said:
So this Sunday marks my first ever game as a Referee... a youth u14 game between two football league clubs!

It’s been a couple months since I finished my ref course... so I need a refresh of what to do/what’s expected of me from the moment I get there.

Any chance of some help/tips?
Click to expand...
If you don't feel a bit nervous, there's something wrong :bite:
 
Another quick one... game is in 3 hours so not sure if this will be seen in time.

Got bought my Nike 2018 kit with FAMOA badge for birthday... am I right in thinking I can’t wear that for first 5 games til I qualify properly? I do have an older Umbro style top but obviously the Nike would look more professional with matching shorts/socks haha
 
Do not be afraid to book for dissent at this level.Good luck be confident on your signals blow your whistle well and if you need to use your cards.
 
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