Vets Football

[Zimmyman]

Guys /Girls !!! Just trying to find out any info on refereeing vets football !! I have only ever done up to under 17 youth football but wonder how much more challenging a vets game might be any advice ? Do I steer clear of give it a go being an older ref also
Thanks in advance

 

[JamesL]

I did vets once.
Absolute carnage.

 

[Ben448844]

Guys /Girls !!! Just trying to find out any info on refereeing vets football !! I have only ever done up to under 17 youth football but wonder how much more challenging a vets game might be any advice ? Do I steer clear of give it a go being an older ref also
Thanks in advance

I used to do vets football in Sheffield. It was a very high standard. Challenging to ref as it was very competitive but I enjoyed it.

 

[Big Cat]

Guys /Girls !!! Just trying to find out any info on refereeing vets football !! I have only ever done up to under 17 youth football but wonder how much more challenging a vets game might be any advice ? Do I steer clear of give it a go being an older ref also
Thanks in advance

Vets games are often more difficult to Ref than OA games
The players were usually decent in their day and may therefore be experienced in 'dark arts' and manipulating the Referee

 

[Anubis]

In my experience, these players still think they are Ronaldo
To them, there is no way they lost the ball without being fouled etc
They play to 1981 rules

not saying you might not get a decent game somewhere but its far down my list of choices.

 

[Trip]

In common with other comments here I would steer clear of vets football until you've done some OA. Contrary to what you might think vets games are not easier/slower/better behaved.

I've never actually referees a vets game but I played in several, and the standard is higher than you might think from the name.

 

[RustyRef]

They are slower, for obvious reasons, but often the skill level is much higher, seems that a lot of people who want to carry on playing are those that played at a decent level. It's probably a bit like when you referee at L4 or L3 and there are ex-pros playing that have dropped down just before they retire. They are much more savvy and often a lot harder to referee because they try and get in your mind.

 

[Ben448844]

I refereed Chris Waddle at Hallam Vets and then saw him the following day watching his son Jack in the Sunday League match I reffed. Some quality ex pros at vets level who give plenty to the ref but are very clever with it. It was good development for me.

 

[Hendo]

As with most discussions on here, everyone has their own opinions and experiences, I personally enjoy Vets games and get allocated to them every weekend. I'd echo the above, they can be challenging to ref for a variety of reasons and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to get involved in them when I was younger. The standard and quality can vary greatly, from those who are clearly still hungover (or occasionally still a little tipsy) to those who have spent many years playing at a decent level and are now just too old for OA leagues. It still makes me chuckle when you see one team going through a thorough warm up, and the other arguing about who's playing where over a can of Monster and a roll up 5mins before kick off!