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ChrisP

ChrisP

New Member
Hi all, new to the forum.

36 year old just finishing my course with the Essex FA. Looking forward to getting out in the middle although very nervous about those first few games.

Just wondering if you guys would recommend starting with the U12/13 level or straight in the deep end with adult games?

Cheers, Chris
 
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The Ref Stop
Hi Chris, first of all congrats on passing the course and welcome to our bizarre world :)
As for which games you should go after, I would recommend going after a few youth games in the beginning just to test the waters. Try higher age groups if you to challenge yourself a bit more. My personal recommendation comes from the idea of you learning how to walk before you run!

Applying the techniques you learned on the course, and understanding what it was meant by angles, positioning all in practice with a real game and you slowly adapting and adopting your runs, style and game management. There is nothing stopping you from taking the big plunge right away though, the key is to enjoy it all the time and keep on learning and developing.

Enjoy it and best of luck and welcome again to the forum. Do tell us how it goes as well afterwards
 
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Welcome a board and best of luck. As Nalbi states a few junior games to get your whistle wet and see if you enjoy the environment and process then take on the bigger larger games. Not sure how the system works in GB as I am Norn Iron and we can get thrown into the deep end. Best of luck and hopefully you will enjoy it!
 
Hi Chris, welcome to the Essex refereeing collection! I'd echo what Nabli has said to an extent - a few junior games are definitely a good idea to settle yourself in. But there are a few downsides to junior football if your eventual aim is to work in open age football.

In terms of fitness you can get away with a lot more on the smaller pitches with shorter halves, so I'd be careful not to "acclimatise" to that level too much if you're going to find yourself doing 90 minutes on a full pitch. And you'll get a lot more chat from the sidelines in junior football than you will in the lower levels of adult football - if you find yourself struggling with that aspect in particular, moving up the ages might actually make your life easier.
 
Welcome, as a newly qualified ref I have found this forum useful, informative and mostly good humoured. I would start with u14-18s then after a few games move to OA. I am doing both youth and OA but have found a nice league and a low level to start my OA games. it is also a good idea to try and get AR on OA games as this is a great learning oppurtunity
 
Thanks for the replies so far, think maybe youth games to start with then.

The general consensus seems to be that in adult football you get stick from the players and in youth football it comes from the sidelines. Obviously not an exact rule but got that impression from a few on the training course.
 
ChrisP said:
Thanks for the replies so far, think maybe youth games to start with then.

The general consensus seems to be that in adult football you get stick from the players and in youth football it comes from the sidelines. Obviously not an exact rule but got that impression from a few on the training course.
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I think that's absolutely the case. Personally, I find it easier to deal with players as you have a range of tools up to red cards that are easily understood and very well-defined in when you can use them. Spectators can be much tougher if you do decide to confront the issue, although it's probably easier to ignore them as well.
 
Martin makes a very good point about getting yourself onto the highest league you can as an assistant. It will bring your game on heaps quicker- you work in a team and can learn through observation what works and doesn't. You can then adapt to your own game.

Players will always question you and cause you to doubt yourself. Again working in a team regularly will affirm the laws and how to apply them.

There are plenty of L7 refs lining on supply football. (The pay is better too)
 
If your fit and confident enough for it, get straight on the horse and do open age. Youth is good, open age is better.
 
@ChrisP welcome, you now form part of the Essex mob on here ...
i've done some of the youth league stuff, and still help out where and when i can.
My first game was OA but i mixed it up, as like @GraemeS says , you can become acclimatised to the smaller format.
If you want to know anything more about specific youth leagues i might be able to point you in the right direction.
 
Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

Got my first game this morning, will let you know how it goes.
 
Can we please have a sub-titles option in the Queens proper English Ross. These Suvvern Essex softies are taking over the asylum.... :(
 
I highly recommend also doing AR games. I learned a lot and quickly from the best, worst, good and bad from my colleagues in the middles.
 
Leave us Essex boys alone my county maybe be Suffolk but I am Essex by birth, although when I lived in Chester for 10 years every one thought I was a ****ney!
 
Game went reasonably well guys, it was an U11 cup game. Possibly missed a couple of things but overall fairly happy.

Had problems with club assistants and their poor signals, particularly offsides where instead of holding flags up until my whistle they kept holding them outward to show me where the offside was. Need to work a bit on my pre match instructions I guess.

Looking forward to next week already :)
 
ChrisP said:
Game went reasonably well guys, it was an U11 cup game. Possibly missed a couple of things but overall fairly happy.

Had problems with club assistants and their poor signals, particularly offsides where instead of holding flags up until my whistle they kept holding them outward to show me where the offside was. Need to work a bit on my pre match instructions I guess.

Looking forward to next week already :)
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I think you're going to have a very tough life refereeing if that is going to upset you! ;) Most CAR's will just give a "goal kick" signal and it's up to you to realise from context that they actually mean offside. If yours were sticking the flag straight up before just lowering it too fast, that's already a step above most of the help I tend to see!

Glad to hear it went well though, onwards and upwards from here!
 
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