The Ref Stop

Missed by Promotion by 1%

R

Robin

New Member
Level 7 Referee
I received my promotion letter yesterday and I missed out by 1%, I am absolutely gutted and feel like I am not a good enough referee, I know its only 7 to 6 but most people I spoke to said that 7 to 6 is really easy and you will be fine and because I missed out I feel useless and annoyed as 1% is so close.

I have been refereeing for 18 months and really enjoy it,I received a League cup U15 final as well as receiving a county cup final this month so it was nice to be acknowledged by your county, we were told that as we were given a county cup final we are in the top 5% of referees which is an honour so to not receive my promotion I don't feel as though I deserve my finals, its a strange feeling really as I thought I was doing really well but now maybe not
 
The Ref Stop
Robin said:
I received my promotion letter yesterday and I missed out by 1%, I am absolutely gutted and feel like I am not a good enough referee, I know its only 7 to 6 but most people I spoke to said that 7 to 6 is really easy and you will be fine and because I missed out I feel useless and annoyed as 1% is so close.

I have been refereeing for 18 months and really enjoy it,I received a League cup U15 final as well as receiving a county cup final this month so it was nice to be acknowledged by your county, we were told that as we were given a county cup final we are in the top 5% of referees which is an honour so to not receive my promotion I don't feel as though I deserve my finals, its a strange feeling really as I thought I was doing really well but now maybe not
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Don't get disheartened pal. Like you said you've only been reffing for 18 months so you have plenty of time to progress. You will have undoubtably learnt a lot through this promotion attempt that will help you again. If you have got these finals then you must be doing something right, either that or you have lined the pockets of the appointment sec ;)
Keep your chin up and start to build towards your finals. Your county cup final will definitely have another referee there watching in some capacity so focus on putting in a good performance and show your full refereeing potential.
Good luck!! I hope they go well for you :)

What does the whole 1% thing mean. As far as I know in Hull you either get promotion or not depending on your own ability so I don't see what this 1% is or what it means?
 
Your assessors give you marks out of 100 and you have to average 70% for your games, you have to do a minimum of 3 games. I got 69% so missed out unfortunately
 
Head up. A sign of a referees character is how you deal with set backs as well as successes. From your post it is clear that this is something that you are passionate about - that's a good thing, use that to set your mind straight for how you push on next promotion season and get what you want.

Get those assessment reports out, have a look at areas of your refereeing you need to improve on (we all have these!). Enlist the help of a more senior referee if needed (always a good idea if available). Build on your strengths, improve on your development areas. Create training drills for yourself to help with this where you can or if it is more situational, rehearse what you will do in certain situations. Practise off the pitch, it'll come more naturally when you are on the pitch.

There are some great thinking skill books out there (if you are psychologically minded). A great one is the chimp paradox which I am reading at the moment. There is also football: raise your mental game.

Check out the refereeworld podcasts, there is one specifically about dealing with disappointments. A very interesting listen.

Refereeing is littered with disappointments and successes (hopefully more of the latter) - but treat them both the same, just another step forward, another experience on your refereeing path.
 
Robin said:
I know its only 7 to 6 but most people I spoke to said that 7 to 6 is really easy and you will be fine and because I missed out I feel useless and annoyed as 1% is so close.
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Everything is easy if you've never failed it. Forget 'em. Let them have their moment, crowing about how well they've done and how easy it was. They aren't important now. You are. Look at my level - it took me 6 attempts, and 7 years overall to go from 7 to 5.

Now read my first five sentences again. You'll see me congratulate those who get their promotions too - I'm not slating them, however my first five are how I felt.

Robin said:
I received a League cup U15 final as well as receiving a county cup final this month so it was nice to be acknowledged by your county, we were told that as we were given a county cup final we are in the top 5% of referees which is an honour so to not receive my promotion I don't feel as though I deserve my finals, its a strange feeling really as I thought I was doing really well but now maybe not
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Real flashback - I had 4 finals the second time I missed out on 7-6 and would have traded them all for the promotion. It almost feels like a consolation prize that provides no consolation. I did everything - games at short notice, never letting people down, 4 in a weekend at one point because the RDOs boss asked me (help the brass and they'll remember you; nepotism, arse-kissing call it what you will) and felt like I'd been shafted. Now for the real meat.

After the second failure a senior referee sat down with me after a pre-season friendly and told me to stop feeling sorry for myself. If I carried on like that I'd get nowhere. Hated him. If I had had a sharp object or even a blunt one I would have gouged his eyes out. How could he know what I was feeling? How could he know what I was going through, after how hard I had worked, all the bending over backwards to accommodate the FA, the leagues and for what? Meanwhile those who didn't work as hard got all the glory. Tossers.

He was right. My efforts were in the wrong place. My approach was wrong. I changed things having listened to other people about managing the games without always using cards, talking to players and the kicker in my case? I worked too hard. Too many games, too many 'accommodations'.

I can't say the same for you - we don't know each other - but I wonder if similar hasn't happened here? Other people say it's easy. Have you relaxed too much either consciously or unconsciously? Cautions and sending offs. Nail the mandatories - delaying the restart; failure to retire; violent conduct. Not every foul is a caution but use them appropriately - breaking up promising attacks, denying a clear advantage are the best to pick up. Not just for the assessor, but for club marks and match control. As you rise, they become expected of you. Get into the habit now.
Also do it in every game. That way when you are assessed it will feel natural to you.

I got my promotion that next season, and I sent a thank you email to eye-gouge man. His words were the shake up I needed. They got me re-focused and it worked. Fundamentals - get them right and you'll pass next time. I did.
 
Great post @Tealeaf :)

Robin said:
feel like I am not a good enough referee
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Do you really think that people having 70 or 71% are better than you ? It's just an arbitrary number, you'll get the promotion next season and you're gonna be just as good as any other level 6 ref, no one cares whether you did it on your first or second try.

Tealeaf is spot on about the "easy" thing, everything is easy for someone who already succeeded, take the driving licence for example, everyone have difficulties at some point and is stressed out the d-day, but once you got your licence, and it's the best day of your life, you'll just say to someone who asks how it is "yeaaah pretty easy dude" like it was nothing
 
It may sound easy, but just dust yourself down and go again. The very fact that you were appointed to a county final shows you are doing a good job. There are many occasions when you will get knock backs, but always react to them in a positive.
 
Tealeaf said:
I can't say the same for you - we don't know each other - but I wonder if similar hasn't happened here? Other people say it's easy. Have you relaxed too much either consciously or unconsciously? Cautions and sending offs. Nail the mandatories - delaying the restart; failure to retire; violent conduct. Not every foul is a caution but use them appropriately - breaking up promising attacks, denying a clear advantage are the best to pick up. Not just for the assessor, but for club marks and match control. As you rise, they become expected of you. Get into the habit now.
Also do it in every game. That way when you are assessed it will feel natural to you.
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I'm so glad I read as many of the posts in a thread before replying. The advice in bold is exactly what I would have said. I get asked what I like to see as an assessor and one of my best friends always answers on my behalf when we're together ... " get the big stuff right and get the little stuff right". Little things like briefing your ARs together, making a point of completing a field and equipment check under the assessor's nose, making sure your substitution procedure takes place at the half way line and it's "one-off/one-on" every time. Easy to let these slip, but easy to get in the right habits too.

Good luck for next season.
 
Get back on the horse.

Do exactly what Brian has said and next season you will be a level 6 referee ready to go for 5. Listen to the advice of the assessors and make sure you do your best to attend your local RA. Maybe do one game a month as a supply league assistant or the feeder divisions, so you can see how other experienced referees operate.

Good luck and don't let your head get down!
 
@bester - the successful 7-6 season I had 3. The best comment actually came in the assessment for the third game in the dressing room afterwards. "At half time I gave up assessing and just sat to watch a decent game of football." Now of course he didn't stop assessing, but the point was I was competent and in control, and the players responded too. One caution, only disputed by the recipient - because as we all know the ball is curved, made of plastic, covered in a sock and spelled s-h-i-n-g-u-a-r-d :D Averaged 73 throughout with the bar then set at 70.

6-5 also took 3 attempts. The first was derailed by a combination of poor planning (assessments in September, October and last week of February) and weather which destroyed five weeks of fixtures Jan-Feb. The second was because of one of those games, and the weather again. I was on a hiding to nothing from the start, and nothing I did worked. Teams hated each other, it was a landslide win for the home team, and in fairness when I got the mark I emailed the assessor questioning his generosity! Then we lost six weeks of fixtures meaning I couldn't get a fourth one in.

And as for the likes, acknowledgement and @Brian Hamilton's 'hallelujah quote' ;) can you see why I keep being asked to join the coaching team? (Maybe one day; I am just too busy to commit properly right now- I'm an all in or nothing type of person)
 
It took me 6 years to go from Class 3 to Class 2 (that's 7 - 6 in old money) - and it stood me in good stead - as I took to the field as a Class 2 / Level 6 with all that experience in dealing with anything that happened that first season.
 
Robin said:
I received my promotion letter yesterday and I missed out by 1%, I am absolutely gutted and feel like I am not a good enough referee, I know its only 7 to 6 but most people I spoke to said that 7 to 6 is really easy and you will be fine and because I missed out I feel useless and annoyed as 1% is so close.

I have been refereeing for 18 months and really enjoy it,I received a League cup U15 final as well as receiving a county cup final this month so it was nice to be acknowledged by your county, we were told that as we were given a county cup final we are in the top 5% of referees which is an honour so to not receive my promotion I don't feel as though I deserve my finals, its a strange feeling really as I thought I was doing really well but now maybe not
Click to expand...
Missing out on promotion is a killer. I have a few colleagues who have missed out on level 4. Keep going and use this season as a learning curve. Don't beat yourself up and remember you must be a good referee to officiate any cup final. Congratulations and good luck next season. Dave
 
Along the same line as the advice in this thread is: 'Control the controllables'.

Nail that stuff that is fully under your control. Substitution procedure is fully under your control. The players' equipment is fully under your control. Where throw-ins are taking from is totally under your control.

Throw-ins are also perfect for helping demonstrate your character and control over a game. Be proactive in terms of throw-in position. Warn the player. Keep warning. If they've disappeared 20 yards up the pitch and ignored you, bang out the throw the other way, stick to your guns, and it's very clear that (1) You tried your best to stop them first and (2) You're not going to be messed about.

And it's also what you need to do in Law !!
 
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