REFEREEING

JOINT PUBLICATION OF FA LEARNING AND THE REFEREES ASSOCIATION

VOLUME 24 JANUARY 2015

From
grassroots
to World

Cup Final
How Howard Webb became one
of Englands greatest referees

Contributors:

David Elleray, Alex Horne, Daniel Meeson, Adam Gale-Watts,

Simon Breivik, Mike Mullarkey, Tom Nield, Mike Gardiner,
Roger Vaughan, Inga Jemison, Phil Knight, Mark Horlick,
Jane Simms, Sharleen Watkins, James Gould,
Kieron Salmons, James Whittaker, John Key, Will Finnie

HANDSHAKE FOR PEACE

PAGE 8

OFFICIATING IN COLD WEATHER

PAGE 10

Editorial Team:

David Elleray, Ian Blanchard, Peter Glynn,

Thomas Coupland

Design:

David Mills, James Howle, Aadil Mughal

HOWARD WEBB: A REFEREEING ROLE MODEL

PAGE 20

Image Recognition:

Getty Images, FA Learning

Acknowledgements:

RA-FA LIAISON COMMITTEE

The contents of Refereeing are copyright of

The Football Association. No articles, features or any
aspects can be reproduced or photocopied without
written permission of The Football Association.
The views of this journal are not necessarily those of
The Football Association or The Referees Association

Chairman

Published By:

David Elleray
Chairman FA Referees Committee
President The Referees Association
The FA Referees Committee

FA Learning,
The Football Association,
St. Georges Park, Newborough Road,
Needwood, Burton-Upon-Trent, DE13 9PD

A Personal Perspective

Alex Horne

Handshake for Peace

David Elleray

Ociating in Cold Weather

Simon Breivik

10

The Winters Tale

Adam Gale-Watts

14

Ten Point Plan

Roger Vaughan

16

Howard Webb: Refereeing Career

18

Howard Webb: A Refereeing Role Model

Mike Mullarkey

20

Howard Webb: A Role Model for Young Referees

Tom Nield

22

Email:

FIFA Lists 2015 + Referee Registration

[email protected]
[email protected]

The FA Refereeing Department

The FA Crest is a registered trademark of The Football

Association. The Football Association 2004

FA Head of Senior Referee Development

FA Senior National Game Referee Manager
FA National Referee Manager Recruitment, Retention & Development
FA National Referee Manager Volunteers
FA National Referee Manager Workforce

David Elleray

TheFA.com/Refereeing

Website:

David Horlick Vice Chairman

Neale Barry
Ian Blanchard
Roger Vaughan
Daniel Meeson
Keith Stroud

Foreword

23

Club Marks: Living by The Sword

Mike Gardiner

24

Abandoning Games due to Serious Injury

Mike Gardiner

26

The Football Association Development Group

Inga Jemison

28

The Danish Exchange

Daniel Meeson

30

Disability Football

Mark Horlick

33

Latest from the Referees Association

34

The Referees Association

Latest from the RA-FA Youth Council

40

Laura Ritchie
Paul Field
Albert Astbury
David Crick

A Successful Season So Far

Sharleen Watkins

45

The Season So Far

Jane Simms

46

RA Board Chairman
Acting RA General Manager
RA External Aairs Committee (Chairman)
RA representative on FA Council; member of FA Referees Committee

The RA-FA Youth Council

Will Finnie

Chairman

Foreword

FOREWORD
2014 was an important year, not just for refereeing but for the entire nation.
Together we remembered those who paid the ultimate sacrifice 100 years before in the 1st World War,
and to commemorate such a historic occasion an incredible Game of Truce took place in December
between a British Army XI and a German Army XI.
We appointed Swiss FIFA referee, Stephan
Klossner, to ociate, which seemed most
appropriate given Switzerlands neutrality in the
Great War (as well as a Swiss referee being in
charge when we beat Germany in the
World Cup nal in 1966).
In this peaceful context, I am very pleased to
focus in this edition on the Handshake for
Peace concept (left) which was borne in
South Africa in 2010 and was formalised at
last years World Cup.
The idea is simple: at the end of the match
the two captains and the referee meet and
shake hands in a symbolic gesture that, after
the battle of the match, peace, friendship and
respect are restored.
I saw it working exceptionally well at the FA
Cup nal in Oslo as it is takes place at the end
of every senior Norwegian match. This simple
gesture is attributed with leading to a much
better atmosphere in Norwegian football, so
please do take time to study what is becoming
a growing sporting phenomenon.

The idea is simple:

at the end of the match
the two captains and
the referee meet and
shake hands in a
symbolic gesture.
4

Sadly, we also lost members of the refereeing

family in 2014. Among the losses were Frank
Hannah (Manchester FA), a former FA Referees
Committee Chairman, and Pat Partridge, the
former World Cup referee from the North East.
We extend our condolences to their families
and friends and to the families and friends of all
referees who died in 2014.
2014 also saw Alex Horne, FA General Secretary,
announce his departure from The FA. Alex has
been a huge supporter of refereeing in England
both directly and through his excellent work
with the International FA Board (IFAB).
He reects on English refereeing in his
farewell article.

This edition also includes plenty of winter

season information and advice which we hope
will be of benet to everyone in the game, such
as Simon Breiviks article on how to keep warm
and reduce the risk of injury in cold weather
which is reinforced for assistant referees by
Adam Watts.
Roger Vaughan extends the cold weather
advice to pitch inspection where the clear
message is that if both teams do not want
to play, then dont play. This is especially
important where there is a safety risk such as
frozen ground.
On the theme of matches not being played,
or not nishing, there is an excellent article
on how to deal with a serious injury, which is
especially pertinent to those of you ociating
in grassroots football where medical experts,
ambulances and facilities are usually not
immediately available.
The FA Referees Committee and FA
Refereeing department are committed to
helping extend football and refereeing for all
people, and so to that end we welcome the
work in County FAs and by The RA and the
RAFA Youth Council to increase the number of
referees from all dierent backgrounds.
Equally, we are keen to increase the number of
ocials operating in disability football, and this
edition contains an inspiring article from the
Liverpool CFA about how they have increased
the number of referees involved in blind and
cerebral palsy football.

On the subject of inspirational people, I am

sure you will join me in saluting Brian Stevens,
a former Football League referee from
Gloucestershire, who just before the turn of the
year refereed his 3000th match at the age of 75.
Brian is an inspiration to us all and I hope that
those of you thinking of retiring at the end of
the season might reect on Brian and give
refereeing at least one more year.
The clear message running through this
edition is that there is so much help and advice
available to you from articles and helpful
people. A series of articles from the RA and the
RAFAYC are timely reminders of how those
organisations can assist, educate and support
you, regardless of what level you are ociating.
I wish you all an enjoyable and successful start
to 2015 and I hope that the warmer than usual
weather in 2014 continues and you do not
need to inspect too many pitches.
Best wishes,

David Elleray
Chairman, FA Referees Committee
President, The Referees Association

Throughout the referee world there are

inspirational stories and people, with one of
those being Howard Webb who has moved
from the eld of play to the stand. In this edition
we reect on his career and his inuence as a
role model from a young referee and from one
of his closest friends and colleagues,
Mike Mullarkey.

A Personal Perspective: Alex Horne

A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE:
ALEX HORNE
As I write these words, my time at The Football Association
is drawing to a close as I leave the organisation at the end of
January 2015.
My 11 years with The FA have been a
tremendously signicant period for me and
my over-riding emotion is pride. Put simply, I
am extremely proud to have served The FA,
the global games oldest governing body, for
more than a decade.
Last year, we marked our 150th anniversary
and unashamedly spent a year celebrating
the national game and especially those who
make it happen week-in, week-out from
the grassroots up. We also honoured our
founding fathers, and men such as Ebenezer
Morley, Charles Alcock and Arthur Pember
were put back in the spotlight.
In particular, we recognised Morley. He was
the man who penned the original Laws of the
Game which in turn set association football
on its fantastic journey. He was 32 when he
called the rst meeting of The FA, about the
age I joined as its Finance Director in 2003.
I now nd myself sitting in the privileged
position as a Director of The International
Football Association Board, the body which
oversees the Laws of The Game.

As an Association, we have played our

part in the IFAB for 129 years, maintaining
a conservative hand on the pen that can
amend the Laws that govern the game; Laws
that provide the universal simplicity that
makes the game instantly recognisable and
easily accessible, and which have allowed
it to grow into the worlds largest and most
loved sport.
Referees remain the local guardians of
the game and our role has always been
to protect and enhance their role as the
nal arbiters of proceedings wherever the
game is played. Our view remains that when
amendments to the Laws, or introduction
of new equipment or technology, can assist
referees in their decision-making, these are
times to be bold.
That is why The FA championed for a decade
or more the introduction of Goal-Line
Technology when others were sceptical
and why we advocated the introduction of
vanishing spay as an obvious advance.

It seems that every year we are commending

our English referees and assistants for yet
more top-class appointments. This year, Mark
Clattenburg and his UEFA Super Cup team,
Sian Massey and Marc Birkett, in particular,
have led the way. Our top ocials are also
acting as ambassadors for the great refereeing
profession, and we are seeing numbers
stronger than ever at all levels of the refereeing
pyramid - I applaud the tireless work of The FA
sta in the Referees Department and beyond
who make this happen.
Our 150th anniversary allowed us to come
together as an organisation and reect on
who we are and what we do as we go forward.
The FA was a very dierent place a century
and a half ago and indeed ten years ago when
I rst arrived. However, our values remain the
same as they ever have been, underlined by
the strapline we developed to mark our 150th,
supporting football since 1863.
No one does that more than our referees
and I thank you for all that you do to keep
the game alive in all corners of England.

Our view remains that

when amendments
to the Laws, or
introduction of
new equipment or
technology can
assist referees in their
decision-making, these
are times to be bold.

Handshake for Peace

HANDSHAKE

FOR PEACE
By David Elleray, President of the
Referees Association and Chairman
of The FA Referees Committee

The Handshake for Peace is a joint initiative by

the Nobel Peace Center and FIFA, which aims to
combine the global reach and power of football
in a simple gesture that is symbolic of friendship,
respect and peace in society.
The campaign was launched on 10 December 2013 at the FIFA Club
World Cup in Morocco where the rst handshake took place between
Aaron Mokoena and Morten Gamst Pedersen (below).
Since then it has become a component of the match protocol at all
FIFA tournaments, and FIFA is contributing to the Nobel Peace Centers
budget in support of its activities.

WATCH: THE HANDSHAKE FOR PEACE

The idea is simple: at the end of the match the two captains and the
referee meet and shake hands in a symbolic gesture that after the battle
of the match peace, friendship and respect are restored. The handshake
has been developed in association with the Nobel Peace Centre, which is
intimately involved with the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Handshake for Peace in Norway

With the Nobel Peace Center based in Norway, it is appropriate that
it features strongly in Norwegian football the Handshake for Peace
occurs at the end of every senior match and the reaction is very positive.
Indeed, the top-ranked Norwegian international referee Svein
Oddvar Moen says that he has nothing but positive experiences with
Handshake for Peace.
With its main focus on respect and fair-play, it has developed to become
a very positive concept in Norwegian football. It provides a framework for
mutual respect for both winners and losers. Time has now come to bring
the concept to other nations and leagues.
The Chairman of The Norwegian Football Referees Association and
FIFA-referee, Svein-Erik Edvartsen, says
Our experience is that the on-eld atmosphere has changed
signicantly after the concept was introduced.

READ: SVEIN-ERIK EDVARTSENS

THOUGHTS ON
THE HANDSHAKE
FOR PEACE

Side 2

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Origins of the Handshake for Peace

The concept is the brainchild of the secretary-general of the Football
Association of Norway, Kjetl Siem, who introduced it during his time as
CEO of the South African Premier Soccer League in 2010.
Through Siems advocacy, FIFA embraced the Handshake for Peace in
2013 and it was formalised at last years World Cup as an integral part of
the match protocol throughout the nal tournament.

DOWNLOAD: THE HANDSHAKE FOR PEACE AT THE

2014 WORLD CUP

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Another signicant supporter of the Handshake for Peace is Gerard

Piqu, who said: I regard this job as a calling and I believe we have a duty
to ght for peace and justice wherever we can.

READ: THE FIFA WEEKLY INTERVIEW

WITH NEYMAR AND GERARD PIQUE
HANDSHAKE FOR PEACE

There are now less negative comments about the referees in the media.
Immediately after the post-game Handshake for Peace procedure is
carried out, the captains of both teams are interviewed on the eld.
There are probably a number of reasons for the decrease in negative
referee comments, but this interview is denitely a key factor.
FIFAs commitment to this sporting movement was made clear by the
FIFA Presidents letter prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup nals.

READ: FIFA PRESIDENT, SEPP BLATTERS LETTER

TO FINALISTS OF 2014 WORLD CUP

HANDSHAKE FOR PEACE

Sarah Steiner (text)

and Christian Grund (pictures)

moves today. At the age of 11 he joined the FC

Santos youth academy, Meninos da Vila, and
was later identified as one of the greatest potential talents in the world game. Pele felt he
could be better than me, and TIME magazine
dubbed him The next Pele. He scored 156
goals in 256 games in his time with Santos.
A deep commitment to Santos runs in the
family. Neymars grandfather Ilzemar was a
passionate fan of the club, and his father was
even good enough to appear for the youth section. He became a professional and featured
for a number of clubs but was forced to end
his career prematurely due to injury. He wanted his son Neymar junior to do even better,
and the child has fulfilled and wildly exceeded his dreams and expectations. Neymar senior is now his sons manager and close confidant. My father is so much more than just my
father, the Bara forward said. Hes my best
friend, hes my life. The 22-year-old did not
get where he is today simply through talent.
Neymar is possessed of almost unbelievable
ambition, a character trait not universally regarded in a positive light. But his vocabulary
does not include the word lose. He played
incessantly as a child, in the stands at the stadiums where his father was playing, on the
beach, in the streets and even indoors at
home. He spent his childhood with his parents and sister in a single room with one mattress for all four family members.

port has the power to inspire

and unite people. This statement from Nelson Mandela is
familiar all over the world.
The idea that football can
change the world and make it
a better place can sound lofty
and even glib, but countless
examples show the game doing exactly that (see page 12).
To achieve big things you need
big names. Headline-grabbing
events and an international stage are preconditions for global recognition. As the worlds governing body, FIFA is in a position to meet this
requirement by recruiting players as ambassadors, organising politically significant meetings
and facilitating dialogue. The Handshake for
Peace is an example of this kind of project.
A simple handshake forms the core of the
initiative: two human beings offering each other their hands as a universal symbol for peace
and friendship. The project initiated by the
Nobel Peace Center in Norway is a component
of FIFAs mission to build a better future
through football, headlined by the slogan It
starts with you and me.
In the build-up to the World Cup in Brazil
it has started with Neymar and Piqu, with
the Barcelona stars joining forces to back the
project. The players, whose backgrounds
could hardly be more different, exchanged a
handshake to send out a signal and stand together for peace. One was born into humble
surroundings and grew up with the ball at his
feet on Brazilian beaches while the other
comes from a middle-class family and is a
carefully nurtured product of the famous La
Masia academy. Without football their paths
would surely never have crossed. But talent
and determination has brought them together and they are now jointly campaigning for
the good cause. Football has taught me you
can achieve anything in life if you really want
it. It can set things in motion so its our duty
to use our popularity for a good cause,
Neymar declared.
The new Pele
Born to a mechanic and a home help in Mogi
das Cruzes, 40 km to the east of Sao Paulo,
football played a defining role in Neymars life
from the start. As a kid he played on precipitous coastal streets. Playing downhill is more
difficult, Neymar reckons, because of the
abrupt stops required after a full-on sprint,
and that has become one of his trademark
8

I regard this job as a calling and I believe

we have a duty to fight for peace and
justice wherever we can.
Gerard Piqu

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

A friendship for life

It was impossible to imagine Neymar without
the ball. I dribbled around the room and gave
a commentary on my play. I even awarded
fouls. If I ran into the sofa Id complain to the
referee, Neymar smiled. And because he had
a ball at his feet everywhere and at all times he
was almost inevitably spotted and singled out.
At a veterans tournament where his father
was playing in late 1998, Neymar junior
charged up and down the steps in one of the
grandstands, catching the eye of a man on the
lookout for talent. He obviously possessed
such incredible dexterity, agility and co-ordination, recalls Betinho, who was looking for
new players for a futsal team. Here was the
kind of unique talent only born once in a thousand million, the coach is supposed to have
said. The two struck up an increasingly strong
friendship which continues to this day. Betinho was present when Neymar joined Santos
and was among the multitude in 2013 when the
player was officially unveiled by Barcelona.
Neymar first came to Europe in 2006,
completing a 14-day trial with Real Madrid
and utterly convincing the coaching staff of
his ability. But he ultimately decided to go
back home. It was basically perfect, but I was

T H E F I FA W E E K LY

The future for the

Handshake for Peace
For those who believe in the power of football, the Handshake for Peace
concept should spread throughout the world into football at all levels.
Its a simple act which reflects the true spirit of sportsmanship and
that, once the match is over, friendship and respect are restored.

Ociating in Cold Weather

OFFICIATING IN

PRE-MATCH
The rst hurdle is to keep warm between the end of your
warm-up and the start of the match. Its not exactly ideal
warming up for 15 minutes only to spend the ensuing 15
minutes cooling down again.

with Simon Breivik,

PGMOL Head of Sports Science

WARM-UP

While the rest of Europe looks

forward to a winter football
break, here in England were
facing the prospect of a freezing
cold winter on the fields. But,
have you ever considered how
well prepared you are to deal
with the wintery conditions? If
ignored, the cold can present a
real challenge one that goes
beyond cold fingers and toes.

The rst line of defence against the cold is the warm-up.

It is a common misconception that the warm-up is all about
reducing injury risk its equally important for optimising
physical performance.

A drop in core temperature can bring about

a loss of stamina because of a drop in your
maximum heart rate and a reduction in the
oxygen being delivered to your muscles.
Whats more, your bodys ability to produce
power deteriorates, which means your sprinting
ability suers. And, to top it all o, your risk of
injury increases in the cold. Combine these
factors with the ever-increasing pace of the
game and you could be facing a testing
90 minutes.
The good news is that the detrimental eects
of the weather can be prevented providing
you are well-prepared. But, as the weather
deteriorates, I wonder how many ocials
spare any thought for the environment theyre
refereeing in and how many simply go through
the motions. One thing is certain, when the
match kicks o, all match ocials must be
primed for action.

The key to staying warm is being as active as you possibly can at

all times. See Half-Time advice on page 13.

The amount you move around the pitch will dictate your body
temperature during the match. The more you move, the more
heat you will generate.
Assistant referees have very little say in their movement during
a match. If its a one-sided game, theres a danger theyll be
rooted to the half-way line for long periods without moving.
And, unlike goalkeepers, who can perform their own mini
warm-ups throughout a match, assistant referees cannot
randomly take-o down the touch line in the opposite direction
to play to get warm.
Referees have a little bit more control over their activity levels
and can get away with jogging around a bit more than they
normally might but dont do anything over the top that will put
you out of position.

The easiest way to structure your warm-up is to break it down

into stages.
Jogging is the most important but also the most neglected
element of the warm-up. Too many ocials saunter around the
pitch lethargically before spending the best part of their warmup stretching. Standing still in freezing cold conditions, whether
youre stretching or not, is more likely to cool you down than
warm you up. So, if you do just one thing during your warm-up,
make it a good jog.
You should spend the rst ve to ten minutes jogging
starting slowly and steadily speeding up. This gradually
increases blood ow, respiration, heart rate, muscle temperature
and muscle exibility.
Once youve raised your core temperature and your muscles
are warm, its time to focus on mobility by performing exercises
youll be familiar with if youve ever watched players warm up
skipping, carioca, backwards running, side-stepping, hip rolls
etc. These exercises should be performed on the move so that
youre maintaining body temperature. Once youve completed
the mobility drills, you should progress to dynamic stretches
forwards and sideways straight-leg swings, high kicks, highknees, heel icks etc.
The nal phase of the warm-up concerns preparing the muscles
specically for high-speed running and sprinting. Using cones,
set out a small grid and perform increasingly longer high-speed
runs. Then progress into all-out accelerations over 10-30m.
Finally, introduce movements that are specic to your role
on the pitch. Assistant referees should perform side-stepping
movements into an acceleration whilst referees should perform
some backwards running into forward curved accelerations
as well as perform some fast 180 turns. Its important when
performing the accelerations/sprints that youre getting plenty
of rest between each repetition, otherwise youll start to fatigue.
Now that youre warm, the real challenge begins
staying warm for the next two hours.

10

If you referee parks football, you probably have the

opportunity to warm-up until the moment you blow your whistle
for kick-o. But, if youre refereeing at higher levels you will have
formalities to deal with, like standing in the tunnel, standing for
handshakes and photos with the mascots.

THE MATCH

HOT

TIP

Wear the correct amount of clothing for your warm-up, the match and at half-time,
bearing in mind that you will probably want to wear more during the warm-up than
during the match. Use your training sessions in the cold as an opportunity to figure
out what youre most comfortable with. These days, theres an abundance of specialist
equipment on the market designed to keep you warm, such as under-garments that
can easily be worn under your match kit.

11

Ociating in Cold Weather

HOT

TIP

Take on extra
carbohydrates
Exercising in the cold tends to
deplete glycogen (carbohydrate)
stores more quickly so its
important to replenish stocks at
half-time. An energy drink and
some fruit would be sensible.

HOT

TIPS

Dont forget to drink

Although you may feel less
thirsty in the cold, you are still
losing fluid and therefore need
to replace it.

12

Dont wear too much. Even in the cold, your body will produce a lot of heat, especially
if your work rate is high. It is very difficult to remove an undergarment ten minutes
into the match.

HALF-TIME

POST-MATCH

Unless its been a terrible match, you should come o at

half-time feeling warm. But beware you will cool down very
quickly when you stop moving, especially if your clothing is wet.
Your body will lose up to 25% more heat if youre clothing is wet
so the rst thing you should do is change as much of your kit as
possible, especially your under clothing.

Once youve blown the nal whistle, you should get back
to the changing room as quickly as possible and have a hot
shower. Ideally, a cool-down would be performed immediately
after the match but this can be problematic at a football ground.
Instead, you should try to perform an active recovery training
session the day after your game. This should consist of 25-30
minutes of light aerobic activity preferably swimming or
cycling. Once youre dressed, its time to rehydrate and replace
the energy youve used so consume a high-carb, medium
protein snack/meal as soon as possible.

Studies on football players have demonstrated that muscle

temperature can drop as much as 2C during the half-time break.
Magni Mohr and his colleagues at the University of Copenhagen
discovered a link between a decline in muscle temperature
at half-time and a lowered sprint capacity at the start of the
second half. But they also found that sprint performance could
be maintained if players carried out some form of low-intensity
activity prior to the second half kicking o.
So, the half-time challenge for referees is to stay warm by
moving around as much as possible (not stretching). Easier said
than done given youre conned to a small changing room, but
its worth a go. Perhaps jogging on the spot intermittently
thirty seconds on, one minute o would be enough to retain
a degree or two. You could go as far as to take a hot shower (if
theres any hot water) which is a passive form of warming up
but only in very cold conditions.
In an ideal world, youd use the last ve minutes of the half-time
break to perform a mini re-warm-up. You may have seen the
USA team do just this before the start of the second half of their
matches at the World Cup. The question is, as a match ocial,
how do you t this in before the second half kicks o ? It is a
logistical challenge, especially if youre refereeing at a level that
requires you to perform administrative duties, such as pressing a
bell a few minutes before kick-o etc.

Have a spare set of clothes for the second half.

Wet clothing will cool you down extremely quickly
so this is particularly important in wet conditions.

HOT

TIPS

Only strip off your warm-up top

just before you head out for the
first half. Put an extra layer on
at half time and only strip it off
just before walking out for the
second half.

But, bearing in mind the most eective method of warming

up is to jog, you should attempt to perform at least a couple of
minutes of light jogging before kick-o. Assistant referees have
the excuse of checking the nets to squeeze in some running.
Referees would benet from using the time it takes the players
to get into position to run back and forward across the half-way
line a few times.
If youre refereeing parks football, you may have to stay out on
the pitch at half-time so you could perform a re-warm-up in the
six or seven minutes before the second half is due to start.

13

The Winters Tale: Tips for Keeping Warm as an Assistant Referee

THE WINTERS TALE:

TIPS FOR KEEPING WARM AS AN ASSISTANT REFEREE

Consider putting Vaseline on the backs of your hands

and arms

Avoid putting Deep Heat on your hands, as this may well rub
o in other sensitive areas, like eyes and cause irritation

Adam Gale-Watts, PGMOL

Senior Coach for Assistant
Referees and former FIFA
Assistant Referee, provides
invaluable tips and advice on
how to stay warm on the field
through the cold winter months.

*
*

Consider wearing a long-sleeved shirt

Exit, pursued by a bear is one of William Shakespeares

most famous stage directions and comes from The Winters
Tale, and whilst the only animal the assistant referee
potentially considers during a match is a PIG (Interferes with
Play, Interferes with an opponent, or Gains advantage from
being in that position), the cold temperatures and difficult
underfoot conditions that can be experienced during the
winter months of the football season may prove to be a
distraction - just as being pursued by a bear would be.
The focus of this article is to outline the main challenges that
cold temperatures and tricky underfoot conditions may bring for
those of you running the line during the winter months and to
consider some strategies for avoiding these challenges impacting
on performance. Unlike some species of bear, assistant referees
hibernating during winter months is not an option.

THE CHALLENGES OF
BEING OUT IN THE COLD
There is some simple physiology at play here, much beyond the
scope of this article; however in essence, via a process called
thermoregulation the core body temperature is maintained at
around 37C.
If the temperature drops one of the mechanisms to increase
body temperature is to shiver, which increases the body
temperature but can cause a distraction so reducing heat loss,
which results in feeling cold, is best avoided.
Research has shown that during a typical match the physical
activity prole of assistant referees involves standing still
for around 46% of the time, usually whilst positioned on the
halfway line with the play taking place in the other half of
the eld of play. So unlike a referee who may well be able to
adjust their movement prole to keep warm, the relatively
xed position of assistant referees in line with the second last
opponent during the majority of the match situations leaves
less scope for using this approach to keep warm.
Whilst assistant referees should be mentally active at all
times, including those times positioned at the halfway line,
concentrating fully on the match and the role in the refereeing
team, both cold temperatures and dicult underfoot conditions
can be a challenge. These factors can have a signicant eect
on the decision-making process (cognitive performance)
due to distraction.
Maintaining appropriate levels of concentration is critical to
accurately responding to match situations, especially in the
primary role of making oside judgements, so being distracted
by feeling cold and/or being worried about the conditions of
the touchline are potential distractions which have the ability to
negatively impact on performance.

14

AVOID GETTING COLD HANDS

Cold hands are not only very distracting, but they can impact
the ability to hold the ag and/or write so here are a few tips:

Consider wearing gloves that allow you to grip the ag, write,
and also t in with the professional appearance of a match
ocial a short-sleeved shirt and gloves should be avoided

INVEST IN SOME GOOD QUALITY UNDER GARMENTS

Good quality base-layers under your shirt and undershorts are
a way of retaining body warmth and avoiding unnecessary heat
loss. Consider a change of undershirt and/or shirt at half time

AVOIDING BEING FROZEN OUT OF

THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
The following are some tips for keeping warm as an assistant
referee, intended to help avoid the distraction of cold
temperatures or difficult underfoot conditions:
FUELLING AND HYDRATION
Almost everything we do, whether it is a physical behaviour or
a mental process, requires the same energy source: glucose.
Prepare by consuming suitable foods and hydrate appropriately
prior to the match, and top up your levels at half-time

In summary, open your mind up to thinking about strategies

and approaches to keep warm as an assistant referee
during the winter months. Applying a layer of Vaseline to
exposed skin on hands and arms, adding additional layers
of clothing, changing clothing at half-time and being fuelled
and hydrated are ways to keep warm. Dont be the assistant
referee who came in from the cold having made a poor
judgement because they failed to avoid distraction.

WARM-UP
Wear suitable clothing for the warm-up, which is designed to
get you warm and ready, not to make you cold before you start.
Consider wearing a tracksuit top and bottoms, and a hat and
gloves in extremely cold temperatures remember to ensure
that any clothing ts in with a professional appearance
OCCUPYING YOUR MIND
Keep focused and concentrate fully on the match to distract
yourself from feeling cold. Some assistant referees use selftalk, where they do not speak out loud, to keep focused on
the match
WALK YOUR TOUCHLINE
Walk the touchline prior to the match to know what the
underfoot conditions are like. This will allow you to select
the most suitable footwear e.g. studs, moulded boots,
trainers. Review at halftime whether a change of footwear
is required
AVOID GETTING COLD FEET
Cold feet can be very distracting, so here are a few tips:

Avoid putting on wet/damp footwear dry out your footwear

before you put it on

*
*

Consider putting Vaseline on your feet

*
*

Consider wearing a second pair of ankle socks under your

football socks

Both cold temperatures and difficult underfoot

conditions can be a challenge and these
factors can have a significant effect on the
decision-making process.

Change your socks at halftime

When standing still, wiggle your toes to keep your feet moving

15

Ten Point Plan: Inspecting the Field of Play During the Winter Months

The only time you really

have to be the decisionmaker is when the two
teams do not agree.

Inspecting the eld of play

during the winter months
Roger Vaughan, FA National Referee Manager - Referee Development, provides a series of useful tips for
you to consider when inspecting a field of play this winter.
Its that time of the year when the weather takes its toll on football
xtures up and down the country and when you need to be aware
of what to do if called in to inspect the eld of play.
Whilst it is ultimately the referees decision, it is very important to
consider the views of other people and not make (or be seen to
make) the decision in an aloof, isolated manner.
Where there are safety concerns and BOTH teams do not want to
play, you will be putting yourself in a very dicult position if you insist
on going ahead.
Equally, if there are no safety issues and BOTH teams want to play
then think very carefully before calling the game o. In reality, the
only time you really have to be the decision-maker is when the two
teams do not agree.
To play or not to play is a decision that we will face regularly during
the course of our career so within the guidelines above, here is a
ten point plan for you to use as a guide for inspecting a field of play:

1 DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Have a look at the forecast and anticipated conditions the day
before your game. There are regular updates on the media and
there are plenty of websites on the internet that will give you
accurate information.

2 BE PROACTIVE - PICK UP THE

PHONE AND MAKE CONTACT
It will normally be the responsibility of the home club to conrm the
xture with the referee, but dont be afraid to make initial contact
if the weather is already looking uncertain and ask them what
their plans are in terms of ground inspections or what the current
condition of the eld of play is like.
For matches in a stadium do they use a local referee to complete
their inspections to avoid unnecessary travel for you, your colleagues
and the away team?

6 NOT JUST THE FIELD OF PLAY

Make sure where possible you get to the ground before the players
and managers get there the fewer the people present when you
make your initial assessment the easier your situation becomes.

Before you walk out onto the eld of play, remember to take one
out with you. Consider how you as a referee can sell to the people
watching that a ball will not roll, it wont bounce and it simply sticks in
the puddles and the mud if you did not have a ball.
The ball is an invaluable tool for you to have and quite often by using
the ball eectively it will publicise the judgement of whether or not
the game can be played even before you do.

5 EVERY BLADE OF GRASS

Dont just consider the main activity areas (centre circle and penalty
areas). The fact is, the game will potentially be played on every
single blade of grass and its therefore important to survey the entire
playing surface before deciding.

9 THINK SAFETY, NOT FARCE

The most important factor you need to consider above all when
making your nal decision is - Am I satised that this eld of play
and the surrounding areas pose no risk or place no player in danger?

In addition, especially as you go further up the refereeing pyramid you

will also have to consider travel for those involved - what are the access
roads like? What are the conditions like that they will face when they
try to return home? All of these areas are equally important.

Secondly, consider - if I decide to play this game then whilst it may

pose no risk to me or the players, will it develop into a farce?

If you have any doubt then the game must be postponed.

Even if people are not paying to watch, the game if the conditions are
such that the players cannot show their skills because of the state of
the eld then it looks farcical and you could lack credibility
if you continue.

10 THE DECISION IS MADE COMMUNICATE

IT WITH CONFIDENCE AND STRENGTH

3 GET TO THE GROUND EARLY

Be prepared to inspect the eld in appropriate clothing. By being
prepared it will allow you to complete your inspection more
realistically, so pack your boots, a tracksuit and a match day coat.

After this, politely ask that you be given some time alone or with your
team so that you can survey the eld of play for yourself. You will
be amazed how professional you will look to people when they are
trying to form an opinion of you.

Some of the games that you will referee will take place within stadia
where there is terracing, a covered standing area or maybe some
form of seating. In conjunction with the club you may have to check
that these areas are t and safe for spectators to watch the game.

Remember, as the referee you are the leader and sometimes it will
be you that has to take the initiative. If you are required to complete
the inspection, ask the home club what time somebody will be at the
ground to meet you.

4 THINK BALL

16

Dont forget to ensure that it is not just the areas that the 22 players
will also operate remember to ensure that the perimeter lines
are also t for assistant referees to operate on throughout the 90
minutes. Their safety is paramount.

7 WHAT ABOUT THE TEMPERATURE?

In freezing cold conditions remember that the temperature will
often begin to drop after midday. Its important to understand this
specically when you are completing inspections before 12pm
what might seem playable now may be a very dierent story at 3pm.
Remember the weather forecast, its conditions and anticipated
temperatures. Even more important, you need to try to work out
what the conditions will be like at the end of the match if it is touch
and go with low temperatures at 3pm then for sure the pitch will be
unt by 4.45pm. Too many referees focus only on the conditions at
kick o - think 90 minutes ahead.

8 DO IT ON YOUR OWN OR WITH YOUR TEAM

You will need an open and clear mind when you are undertaking a
pitch inspection. When you arrive people will undoubtedly give you
their input and opinion and on occasions this can be really helpful so
dont dismiss that after all, there is nobody that knows their pitch
like the groundsman so dont be afraid to absorb their early thoughts.

In our role as referees we make hundreds of decisions during the

course of a game. Some of them are popular and readily accepted,
but some of them arent. Field of play inspections are no dierent
and there will always be somebody somewhere that disagrees with
your decision. However, make sure that you communicate with
condence, explain your thought processes, highlight the risk areas
if you are postponing a game and reiterate the importance of player
safety and avoiding farcical conditions.
Remember the opening guidelines if both teams are in agreement
think very carefully before you go against them - if they do not want
to play and you insist they do you have already undermined your
authority and respect; and if someone is then injured you will be the
one they will blame.
Finally, whilst the responsibility often falls with the home club, you
communicate your decision to the league, the away team and your
colleagues if they are not with you at the time this way there is no
risk of anybody not receiving information from the home club.
If you require any further support or assistance on how you
should carry out your inspections at any of your games please do
not hesitate to contact your local County FA Referee Development
Officer they will be only too happy to assist.
Enjoy the rest of your season and if temperatures remain above
normal hopefully you will not need these guidelines too often.

17

Howard Webb Focus

HOWARD WEBB

PROMOTION PATH
DOMESTIC FINALS AS REFEREE

REFEREEING CAREER

31 May - FA Cup Final

14 May - FA Trophy Final

Chelsea -v- Everton at Wembley

Grays Athletic -v- Woking at Boleyn Ground

OVERSEAS FINALS AS REFEREE

INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
APPEARANCES

23 May 4 June - UEFA

Under-21 Finals in Portugal

Refereed 3 group games

and a quarter-nal

Promoted to FIFA List of

International Referees

Promoted
to Northern
Counties
East League
referees list

Promoted
to Northern
Counties East
League Assistant
Referees List

Promoted
to Class 1
Commenced
refereeing

1989

1990

1991

296
18

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2010

Promoted to Select
Group of Referees

Promoted to Panel
Leagues Referees List

2001

2002

2004

2003

2005

2007

2006

30 June
22 July
FIFA Under20 World
Cup Finals
in Canada

Arsenal -v- Chelsea at

Millennium Stadium

Refereed 3 group
games (including
the opening
match),
a quarter-nal
and a semi-nal

25 May - Football
League 1 Play-O Final
Cardi City -v- QPR at
Millennium Stadium

Total number of Premier League matches refereed (2003-2014)

42

Total number of full international matches refereed (2005-2014)

8 9
1530
June - FIFA
Confederations
Cup in Brazil

8 June 1 July
UEFA Euro 2012 Finals
in Poland/Ukraine
Refereed 2 group games
and a quarter-nal

Refereed 2
group games

19 May - Football League

Championship Play-O Final

7 June 29 June
- UEFA Euro 2008
Finals in Austria/
Switzerland

Blackpool -v- West Ham United at Wembley

11 June 11 July - FIFA 5 6

World Cup Finals in South Africa

Refereed 2 group games, a round of 16 game

and the nal, The Netherlands -v- Spain

Arsenal -v- Chelsea at

Millennium Stadium

2014

2009

Houston Dynamo
-v- New England
Revolution in
Foxborough, USA

5 Feb
Football League
Carling Cup Final

2013

10

Refereed a group
game and a semi-nal

Promoted to
National List
of Assistant
Referees

2008

2011

2012

5 August
North
American
Superliga Final

7 August - FA
Community
Shield

Promoted to Select Group

of Assistant Referees

Refereed a group game and a

round of 16 game

24 October 15 3
November - FIFA
Under-17 World Cup
Finals in Nigeria

Promoted to
UEFA Elite
Category
of Referees

Refereed 2 group games (including

the opening match), and a semi-nal

Promoted to National List of Referees

12 June 13 July- FIFA

World Cup Finals in Brazil

36

22 May - UEFA Champions

League Final
Inter Milan -vBayern Munich in Madrid

10

Total number of UEFA Champions League matches refereed (group stage and beyond, 2006 2014)

19

Howard Webb Focus

HOWARD WEBB

Undoubtedly, Howard has changed since

he started out as a referee in the Rotherham
local leagues in the late 1980s. He is a
dierent man now than he was in those
formative years but the changes have been
an enhancement of those basic life skills and
it is those skills that have seen him reach the
absolute pinnacle of the game and which
have led to him being recognised outside
his own eld and culminating in his richly
deserved MBE in 2010.

A REFEREEING ROLE MODEL

Mike Mullarkey FIFA and Select Group Assistant Referee

If you research the meaning

of the term role model
the accredited definition
comes from the socialist
Robert K. Merton. He defined it
as a person whose behaviour,
example, or success is or can
be emulated by others,
especially by younger people.
In refereeing terms, that description could
not sit more appropriately than on the broad
shoulders of Howard Webb.
Having spent the last seven years working
with Howard, it has given me an almost
unique opportunity to see how he operated
and how he has coped with the responsibility
of being a role model.
Starting out in his career, Howard would
never have seen himself becoming a role
model and having to act in a certain way to
full that role. It is not a status that he has
actively sought out; it has simply developed
throughout his career.

So, what is it about the man that commands

the respect and the status of a role model?

stronger than the sum of the individual parts

could not have been more evident.

The thing that has struck me in all the

time I have spent with him is his ability to
communicate with people across all walks of
life. He is as comfortable talking to the chief
executive of a football club or business as he
is meeting football fans. More importantly,
he makes every person he engages with feel
valued, and is equally interested in what they
are about as he is sharing his views.

Another area that Howard has been mindful

of has been to be aware of what is expected
of him given his role model status. This is
an interesting situation because he did not
choose this. It has evolved with him during
his career and he has needed to behave in a
manner that, in some respects, people expect
of him given his position.

I have no doubt that everyone who meets

Howard for the rst time goes away with
a better impression about referees and
refereeing than they might have had prior to
meeting him.
Howard has a professional approach with a
personal touch. He leaves little to chance
that is within his control. His planning
and approach to training, preparation,
performance and review is second to none
and right to the end of his active career, he
was always seeking ways to improve both his
personal performance and that of his team.
Howard would always make sure that every
member of his match day team felt valued
and, in return, would get the very best out of
each individual. The ethos of the team being

Howard took charge of the World Cup Group C clash between Ivory Coast and Colombia

The prole resulting from being a leading

referee can cause some people to change,
perhaps becoming obsessed with their
own importance. That could not be further
from the truth in Howards case. There is
no ego about him, nor was there room for
any ego in his dressing room. Howard only
wanted honest, hardworking people around
him. He has, of course, been aware of what
people expect of him and always ensures that
in the public eye his approach and manner are
betting of his status.
Once Howard has identied someone as an
honest and hardworking person, you nd
yourself as a friend for life. The loyalty he
displays is second to none and I can speak
very personally when I say that I know
how much his support for his friends and
colleagues is a lift when dicult times come.

Taking that condence onto the eld of play

is just the start. The biggest requirement is, of
course, the ability to make accurate decisions,
communicate these eectively, and to have
the courage to make the big or challenging
decisions when required.

They are skills such as a willingness to learn,

to absorb and thrive on feedback and advice,
as well as a hunger to seek opportunities to
improve himself both as a person and as
a referee.

Howard understood fully that his actions on

the eld would inuence referees all over
the country and, indeed, the world and was
acutely aware of the need for him to be seen
to do things properly. Maintaining standards
and protecting the image of the game
were constant themes in working as part of
Howards team.

The most interesting thing about Howards

rise is that he does not possess some
magical talent.

We are now close to having identied all the

component parts that make up the DNA of
Howard Webb.

It would be easy to believe that he was simply

born to be an international referee, certainly
given that people recognised his potential
from an early age, or that he was destined to
reach the highest levels and to referee the
biggest matches. However, believing this
would, quite simply, be doing Howard and his
family a massive injustice.

Honesty; hard work; integrity; professionalism;

self-evaluation; courage; determination
and sacrice are all required and even then
success is not guaranteed. Never closing his
mind to a learning opportunity no matter
how small, and always striving for the
perfect performance.

He has achieved success because he has

worked incredibly hard and made many
sacrices along the way in order to achieve
his dreams. Being prepared to put himself
out to put in the work required to give himself
the opportunity to be the best he could be
controlling all of the things that he had the
ability to control.
Another area that has stood out for me in terms
of Howards talents has come in his outlook
since the World Cup in South Africa 2010.
He could have relaxed following that
tournament, having just refereed the
ultimate match in world football, and simply
gone through the motions knowing that his
reputation and status in the game would see
him through on most occasions.
Instead, he simply assessed where he was
and identied how he needed to work to
achieve selection for Euro2012, the next major
international tournament.
It speaks volumes that he was not only
selected for Euro2012, but also the following
FIFA World Cup in Brazil 2014.
On the eld Howard always displayed an
air of calm and assured condence. To be
successful on the biggest stage, you need
to have a condence in your ability, but this
should never develop into arrogance.
In Howards case, he was acutely aware of
this. Indeed we made a pact that in the event
of any display of arrogance, permission was
granted to speak our minds and raise our

20

concerns. Needless to say, I have never

needed to consider such drastic action.

In addition to all of these, you need a degree

of good fortune. The nature of the job itself
means that even the best referee cannot
be perfect all of the time. No matter how
hard you work, there will be occasions when
the decision you make is not the correct
one. This is, of course, the case with Howard
too, however, it is the ability to bounce back
from those low moments and to come back
stronger that is the great strength. It is not
about the mistake you make, but how you
learn from it and how you come back from
it. Doing that in a very public arena is far from
easy, but demonstrates the nal ingredient to
making a success of your career.
In Howards case, that career took him
to the biggest stadiums, ociating at
some of the most important matches
in the world. In future, other people will
take on the mantle of refereeing role
models. These role models are not just at the
top level. Ocials on the Football League can
be role models for those at the level below and
likewise those at Contributory level for those
currently ociating on local leagues.

Howard has achieved

success because he
has worked incredibly
hard and made many
sacrifices along
the way in order to
achieve his dreams.

Reect on how you conduct yourself

now. What attributes of a good role model do
you currently display and what are the areas
that you would need to work on.
The chances are that the areas to work on to
be viewed as a good role model are also those
that will enhance your chances of progressing
your refereeing career.

Remember, the next iconic role models are

yet to be moulded. Why couldnt you be
one of them?

21

Howard Webb Focus

FIFA MATCH OFFICIALS

HOWARD WEBB

2015

A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG REFEREES

We congratulate all those who have been

accepted onto the FIFA list and especially
the new FIFA ocials:

John Brooks (assistant referee)

Peter Nurse (Futsal referee)
Craig Pawson (referee)
Rebecca Welch (referee)

Two signicant names, Howard Webb and

Darren Cann, are missing from the 2015 list
as Howard retired in the summer and Darren
has reached FIFAs retirement age of 45.
Howard and Darren were two of the very best
ocials this country has ever produced and
their achievements are extraordinary. Tribute
has been paid to Howard in this edition and
a full tribute will be paid to Darren when he
retires from active ociating, which we hope
will not be for some time.

Tom Nield, Level 2 B referee & former Chairman RAFA Youth Council

On Saturday 22 May 2010 I

sat down to watch the UEFA
Champions League final
with only one interest: the
team of all English match
officials, Howard Webb, Mike
Mullarkey, Darren Cann,
Martin Atkinson (4th official)
and Peter Kirkup (Reserve
Assistant Referee).
Fifty days later, on 11 July, I sat down along
with 531 million others to watch another
prestigious nal, this time the pinnacle of
football nals, the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Final ociated by the same referee,
Howard Webb and the same assistants,
Mike Mullarkey and Darren Cann.
As far as sporting personalities and role
models go, I consider Howard Webb to be
amongst the very best. He is a role model
for any individual, sporting-minded or not,
but for any aspiring referee he has proven

22

to be the ultimate example of what can be

achieved in the game.

and motivation that, for me, makes him the

perfect referee.

During his 25-year career, nine years as

a FIFA International referee, 11 years on
the Premier League and three years on
the Football League, he has achieved
almost all that can be, both domestically
and internationally.

At the 2014 Manchester FA Referee Awards

Dinner, Howard provided a glimpse of what
drives this determination to succeed when
he said: it is not how high we rise, but it is
how we respond after we fall that determines
who we are.

He has commanded the respect and

admiration of his colleagues, players
across the world and the wider footballing
community for all of it but I believe, more so,
for how he has conducted himself, both on
and o the eld of play.

They were words that resonated loudly

amongst all the guests in attendance, and
he followed them up with by telling an
enraptured audience, amazing things can
happen to ordinary people.

His dominant stature and physical

presence are blended perfectly with
charisma, knowledge, ability to manage and
communicate and, more impressively,
a sheer drive and determination to achieve
and deliver.
At no stage has this been more evident
than at the 2014 World Cup nals where he
went into the tournament physically tter
than he was in 2010 when he took charge of
the Final. Even after receiving the ultimate
refereeing appointment, Howard continued
to improve and it is this strength of character

All that should be added to this comment

is that for you to be that ordinary person
destined for amazing things, you must
apply yourself and display the drive and
determination that is required and
expected of a world class referee.
The opportunities and support in refereeing
have never been greater and Howards
appointment as PGMOL Technical Director
will help ensure that England will be
producing more inspirational role models
at every level of the game and, hopefully,
another World Cup nal referee very soon.

The FA Referees Committee nominated four officials for the 2015

FIFA lists and all nominations were accepted by the FIFA Referees
Committee. The following officials are entitled to wear the FIFA
badge throughout 2015.

MENS FIFA
REFEREES LIST
Martin Atkinson
Mark Clattenburg
Andre Marriner
Michael Oliver
Craig Pawson*
Lee Probert
Anthony Taylor

MENS FIFA
ASSISTANT
REFEREES LIST
Simon Beck
Simon Bennett
Gary Beswick
John Brooks*
Stuart Burt
Stephen Child
Jake Collin
Darren England
Peter Kirkup
Mike Mullarkey

WOMENS FIFA
REFEREES LIST
Sarah Garratt
Amy Fearn
(nee Rayner)
Rebecca Welch*

WOMENS FIFA
ASSISTANT
REFEREES LIST
Natalie Aspinall
(nee Walker)
Sian Massey
Lisa Rashid
Elizabeth Jane
Simms

MENS FIFA
FUTSAL
REFEREES
LIST
Marc Birkett
Peter Nurse*
Gavin Sartain

*New Nomination

REFEREE REGISTRATION FOR SEASON

2015/16 IS ON ITS WAY!
Phil Knight, FAs Whole Game System Communications Consultant
With the Christmas decorations only just packed away, thoughts
are already turning to the referee registration process for season
2015/16, which for the rst time will be completed entirely within the
Whole Game System (WGS).
As many County FAs will be opening their WGS registration window
from the end of February, the WGS Referee Development Ocer
Working Group has already met to review the electronic registration
process for the new season.
The FAs National Manager responsible for Referee Development and
the WGS, Roger Vaughan, is keen to see the online take-up increase
for a sixth consecutive year.
Due to the excellent eorts of the Referee Development team, the
online percentage has increased each year hitting a new peak of 70%
for the current season, he said.

The Whole Game System is a fantastic tool. It is available to all

referees making registration a simple and easy process.

With WGS proving to oer a reliable registration platform I am

excited at the prospect of surpassing even that impressive gure.

All referees have their own unique Log-In which recognises them and
provides all of the relevant registration details to make the process so
quick and simple.

The online tool has already received positive reaction from many
across the game, including Birmingham FA Level 4 referee Joel
Richards who believes its ease of use is ideal for any referee looking
for a simpler way of registering for the new season:

Your local Referee Development Ocer will be in touch shortly to

conrm when your County FA will open its registration window,
but in the meantime you can of course use WGS to report your
discipline - indeed you are strongly encouraged to do so.

23

Club Marks: Living by the Sword?

CLUB MARKS:

LIVING
BY THE
SWORD?

Respect works both

ways and as a referee
you must always be
mindful that players
may not always
give you respect, but
as the referee you
should always strive
to gain their respect
and afford
them respect.

Mike Gardiner, FA licensed instructor and

FA assessor coordinator - Midlands Pool,
discusses the value of club marks and
provides useful advice on how you
might influence yours.

For some, one of the frustrating elements

of the refereeing pyramid is the reliance
on club marks, but why? We are providing
clubs with a service so perhaps they
should have a say in how our
performances are perceived.

One thing that you can be sure of is that the

vast majority of clubs will judge you on how
well you do your job, so trying to pander to
clubs will lose you more marks than you gain.
Most clubs want you to perform and apply
Law correctly.

However, the biggest issue is on-eld

performance. In many cases the person
that marks you may be the manager and
there are always going to be issues that are
controversial and may not sit well
with them.

The truth is, and this can be borne out by

the Referees Secretaries of Leagues, in a
large number of cases those people who
mark the referee, especially at the more
senior levels, do so with some signicant
consideration and often much experience.
There are notable exceptions and most
League Secretaries will know who they are
its tough but that is the system we have to
live with.

So this brings us down to - what can you do

to improve your club marks? There are no
easy answers but a few simple on and o the
pitch measures can be useful.

For instance, they can get rather involved

and maybe excitable about decisions and
so you might, on occasion, have to take
measures to curb this exuberance. But this
should be dealt with in a calm, rational
and polite way.

And so, presented with a Merit List which

contains both assessors marks and club
marks, what can be done to inuence
club marks?
The award of a last minute penalty or the
sending o of a player late in the game, for
example, can inuence a referees club mark
as decisions, or lack of them, arising in the
latter part of the game tend to provide more
of a focal point for marking.

24

Many clubs are run by a few, often very

harassed people so being polite, helpful
and communicative before the game does
not go unnoticed. Make sure that you have
contact with the club before the game,
conrm appointments, be pleasant and be
understanding / helpful with issues like pitch
inspections, etc.
When you get to the ground, ensure you
check-in with the secretary or other ocials
and try to be warm in your greetings.
Dont expect people to wait on you;
dont make demands - I have seen referees
demand free entrance, programmes and
hospitality for three or four people that have
come with them.

In other cases, it may be the club secretary or

another who marks you but no matter who,
the main skill you need is communication.
The main issue is ocials, players and
spectators understanding what you are
doing and why. Selling decisions is critical
if the decision is seen to be delivered with
credibility and thus is reasonable then, on
reection, some of the controversy can be
taken out of incidents.

Here are a few examples:

Well he was just warned

A player commits a foul and the referee

speaks publically to the player, perhaps
involving the captain. The referees
movements and body language conveys
last warning, the player commits another
oence and the referee cautions him.

Well done ref, about time

A player commits a number of niggly and

minor oences and the referee decides
enough is enough. Having been seen to
speak to the player earlier, the referee
points to a number of areas where incidents
occurred and then cautions for
persistent misconduct.

He just told them

Goalkeeper, defender and centre forward

are tussling for position on the goal line at
a corner kick. The referee takes a pro-active
stance, delays the taking of the corner to
speak to the players. The kick is taken and
the referee awards a free kick (or penalty)
indicating the same players involvement.

Respect works both ways and as a referee

you must always be mindful that players
may not always give you respect, but as the
referee you should always strive to
gain theirs and aord them respect.
Always talk to players in a civil manner,
DO NOT use commands such as come
here!, and dont point, wag ngers, threaten
or lose control by shouting at players or lose
your temper.
Within reason, a polite whats that for ref?
should merit a short but courteous answer.
Dissent from players should not, however,
be tolerated and if you are subject to it,
you must respond and be seen to respond
this may not always be to issue a caution
but if you choose not to then the player
and everyone else should understand your
actions if it persists.
Another area of consideration is the delivery
of decisions with authority good body
language is essential. Keep looking up,
ensure eye contact, keep signals crisp
and unambiguous and, where necessary,
reinforced with voice and whistle. Be positive
but only very occasionally use cut grass,
played ball, off the chest and no foul signals.

Finally, after the game, dont get into

arguments. Use the from my angle that
is what I saw or thats interesting what do
you think type comment when confronted
but ensure that the interrogator, if you
choose to listen, says their piece without
being abusive but dont necessarily agree
or disagree - thats an interesting point,
I see where you are coming from type
of response learn to bite your lip and
walk away.
And thank club ocials after the game,
especially if hospitality is oered. Most clubs
dont have any money and your fees can be
a signicant nancial burden on a club.
None of this will guarantee any elevation
in all your club marks but it is good
practice and some form of mutual
respect can help. Remember,
football is not about referees.

25

Abandoning Games due to Serious Injury

Despite all of our best efforts occasionally a player will suffer a

serious injury in a game. The following is a brief guideline for an
appropriate response.
Firstly, the safety of players is always paramount. If you suspect that
an injury sustained in any game may be serious, always stop the
game and get help from the physio or seek other medical assistance
who should be available at all levels of football.
It is important that you do not get involved in the evaluation or
treatment of injuries unless you are a fully qualied medic.
Depending on the level of football, the help aorded to players
by clubs will vary from a sponge man to a fully qualied doctor.
Getting involved yourself risks incurring liability especially if the help
or advice you give is subsequently proven to be wrong.

Will key players or personnel be required to accompany the

injured player to hospital?
If so, this would further deplete a teams strength.
If it is an evening game, potential for the match to nish at
an unreasonable hour
Teams and spectators may have travelled some distance and
might like to get home before midnight. Some may also be
reliant on public transport that may not run late at night.
You may be interested in but should not be swayed by who gets the
points or the result following an abandonment i.e. incomplete game.

If the player has suered a broken limb, all you can do is suggest that
they are kept warm, not moved (fractured limbs can sever arteries
and other blood vessels) and not given anything to eat or drink as this
may delay subsequent treatment. At local park level get someone to
call an ambulance.
On senior games, removal of the player may take a little time but
normally can be achieved within 5-10 minutes. There might be the
need for you to take the players o the eld of play, especially if the
weather is inclement.
Communication is essential with the club management and a time
scale set or agreed for continuation of the game.

ABANDONING
GAMES DUE TO
SERIOUS
INJURY
Mike Gardiner, FA licensed instructor and FA assessor coordinator - Midlands Pool,
offers useful advice and guidance to deal with serious injuries on the field of play.

26

Unfortunately, most games do not have the facilities, medical

expertise or experience to remove a badly injured player. As such,
you will need to assess the options open to them as the ambulance
or paramedics may take a while to arrive, assess the injury and deal
with the player.
I recommend that the captains and managers are informed
that players should leave the eld of play to keep warm and
that you review the situation having taken all factors and advice
into consideration.
Once back in the dressing room, you should look at the options and
discuss with your assistants (if they have been appointed) and
set a time scale.
During such incidents, you should also consider:
The age group of the players
In junior and minor games I would normally recommend
abandoning the game as children can get quite upset by serious
incidents.
The time it may take to have the player removed
Ambulances can take 30 mins or more to arrive.
The injury may be graphic
Are other players, yourself or your assistants able to continue?
Some may be in shock or just dont want to continue.
If the injury is the result of a foul challenge, is there
likely to be retaliation?
What was the mood of players and management like just after
the incident that caused the injury?
Are spectators present?
They wont want to wait around for very long without the
prospect of the game restarting imminently.

Getting involved yourself risks

incurring liability especially if
the help or advice you give is
subsequently proven to be wrong.
League and competition management decide this after the event
not referees, so do not get involved in discussions or even give
an opinion.
Instead set a time scale. It can be dicult to be precise but if the
game is to continue having considered all the issues, suspensions of
30 minutes or so with little imminent sign that the game could restart
may be a good benchmark. A similar timescale may be used for
oodlight failure or particularly inclement weather such as thunder
and lightning.
Dont forget that if the game is to restart, time should be allowed
for you and the players to get warmed up again take this time into
consideration too.
The decision to abandon a game following a serious injury is always
dicult. It is the referee that sets the time scales and decides on
abandonment and communicates that decision to management.
Remember, you MUST consider all the issues noted above before
deciding. Players safety is paramount while clear, concise
communication is essential.

27

DEVELOPMENT
GROUP

The Football Association Development Group

Disability Football Courses

The Football Association Development

Group (FADG) was formed at the start of
the 2013-14 season as part of The FA
succession planning for referees in
partnership with PGMOL.
It consists of Level 2B and Level 3 referees,
and currently consists of 53 members who
have been identied as having the potential
to progress to the position of National List
Referees and beyond over the next 5-10
years. Each member is subject to retention
every season and is assessed on given
criteria both on and o the eld of play.

O-eld administration
and organisation

Interaction with the coach

(especially receptiveness to advice)

Interaction with other

group members

General demeanour and personality

on and o the eld

Fitness, lifestyle and training

Main on-eld strengths

FADG EXPECTATIONS

Main on-eld areas for development

It is expected that all members of

The FADG demonstrate the following
commitments:

Overall progress since last report

Short and medium term

recommendations/targets

PGMOL Training & Development Ocer,

Peter Roberts, leads the four weekend
FADG seminars which include a mix of on
and o eld training: a range of classroom
and practical activities together with
keynote guest speakers. FADG Referees are
assigned a coach whose role is to assist in
their development

Conduct themselves in a professional

manner at all times
Demonstrate a high level of commitment
and a positive attitude
Analyse match performance data and
discuss feedback with a coach on a
regular basis
Keep an ongoing self evaluation record of
matches in which they ociate
Demonstrate a very high level of
eciency with all correspondence
and communication
Undertake regular tness training
sessions to meet the demands of any
tness tests as well as being in prime
condition for the demands of match
day performances

Attend all seminars and group meetings

organised for members of The FADG
Act as a role model for less
experienced referees

ROLE OF THE COACH

Discuss with each referee an individual
development plan
Watch each referee in their group at least
5/6 times each season
Receive and analyse all assessments on
referees within his group
Have regular contact with referees
particularly before and after key matches

28

Submit regular reports (4 times a season)

on each referee to the Head of Senior
Referee Development which include:
-

Adopt a lifestyle that is appropriate

to a referee seeking success in the
professional game

Inga Jemison,
FA Referee Co-ordinator

Assist referees within the group if they

encounter problems with tness, health,
administration, availability or any other
issue where the referee may benet
from advice/intervention/assistance
CONFIDENTIALITY

Being involved in the

development group
has really raised my
performances over the
past two seasons.
Module 2 took place in November (Module
3 will be in March) at Warwick University
and began with the PGMOL Sport Scientists
measuring the referees body composition
referees must be below a maximum body fat
level to remain in the programme.
This was followed by an interactive Laws of
the Game test, with each referee given an
individual remote to select their answers via
the projector screen.
Geo Pike, FA Head of Coaching Awards,
gave the seminars rst presentation on
Major Considerations for Referees in
the Modern Game. Geo discussed the
development and evolution of the game,
especially in the last 10 years, which has
seen a large increase in the dierent
physical components required at the top
level. He also examined the priorities when
ociating as well as the development
of the systems of play and the tactical
considerations and inuences on the
modern game.
Steve Parmenter, a former player with
Southend United FC, found this session
particularly interesting:

A crucial point from Geoff Pikes

presentation was not to get too close. Its a
fine balance of needing to be in the correct
position in close proximity to sell a decision
but also not invading the players space.
Tactical awareness is a great lesson for
referees in that it will help your performance
if you can work out early the patterns of play
that the teams will adopt, will they go direct to
a big centre forward or play out from the back?
If referees can work this out early it will
then enable them to take relevant positions,
recognise potential battles between
individuals and also keep out of the way.
Grant Taylor, a Level 3 referee from
Birmingham, was similarly impressed with
the session saying:
Geoff s presentation was thought provoking
and I think enabled us as referees to do
some self-analysis on what positions we
are taking up around the field of play and
detecting the behaviours and attributes of
players in todays modern game.
The seminar was ended with a presentation
from FIFA Assistant Referee, Mike Mullarkey,
whose career includes two World Cups,
including the nal in South Africa in 2010 (the
year in which he also ociated in the UEFA
Champions League nal).
Mike discussed his journey from non-league
football in Exeter, through to the Premier
League and his international successes.
As well as talking of his many career highlights, Mike
also shared the more personal challenges he faced
and strategies he employed to overcome them in
order to continue his development to a world class
ocial. The key message being that the individual
has to look at themselves and examine their own
performance to see what they can do
dierently to become a better ocial.
Preparation for each and every game is vital
and knowing I have prepared as professionally
as I can, gives me the condence I need to go
out and perform well, he explained.
Leaving as little as possible to chance in
relation to preparation ensures that the
likelihood of success is greatly increased.
All agreed that the FADG is of fundamental
importance for refereeing and the modern
game as a whole, with the value of the
programme summarised by Grant Taylor:

TWO NEW REFEREEING

COURSES FOR DISABILITY
FOOTBALL LAUNCHED
In the autumn, two
courses for referees have
been run to encourage
officials to be involved
in disability football.
The rst was held at the Royal
National College for the Blind in
Hereford in late October.
The course, arranged by Roger
Vaughan and Paul Leversuch,
attracted eight referees from across
the country.
The manager and team coach of the
England blind team, Gary Knight and
Jon Pugh, gave presentations on the
special needs that players expect of
their referees. The group experienced
the diculty of playing football when
they were blindfolded.
It is expected that these ocials will
assist in the National League for the
blind, which meets once a month
at Hereford
In early November, Keith Stroud
organised a seminar for referees
interested in ociating at cerebral

palsy matches. Hayley Ives and Stuart

Campbell who will be taking up referee
co-ordinator roles within the National
Cerebral Palsy Leagues at venues in the
South and North ably assisted him.
Je Davis introduced the day with
an overview of The FAs disability
programme at national and
international level.
Following a morning of classroom
theory the referees went outside in
the pouring rain to referee or act as
an assistant referee during a match
between sides from the East and West
Midlands. The fourteen referees will
now give their time at venues around
the country.
Next year there are International
Tournaments where ocials who
have recently attended these courses
will be invited. A European Blind
Football Tournament is being held
in Hereford, and the World Cerebral
Palsy Championship will be held at St.
Georges Park.
If there are referees interested in
disability football please be in touch
with either Roger Vaughan or Keith
Stroud for further information.

Being involved in the development group has

really raised my performances over the past
two seasons.
I am constantly adding things into my game
that I pick up from speaking with other ocials
and from the presentations. Its great that we
can regularly meet with other referees and
discuss any issues and share our experiences
and learn from this.

29

The Danish Exchange

In 2014, Ben Watkiss (Staffs FA), Joe Stokes (Kent FA) and Lauren
Browne (West Riding FA), became the sixth group in four years to
take part in The FAs exchange programme with the Danish FA.
The first part of the initiative took place in October at the Liverpool
FA under the watchful eye of Liverpool FA referees development
manager and FA referees committee vice-chairman Dave Horlick
and his team of willing volunteers.
They were gracious hosts to The FAs three young referees and Torre
stergaard from the Danish FA and his three young referees Patrick
Andersen, Nikolaj Pedersen and Sidsel Rasmussen.
Each part of the programme is a three-day development
experience for the referees. They are given bespoke practical and
theoretical referee training and education by FA National Referee
Manager Daniel Meeson to prepare them for their weekend
matchday experiences.

Football is global and we must

expose our referees to as many
non-UK opportunities as possible if
they are to cope with the demands
of refereeing at the highest levels.

In Liverpool the three young Danish referees refereed local games,

courtesy of the Liverpool FA, while the English officials acted as
assistant referees. Each match was filmed to provide the group
with invaluable learning resources which, later in the programme,
they were able to use to analyse and critique elements of their
performance and decision-making.
Part of the weekend involved watching Everton vs Swansea in the
Premier League where they were all given a valuable insight into the
demands of refereeing at the very top thanks to a brief question and
answer session with match referee, Kevin Friend.

THE DANISH
EXCHANGE
Last year three more young referees, selected from
107 young referees on the two-year YRDP programme,
took part in The FAs exchange programme with the
Danish FA. FA National Referee Manager,
Daniel Meeson provides an insight
into their experiences.

30

In early November, The FA party travelled over to Copenhagen to

complete the second part of the development exchange. The group
were welcomed to the Danish FA headquarters by Torre stergaard
and Simon Gelvad before being given a rare opportunity to be
involved in a practical referee training session led by top Danish and
FIFA Referee Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen.

The next group of referees for the Denmark exchange in March

and April 2015 will be selected from the 107 young referees on
the 2 year YRDP programme.

The English referees were appointed to matches in Copenhagen

enabling them to put into practice what they had learned for the
YRDP and it was very pleasing that they were so receptive to the
advice and guidance given them by Torre and his referee coaches.

The concept of the exchange programme was borne out of

discussions between FA Senior National Game Referee Manager,
Ian Blanchard, and Torre stergaard from the Danish FA.

After detailed video analysis and feedback on Sunday morning they

watched AB Copenhagen play Fredericia in the Danish first division
before meeting the match officials to discuss events and situations
that had occurred during the 90 minutes.
For FA Senior National Game Referee Manager, Ian Blanchard, the
initiative is critical in providing young referees with unique and
valuable experiences that will benefit their careers going forward.
Over the last four years this programme has played its part in
identifying, nurturing and developing refereeing talent to the next
level, he said.
You only have to look at the first exchange that we did when Helen
Byrne participated who is now in the first year as a National list
assistant referee.
This shows the realistic opportunity that is afforded to every single
referee that comes onto this programme.
His sentiments are echoed by Chairman of The FA Referees
Committee, David Elleray, who reaffirmed his belief that this
exchange is an integral part of the two year FA National Young
Referee Development Programme.
This programme demonstrates The FAs determination to identify
and develop the next generation of top officials by giving them
opportunities outside their own country to experience different styles
of football and to learn from refereeing experts from other countries.

More about the exchange and the YRDP

It provides a huge opportunity for both countries to construct a
development programme for the next generation of talented referees
in England and Denmark
Participants are selected from 107 young referees from across the
country partaking in The FAs two-year Young Referee Development
Programme (YRDP).
A predominantly distance-learning opportunity, the programme
also involves:
A two-day training and development conference for each year
of the programme, with the second year being hosted at St.
Georges Park
An FA Referee learning folio which allows participants to track,
record and evaluate their performance and progress whilst on
the programme
Regular e-learning tasks, video clips and articles uploaded onto
the Young Referee Development website
An opportunity to listen to keynote sessions from high profile
Select Group referees such as Andre Marriner and Michael Oliver
The possibility of being selected to represent The FA on the exchange
programme with Danish FA and officiating in the Dallas Cup
From 2014, The FA will take a new stance on how the young
referees are selected for the Danish FA exchange programme and
the Dallas Cup candidates being eligible from anywhere in the
country, provided they are part of the NRDP.

31

LIVERPOOL COUNTY FA
DISABILITY REFEREE PANEL
Mark Horlick, Liverpool County FA Disability Football Development Ocer

Liverpool County FA recently

created a referee panel
specically for disability football.
The decision was made after it was
accepted that the Merseyside Ability
Counts League required appropriately
trained match and club ocials.
The County applied for League Referee
Ocer funding from The FA and created
a simple but specic application form
for referees who were interested in
Disability Football. This was then sent to
all registered referees with information
regarding the panel. The County received
16 application forms all with a keen
interest in becoming part of the panel.

Training facility hire

The Perform facilities at St. George's Park are open
to use for referees and clubs from all sports.
Teams and groups are able to use the facilities for either a full day or
half day and can access all areas of the 25,000 sq. ft. sports medicine,
rehabilitation and sports science complex.
Visiting teams from football, rugby and cricket as well as referee
groups have all trained with us at St. Georges Park; some as part
of a testing or training session or as part of their pre-season
programme and others have used the state of the art hydrotherapy
suite for recovery.
Day rate (3-6 hours) = 40 + VAT per person
Half day rate (1-3 hours) = 20 + VAT per person
based on minimum number of 15 attending
Recovery session in Hydrotherapy after training = 250 + VAT per hour
Individual fitness testing and physiotherapy also available
For more information, call the Perform Support team on
01283 576336 or email [email protected]
www.spireperform.com

A Refereeing in Disability Football

workshop was also organised and was
delivered by LFA Referee Development
Manager, David Horlick. This focused on
the dierences in the Laws that occur with

Once referees had attended both

workshops they were invited onto the
panel and given a registration form to
indicate which impairments they would
like to ociate in.
The County now had 16 well prepared
referees who had attended two training
workshops and were ready to referee.
John Hill and Ian Clarke, who have both
been involved in disability football for
30 years and have excellent experience
in all impairments, were appointed as
League Referee Ocers and given the
responsibility for the appointments for all
disability football in Merseyside and for
the training of ocials involved.
After three months all 16 had ociated
games in dierent impairments and age
groups, and this month the County has a
call-back session where they will ask for
each referee to provide feedback of their
journey so far.
Success has been noted in referee
progression as Ray McLaughlin and Alan
Butler have been invited onto National
Referee Panels for Blind & Cerebral Palsy

(CP) football, while Sean Peloe

has been selected for the European
Deaf Championships.
John Hill and Ian Clarke are on the
National List for Amputee Football, and
Gareth Etchells is on the National list
for CP. This is fantastic for these match
ocials and is a reward for their hard work
and commitment to disability football.
The County have also run three smallsided law awareness courses at Learning
Disability Day Centres and those referees
will now be part of the panel who will
ociate in the Under 13s and the Day
Centre Services League.
In total, Liverpool County FA has 30
referees on the panel (16 non-disabled
and 14 disabled referees). Amongst the
group there is some fantastic experience
varying from Level 2A Level 7
match ocials.
Premier League referee Chris Foy is
also involved and regularly attends
competitions and is a signicant
supporter of disability football and the
LCFA Disability Football Panel.
If any County FA, competition or referee
would like any further information
please do contact us on 0151 523 4488
or via email at [email protected]

Peter Heafield
Referee Development Officer
Staffordshire Football
Association Limited

@PerformSGP

Perform beyond your expectations

32

Our visit to
Perform was
absolutely
brilliant, there
are no other
words to
describe the
experience!
Many thanks
to the team for accommodating
us. The exercises were great
and the hydrotherapy session
was fantastic. I cant thank the
Perform team enough for a great
evening.

A Disability Awareness workshop was

organised through Mencap Liverpool
in which referees were introduced to all
the dierent impairments people could
experience that would still allow them
to play. They were also shown how to
identify and interact with somebody with
a disability, as well as understanding their
needs and requirements.

each impairment and also how to adapt

their preparation to meet the needs of the
players. It included group work and open
discussions around each disability.

Premier League referee Chris Foy is a signicant supporter of

disability football and the LCFA Disability Football Panel

33

RA News

NEWS

How the County RA can help if you are in trouble

LATEST FROM THE REFEREES ASSOCIATION

County RA Secretary and a referee

RA successfully represents a member in an unusual case

Following a charge levelled against myself of
assault participant on participant,
I contacted my referee Mentor who directed
me to contact the County FA to ask what
course of action to take.
Admittedly I found this part of the process
quite daunting as the County FA seemed
to have a conict of interest insofar as they
could not oer me any advice or assistance,
which was frustrating.
I then remembered that I had paid my
subscription to the local branch of the
Referees Association and I contacted the
local branch secretary to inform him of what

was happening. I felt that I was very isolated

and had sought legal representation
travelling 100 miles round trip to speak
to a duty solicitor.
I also went online to try and nd out the
legal position, which I found even more
confusing. It also seemed that The FA has
a set of rules in respect of assault, which is
dierent to that in law.
In truth, I felt that I had been left to survive
by myself until The RA came to my aid. I
had tried reading The FA handbook and I
had failed to make sense of it. I did not have
any representation at the hearing and I felt

RA Member (name withheld)

that I had been found guilty until proven
innocent as I was banned from involvement
in football until the disciplinary hearing a very strange feeling.
When I contacted The RA national oce,
I was emailed back very quickly. It was at
this point that I felt I would (and did) receive
answers to my questions. A Board Member
kept in regular touch with me giving me
guidance and he accompanied me to the
hearing. The nding was fair and just and
my representative played a vital role in
achieving the outcome.
I would, without pausing for a heartbeat,
wholeheartedly recommend to referees
whether starting out on your refereeing
career, as I was, or to more experienced
colleagues that you give serious thought
to becoming a fully paid up member of
The Referees Association. For an annual
subscription which equates to one match
fee, join the Association so you can enjoy
the same backing as I received when it was
so needed.
I was delighted the whole aair was handled
with professionalism and the dimension
that The RA brought. The RA seemed able
to give a more objective dimension to the
proceedings whilst at the same time being
able to give me personalised advice.
I would like to re-iterate that without the
timely intervention from the RA I would not
have been able to continue with refereeing.
I have now managed to put the events
behind me and look forward to my games.

As County RA Secretary,
I received a plea for help from a
local Society after one of their
members had been charged with
misconduct by his County
Football Association.
Although able to give some initial advice,
including a request for a personal hearing,
the serious nature of the allegations in
the charge (that the member vehemently
refuted) and how to assist the Society
member to prepare a defence to them led
me to ponder that this was probably not a
unique situation and that there may well
be precedent at national level.
I decided to make early contact with an old
colleague, board member Ian Campbell,
who quickly referred the matter to RA
Chairman, Ian Davies, who speedily
swung into action.
There is not enough space to catalogue
every e-mail or phone conversation with
Ian, very often lengthy, at weekends, or
late at night. The level of support and
quality of advocacy that I received from
him was quite literally beyond the call of
duty. In addition to the encouragement
and confidence received to help me
support the Society member, Ian provided
advice on the correct Disciplinary
Committee of the County FA that under FA
Regulations should deal with the particular
charge, a draft brief for me to adapt and

use at the personal hearing and advice

on the approach I should adopt with the
various witnesses called by the County FA
and the Society member.
Whilst the whole process took almost five
months, unfortunately leaving the Society
member very much in limbo during that
time, the personal hearing outcome was
pleasingly positive and has enabled the
Society member to continue his refereeing
career with a totally unblemished record
and increased vigour and confidence.
Such was his interest that Ian demanded
that I inform him of the outcome of the
personal hearing as soon as possible,
no matter how late which after a 50
mile journey back turned out to be in a
telephone conversation at 11.00pm.
While obviously hoping that this Society
members experience does not befall
others, this cannot be guaranteed.
The guidance, expertise and support
provided to me was outstandingly good
and is just another fine example of
the benefit of being a member of
The Referees Association.

The guidance, expertise and

support provided to me was
outstandingly good and is just
another fine example of
the benefit of being a member
of The Referees Association.
County RA Secretary

From the local Society member

Recently I had a dispute with a local
U18s team and, from this, received
several serious, but false, accusations for
which I was charged. I was most upset
by these and needed help and advice
to deal with the situation in which I
found myself. Being a member of the
local RA I attended the next meeting
and under the Any Other Business
I explained my situation. I knew that
there was going to be a personal hearing
and that I was also going to need help
in dealing with this. The members of
my LRA supported me and suggested
that a senior member would take
my case to the National RA to help
resolve the issue. From this several
phone calls, e-mails and meetings were
arranged. The National RA found out

that the wrong County FA committee

was dealing with the hearing so they
suggested the correct committee to
deal with it, which was appreciated
by the CFA. I would not have had any
knowledge of this so the National RAs
support and advice was so benecial to
me and the hearing.
At the hearing I was well supported
by an excellent LRA member and his
knowledge on how to present and
conduct a hearing was so appreciated,
as I know I certainly couldnt have
defended the case on my own.
Fortunately the result was in my favour
and after 5 months of anxiety there was
no case to answer.
I feel I need to share this with other
referees as I know if I was a new referee
I would have not had the insight to
defend myself and so would have
resigned as a referee. But, as I have
been in the game for many years and an
active member of The RA,
I knew valuable support and advice
was out there all I had to do was ask.

34

35

RA News

NEWS

YOU GET OUT, WHAT YOU PUT IN JOIN THE RA!

LATEST FROM THE REFEREES ASSOCIATION

How The RA helped me in my early years

Being a police officer for
12 years I have faced my
fair amount of challenging
situations, yet I still remember
the feeling of isolation,
vulnerability and fear of failure
which engulfed me during my
first season refereeing mens
football on the parks
of Plymouth.
Id been a football player since my
youth and had always seen the referee
as someone who turned up on a
Saturday, took a bit of money for the
inconvenience and abuse, then retreated
to a dark room to recover and somehow
be ready to go through it all again seven
days later. And now I was that person
with the dark room at the ready. As a
referee I cannot begin to describe the
behind-the-scenes support network,
training, social events and opportunities
that are available to all referees through
the network of referee associations.

sharing summer experiences, and all like

myself, optimistic for the new season.
We were given input on the changes in
the Laws and interpretations, exactly
what I needed. I went home looking
forward to my next game and the
next presentation.
It was in the early stages of my first full
season that I gave my first red card.
Local football is full of contradictions.
The players, clubs, and supporters are
desperate for all referees to be as good
as the Premier League referees, yet
as soon as you send someone off for
denying a goal-scoring opportunity the
comments Hes got go ref, straight
red, easy, its only a game ref, its
park football, not the Premier League.
One of the managers came up to me at
the end and said You were excellent
today apart from the red card, bit harsh
for local football so Im only giving you a
90 instead of a 100.

It was during the summer that I started

to become aware of the West Devon
Referee Association. I didnt know what
to expect. I arrived at Plymouth Argyles
stadium, Home Park, and was staggered
to see a room full of referees chatting,

36

My second season with the RA was just

as, if not more, rewarding. A number of
presentations and a promotion later
I got the opportunity to go to the RA
Conference. I chose to go to an offside
presentation from World Cup Final
assistant Michael Mullarkey and Peter
Kirkup, which was exceptional. The other
workshops I attended were judging
tackles (a real issue in park football)
which was given by Martin Atkinson
and Adam Watts. I could not believe a
parks referee was being provided with
guidance and advice from the countrys
and worlds best officials. I can think of no
organisation that would bridge the gap
between the top and bottom so well.
I have been promoted in each year and
am already on my way to my next level.
I have received a local refereeing award
and officiated in a number of local cup
finals. I have also had the opportunity
to officiate in some reserve fixtures at

The guidance, expertise and

support provided to me was
outstandingly good and is just
another fine example of
the benefit of being a member
of The Referees Association.

I took my initial referee course in

February 2011 having just turned 30. I
was immediately struck by two things.
The first was the strange feeling of being
old in a room of youngsters and being
told I was too old to be successful. The
second was the standard of training
and input from the tutors. I felt and was
treated like I was turning professional
and I hadnt even refereed a game.
At the time I was still struggling to
hang up my playing boots so went out
and finished the season playing and
officiating youth football. However, in
the short period I had been in the middle
of youth football, the importance of
my decision-making, positioning and
knowledge of the Laws had become all
too apparent.

James Gould - Level 5

County RA Secretary

The RA gave me the opportunity to share

these experiences with like-minded
individuals which was invaluable. It
might not seem a lot but I am sure most
people remember their first red card,
and the questions and nerves that go
with it. To be able to share and talk
through this is priceless. By the end of
my first full season I had been to every
RA meeting involving a number of guest
speakers including the chance to go to a
presentation from Lee Probert at Exeter
City Football Club. I was also asked to join
the local referee academy attached to
Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth Argyle. None of this would

have been possible without The RA. My
RA membership fee has been worth an
extra three marks in every assessment
and an incalculable increase to my
club marks.
Howard Webb said in a previous edition
that he would struggle to see how any
aspiring referee can achieve their goals
without the support of The RA. Well I am
that aspiring referee and I am achieving
my goals, which would never have
happened if I hadnt sacrificed one
match fee a season.
The RA? Worth every penny!

Kieron Salmons
Level 4 referee and
Vice Chairman &
Youth Rep of the
West Somerset RA

My refereeing journey started

at the age of 14 years old. I was
a nervous young man who had
decided that playing football
wasnt for him. But I knew that I
wanted to stay involved, and so
I took a referees course. To my
surprise I passed first time.
I started in the youth 11v11 game as a
young Level 8 referee, learning my trade,
gaining experience with each game. But the
question I always asked myself was - am I
doing the right thing? Could or should I be
doing this in a dierent way?
One of my tutors was Richard Melinn, who is
huge supporter of The Referees Association
and has been my mentor ever since the day I
passed my exam.
I spoke to Richard, as I do after every game,
and he told me about the local Referees
Association which was Bridgwater RA.
I found out that they met on the rst
Monday of every month and where they
held their meetings, and so I decided to go
along and see what it was all about.
I attended that rst meeting, again very
nervous. I didnt know who anybody was,
but the rst thing that happened was
introductions to new members within the
room. At last I got to know some fellow young
referees who may have been experiencing
the same thoughts and nerves as I did.
During the meeting we had a guest speaker
present, a topic on a certain refereeing skill
and we also spoke about any match incidents
that colleagues had dealt with. This wasnt
in order to criticise but rather to support
what the referee did, or maybe oer ways
in which they could have done something
dierent. This was great for me as I left that
rst meeting, as I have every meeting since,
having learned something new.
I have attended most meetings since that
rst ever evening with Bridgwater RA,
because I am keen to progress in refereeing,
learn new skills and to meet other referees
who share the same passion that I do.

Only nine years on from that day I am now a

member of West Somerset RA (Bridgwater
and District and Taunton RAs combined),
as well as Vice Chairman and Youth Rep of
the WSRA.
I have also progressed and I am now a
Level 4 referee thanks to the support of the
members within my Referees Association
who have supported me and guided me
down the right path, not only with my
refereeing skills and knowledge but my
life skills and experiences, especially the
social evenings.
My LRA aims to make our meetings as
interactive and forward thinking as possible.
We like to have a few practical sessions
during the season, concentrating on certain
skills communication, assistant refereeing,
concentration and teamwork.
And we aim to invite a variety of guest
speakers from football referee coaches and
assessors, to people from out of football, and
we hold an annual forum where we hold a
WSRA Q&A session with a referee, assessor,
club manager and club chairman from some
of the local clubs on the panel.
Importantly, we keep all reports from
Chairmen, Secretary and Local Leagues
on email only to enhance the referees
learning time.

An example of our agenda is:19:30 Meeting Open,

any introductions
19:40 Guest Speaker or Practical
Session (60 mins)
20:40 Break (10 mins)
20:50 Raffle, Match Incidents,
Any Other Business
If you have never been to a Referees
Association meeting, or you have been
thinking of going to one, I really do
encourage you to attend and give it your
all. There are many advantages that I have
found to attending your Local RA:
Education improve your refereeing
knowledge, understanding of the Laws
of the Game, how to deal with certain
situations, life experience. There are also
some great guest speakers who will talk
about their refereeing or a certain area
of refereeing e.g. Premiership, Football
League referees, coaches and assessors,
Local League referees who you may know,
referees or sports people from another
sport, young referees who may want to

enhance their presentation skills, physios

or sports scientists who can give you the
tools to make yourself a tter referee
Support there is always somebody to
talk to face to face, always a member in
the room who you can phone up after
a game, whether its about an incident
during a game, how to write a report, or
whether its just having friends who share
the same passion as you trust me you
will meet friends for life
Encouragement you may have a
tness test or a tough match coming up
that you are nervous about. There will
be somebody in the room who has done
one before, and it could just be general
encouragement from the friends you
will meet
Social Events you may have a skittles
team, go ten pin bowling, hold a race
night, you may get the opportunity to
attend the RA Conference and meet
people from all over the country who
again share your passion. You will be
able to socialise with the referees higher
up the ladder (Premiership, Football
League), get to know FA Sta it is of
most importance to do some
networking, get your face and your
name known in the refereeing ranks
I would encourage every referee, whether
young or old, inexperienced or experienced
to attend their Local Referees Association
and reap the rewards and really push on
with your refereeing. Whether you want to
progress in your refereeing or not, this is
an opportunity for everybody. Not many
referees realise the support that is available,
so take advantage of this fact and as I
always say:

YOU GET OUT, WHAT YOU PUT IN!!

I hope you are all having a great season
so far and for those going for promotion
I hope you are successful.

37

RA News

NEWS

QUEST programmes
contribution to the
progression of BARA

LATEST FROM THE REFEREES ASSOCIATION

In January 2014 BARA received the news

that our application for QUEST Silver
award had been accepted.

BARKSTON ASH RA RISES FROM THE ASHES:

How to be a successful Local Referees Association
The story of Barkston Ash Referees
Association (BARA) has been one of
remarkable transformation. In five years,
having been on the brink of folding, it has
become a thriving local community and
one recognised as an excellent example
of how to support and develop match
officials in the National Game.
In this article John Key, Secretary of
Barkston Ash RA, explores that journey
and highlights some of the features that
have brought about the transformation.
In 2009, Barkston Ash RA meetings
would regularly be held in a pub.
With a predominant focus on business,
attendance was poor and members did
not particularly look forward to going.
Fast forward to 2014 and members are
proud to be a part of BARA. Focus now
centres on referee development, with
a supportive community established
that allows everyone to have a voice
and provides regular opportunities to
improve as referees and as people within
the Association.
Links are also being forged with other
local associations to share good practice
and to broaden the learning community.
Some of the changes and impacts are:
A change of meeting place We now
meet in a local primary school. This
sends out a clear message that we
are focused on learning, while the AV
facilities on hand and the school hall
is an ideal venue for indoor fitness
sessions. More importantly, the venue
is also non-threatening to youth
members.
Fitness sessions are held on a weekly
basis They are suitable for all and
always different. They are held at
various locations, with different people
leading the sessions. Although we now
have an expert, one of our members
was inspired to make a career change
and become a personal trainer having
attended and led some of the sessions.

38

This is a prime example of how

a successful RA group is about
developing people and not
just referees.
The committee has expanded to
include more members This gives
greater ownership of the decisionmaking processes to the members
themselves. It utilises the wealth of
experience and talents that members
bring, and gives opportunities for more
people to develop skills which they can
use in other walks of life.
Hopefully, as our youth membership
expands, we will be able to create
more opportunities for this group
to have a greater involvement in
decision-making - establishing our
own Youth Council, for example.
A BARA range of clothing and
training gear Initially we were
doubtful that people would want to
spend their money on this, but after
introducing the range we now have an
identity - a brand you might say - and
people want to be part of that.
We regularly participate in
Gamewatches In place of our
monthly meeting we will watch a game
together, discuss it live, make notes
then host a call-back event where
issues relating to the game can
be discussed.
Our most well-received meeting from
last season was for a local Under 19s
fixture in which three BARA officials
took part. We recorded the game
(including pre-match instructions)
and put together an edited highlights
video. Two of our assessor members
wrote reports and gave their feedback
after members had asked questions
and discussed a whole range of things
with the three match officials. This
process is a powerful one. Its a shared
experience from which people can
take ideas and understanding to apply
in their own games.

We were only the second Association in

the country to gain this accreditation.

John Key - Secretary. Barkston Ash RA

Launched in January 2013 by The RA, the

initiative is designed to raise the standard
of all Associations through good practice
and a defined framework. Although
BARA was already undergoing a period of
significant development at this stage, the
framework gave us a focus for change.

Meetings are generally led by

members for members At the start
of the season our Training Officer drafts
a training plan which is discussed with
the committee and based on need
(established from member survey
and feedback from mentor officer).
Those leading the sessions have
the role of instigating discussions so
that all members can contribute. We
usually have two members leading
so that they can exchange ideas
and develop their own knowledge as
part of the preparation. Some of the
topics covered last season include:
Decision-Making, Judging Offsides,
Abandonments and Postponements,
Assistant Refereeing, and
Managing Conflict.
The Mentor Scheme We will be
entering our third year for this and
the scheme is developing to meet the
needs of our members. Those involved
as mentors or mentees recently
attended a workshop led by the West
Riding RDO. Mentors were assigned
a mentee and worked together for a
full season. Mentees set targets and
completed self assessments after
matches. In year two the opportunities
grew for mentors to watch their
mentees in action, although this was
not part of the expectation, it really
does make a difference and benefits
both parties. The lead mentor has a
crucial role in overseeing the whole
process and liaising with the County
RDO. In year three we are looking to
introduce a Buddy System which will
be less formal for those who cannot
commit to the full mentor scheme.
Links with local leagues, clubs and
centres This has had many positive
benefits to us, including the use of
facilities for training.
Improved communication Using
email and Facebook, it has been easier
to administer than more traditional
methods and engages youth members
more readily.

When we looked at the criteria we felt

that Silver was achievable in the near
future so, as a committee, we looked at
the criteria and put actions in place.
It is important to note that we felt the
process of QUEST application would help
in our development. We did not want to
apply for it if it would compromise the
good work we had already put in, and
so at the next AGM we introduced extra
committee posts and re-visited our rules.
The application process took several
months, and reflecting upon it the
process was quite exacting but one that
made the acknowledgement of our
award all the more satisfying.

Local, national and international

tournaments These offer fantastic
learning environments for match
officials if approached in the right
way. By sending teams with a good
balance of age and experience, and
liaising closely with the organisers,
our members have really benefited
from these experiences. Recently
we have had teams in Barcelona and
Dubai. It is important for us that all
members get the opportunities to
be involved if they wish - at a recent
tournament in the UK the age range
of our group was 15-50. A couple of
youth members (15 and 16) attended
two consecutive tournaments in
Bolton and Cardiff, and in eight days
their skill levels improved by a whole
season, their confidence grew and
they developed as young people.

We will establish stronger links with

further associations locally, and
eventually across a wider network
When Halifax RA was looking to
resurrect itself, they approached us
for advice and we were glad to assist.
We have now attended tournaments
with them and to have this shared
experience has been very rewarding.
For example, at the time we only had
one young female member. Attending
tournaments as part of BARA along
with Halifax RA, who had two young
female ocials attending, they could
work together and establish a strong
link that has carried on since then.
Oh, and by the way, Barkston Ash is a
small village close to Selby in North
Yorkshire. A local legend has it that the
ash tree which stands in the centre of
the village, and gives it its name, also
marks the exact centre of Yorkshire!

It also gave us a sense of purpose and

brought members together with a clear
goal, as well as helping us to realise that
the changes we had already undertaken
were positive and helped us to recognise
further changes that would benefit our
membership.
It made us reect on what we were about.
The award itself gave us local and national
recognition that we are progressive and
making a dierence. We are only a small
association - 28 members last year - but
our role is an important one.

What does the future

hold for BARA?
Standing still is not an option. We must
continue to be receptive to change. It is
a team effort and, having established an
effective team, the process is not reliant
on a single person or small group.
No doubt we will be applying for QUEST
Gold in the near future but what is more
important is that we continue to grow
and meet the needs of all our members in
years to come.

39

RA-FA Youth Council News

NEWS

LATEST FROM THE RA-FA YOUTH COUNCIL

Introducing

THE 2014-15 RA-FA YOUTH COUNCIL

James Whittaker - RA-FA Youth Council Marketing & Communications Ocer

The 2014-15 season has brought a new focus and structure to the RA-FA Youth Council. Since the RA-FA Youth
Council was established in 2012 our primary aim has always been to help develop, promote and inspire young
referees through projects such as the Inspired Fund, the RA Good Practice Guide, and our Friday afternoon
and evening event at the annual RA Conference.

With the emergence of over 20 Youth

Councils across the country since the
National Youth Council was established,
the natural progression was always that
the RA-FA Youth Council would support the
nations County FA Youth Councils.
With this in mind the RA-FA Youth Council
are delighted to introduce the Council for
the season 2014-15:

Will Finnie
Chairman
Age: 20

County FA:
Northumberland
Level: 3

George Kimber-Sweatman
Secretary &
Treasurer
Age: 19

40

County FA:
Hampshire
Level: 5

Tom Bowkett
Vice-Chairman
Age: 24

County FA:
Birmingham
Level: 4

James Whittaker
Marketing &
Communications
Ocer

Age: 23
County FA: Essex
Level: 3

Oliver Fyfe
Regional
Representative
London & Central

Age: 22
Cnty FA: Kent/London
Level: 4

Charlotte Sparling
Regional
Representative
East Midlands

Age: 16
Cnty FA: Leics & Rutland
Level: 7

George Lowe
Regional
Representative
East

Age: 18
County FA: Essex
Level: 7

Ollie Williams
Regional
Representative
West Midlands

Age: 23
Cnty FA: Worcestershire
Level: 4

Joshua A inscow
Regional
Representative
South West

Age: 21
County FA: Wiltshire
Level: 3

Natasha Wilson
Regional
Representative
North East

Adam Davies
Regional
Representative
North West

Age: 20
County FA: Cheshire
Level: 6

Jessica French
Regional
Representative
South East

Age: 19
County FA: Kent
Level: 6

The RA-FA Youth

Council would
like to thank
the departing
members of the
2013-14 Youth
Council for all
their hard work
and commitment
throughout
their tenure.

Age: 22
Cnty FA: Shed & Hallams
Level: 6

41

RA-FA Youth Council News

NEWS

Manchester FA Referee
Youth Forum

LATEST FROM THE RA-FA YOUTH COUNCIL

Throughout the closed

season Manchester County
FA Referee Development
Officer Chris Kavanagh
advertised for match officials
within the county to apply for positions
within the countys RAFA Youth Council.
After a thorough selection process, seven
referees were selected to take up various
positions within the structure.

THE REFEREE DEVELOPMENT FUND

Will Finnie
RA-FA Youth Council Chairman

The Referee Development Fund will allow

us to provide specific support to different
areas of the country and ultimately have
the greatest possible impact on match
officials at every level, through this
network of localised Youth Councils and
County FA support.
The fund is designed to oer small
bursaries of 150 - 250 to assist with
a range of schemes or projects, such as
training events, mentor schemes, referee
academies or any other programme that
would benet either active referees or the
referee workforce. The bursary award could
either fully fund or part fund a project.

The Referee Development Fund is

an RA-FA Youth Council initiative
aimed at offering funding and
support in delivering referee
development programmes, events or
projects in County FAs. Our key aim
for this season is to provide effective
support to the County FA and
County FA Youth Council network
whilst also working to engage the
County/Local RA community.

The Referee Development Fund is open

to applications from all County FA Youth
Councils and County Football Associations.
Applications, which can be made at any
time up until the closing on 31 May 2015.
With fantastic pieces of work being
delivered by Youth Councils across the
country already, the RA-FA Youth Council
want to support them further. Both
Hampshire FA and Manchester FA have
shown great examples of the type of
projects the Referee Development Fund
has been launched to support.

Hampshire FA Referee Youth Council

We have held three
successful Young Referee
Development Days this
year in February and
August, along with our
most recent event on 27
October where the theme
was Right Place, Right
Time. If you combine the attendances of
all three events, we have an average of
over 45 youth referees attending which
is very positive. Each event provides
young referees with the opportunity to
develop their skills through a number
of practical activities, incorporating the
use of technology where possible. We
are continuing to change the theme of
the days to keep them fresh and we are
looking forward to our next Young Referee
Development Day in February 2015.

42

Chairman Tom Danaher organised and met

with the team and discussed their main
objectives for the forthcoming season.
The first project they looked at was a
meeting with all the RAs in the area and
to bring them together for discussion.
The Chairmen and Secretaries from each
Association were invited and attended the
meeting on Wednesday 8 October 2014.
This season has also seen the creation
of the Hampshire FA Referee Youth
Council Development Group, which was
introduced to provide support for youth
referees looking to make the jump from
youth football into open age football. This
group contains two nominations from each
local area in Hampshire with their Area
Representative becoming their mentor,
and each area will hold local development
evenings alongside sessions with the
whole group. We held a Development
Group session in late October where the
group underwent two workshops which
included Dealing with Dissent, carried
out practically on the field of play and
Recognition of Challenges, an interactive
session with the use of video clips which
they really enjoyed and found beneficial.
Furthermore, we have worked with all
the local Referees Associations across
Hampshire to assist them with increasing
their youth sections and have promoted
the good work of the RA at local Next Steps
Workshops, with several of our local RAs
now holding youth-specific meetings.
These are very promising times for the
Hampshire FA Referee Youth Council and
we look to continue and build after each
event to make the next one better. With
the possibility of having the RA-FA Youth
Council Referee Development Fund to
help, it can only improve these events
and in turn help to develop more young
referees throughout Hampshire.

The evening agenda, composed by the

Youth Forum included:
Sharing best practice - Interesting
discussions took place with all the RAs
talking openly and all taking something
away with them to put into practice at
their relevant association.
What the Forum can do to support the
RAs - Some of the biggest discussions
took place around what the RAs
needed to help support them. These
discussions were based around funding
they required for items such as a new

laptops or funding to support their

mentoring programmes.
It was pleasing to see that recently
the National RA-FA Youth Council had
considered a Referee Development Fund
that County FA Youth Councils could apply
for to support local RAs. This information
has been sent via the Youth Forum to all
RAs who are delighted and are working
with the Manchester FA Youth Forum to
seek funding for their key projects.
Each year we will publish the projects of a
number of Youth Councils and County

FAs who are excelling in their programmes

to develop match officials, offering good
practice models for others to adapt and
use within their own regions.
We have a number of Regional
Representatives in place who will be
able to advise any potential applicants
regarding any application that a County FA
or a member of a County FA Youth Council
may wish to make. We look forward to
updating you with the many successes
the Referee Development Fund will bring
across the country.

THE 2014-15 RA-FA YOUTH COUNCIL

The RA-FA Youth Council
invited 60 County Youth
Council representatives to St.
Georges Park on 11 May 2014
to recognise and promote best
practice, share ideas and build
strategies in developing young
referees in their County.
This sparked a relationship between the
national & county level Youth Councils
and enabled the RA-FA Youth Council
to identify where more support can be
offered and what opportunities County

Youth Councils need to receive.

With the success of last years
programme, it is with great pleasure
that the RA-FA Youth Council will again
host the National County Youth Council
Conference 2015 to develop the network
and links between County Youth
Councils, and to offer support to them in
their fantastic work with the help of our
regional representatives.
More information will be released in the
coming months to all County FAs and
County FA Youth Councils.
The 2014 National County FA Youth Council
Conference delivered by the RA-FA Youth Council

43

RA-FA Youth Council News

A Successful Season So Far

NEWS

A SUCCESSFUL

LATEST FROM THE RA-FA YOUTH COUNCIL

SEASON SO FAR

Why Join The RA?

Tom Bowkett
RA-FA Youth Council Vice Chairman
There are numerous benefits to joining
The Referees Association, from
continual learning to enjoying the social
aspects of refereeing. In this article we
will be looking at how local Referees
Associations can support members
whilst also aiding their development as
match officials - two core values which
can help match officials of any age to
improve their own refereeing and the
refereeing of others.
On 20 November 2014, we were
fortunate enough to be invited to attend
the sixth annual Peterborough Young
Referees Evening. Its an event that
has been extremely successful since
its inauguration and the number of
attendees has steadily grown over time.
Split into sections, the event began with
a range of group activities that sought
to develop the knowledge of those in
attendance, whilst asking them to think
practically about how they would apply
certain skills to their own refereeing. Key
learning points ranged from managing
mass confrontation to using the feedback
that is written on assessments.
With the evening supported by the
PGMOL, the second half oered a chance
to hear from a high prole speaker. This
year, those in attendance were treated
to a presentation by FIFA and Premier
League referee Andre Marriner.
Attendees discussing key refereeing skills

Sharleen Watkins Level 6 Herefordshire County FA

Following the motivating experience
of being at The FA Young Referees
Development Programme at Staverton in
the summer, I had been eager for the new
season to begin.

Andre Marriner ociating a local schools xture

Andre also spent the day at a group

of local schools, teaching the children
about refereeing before also supporting
a number of sessions during the evening.
There was also enough time for him to
take charge of a match with some of the
young referees from Peterborough.
Having support such as this oered
those in attendance the opportunity
to gain a huge amount of knowledge
and experience.
The evening also oered an ideal chance
for attendees to network with people who
can be inuential in their progression and
who can support them.
For Sarah Grundy, who helped to organise
the event, its a feature that speaks
directly to any referee wanting to
develop themselves as an ocial.
The evening is a great way to meet other
referees from dierent counties and
dierent levels, whilst ocials are able to

learn from each other and create a strong

network of contacts.
Development is an important part of
refereeing and joining an RA and getting
involved in evenings such as this really
aid that.
Another key feature was a specic session
aimed at the parents and carers of young
match ocials, which aimed to answer
any questions that may have arisen with
regards to their child taking on refereeing.
It also oered the chance to show parents
and carers how they can support their
children in their refereeing. It was great
to see the support being oered to the
wider refereeing community, which
encompasses the family and friends of
those who referee.
Events such as this one oer a wealth of
opportunity for learning and development
and it was great to see all of those in
attendance engaging with the content.
I am sure that all of those present left
having learnt at least one, if not many,
key skills that can help them further their
refereeing careers.
If you would like to find out if there is
a similar event near to you, how you
could organise a similar event or for
more information about joining your
local Referees Association, please
email [email protected] for details.
In future editions of this magazine we
will be looking at how The Referees
Association at both a local and national
level is working to ensure that it engages
with match officials and offers them an
opportunity to develop as referees.

44

When it arrived, it proved to be one of my

busier starts to a campaign due to the fact
that it coincided with my move to university
and meant coming home at weekends to
referee in my home county. But despite
it being such a busy period, it was an
enjoyable one at the same time.
Admittedly, I found this quite a challenge
to start with as I was just beginning to get
used to university life; indeed, balancing
refereeing alongside my university
timetable and university social life
proved more dicult to start with than
I anticipated.
After the rst month, things started to get
a lot better. I got into a routine that I was
happy and comfortable with, and that also
helped me to balance refereeing alongside
university and living away from my
home county.
Although comfortable in my routine, the
games I have refereed havent always
been easy. I have had a couple of very
challenging games that made me question
both my ability and also why I referee.
However, once I began to focus on my
love for the sport and also the passion and
determination that I have to become a
FIFA referee, all of these negative thoughts
disappeared because, ultimately, if
refereeing was easy everyone would
be doing it.
I have had one assessment in a top-ofthe-table clash between two very strong
teams and I was very pleased with how it
went. I feel as though I have progressed and
improved a lot since last season.
Currently, I am working towards being
promoted from Level 6 to 5. I have passed
the promotion exam and I have had four
assessments towards this (within the
promotion season March 2014
February 2015).

These assessments make me feel that

I have improved and have gained new
strengths within my performance.
When looking at the development areas
mentioned by my assessors they all relate
to condence. For example, I receive
comments such as do not be afraid to call
players into you to have a word with them,
and whistle tone and length of blast which
I feel will steadily improve with
proper focus.
Overall, though, I am committed
to working hard so that I
continue to improve and get
better as the season progresses.
I am very happy with how my
match control has improved
and developed from using the
information I gained at the YRDP
at Staverton Park in the summer.
Even though my season
didnt start easily, it has been
very enjoyable. And although I have
faced challenges, such as moving into
university and illness, I feel as though my
performances have improved a lot since
the start of this season and that the YRDP
weekend and structure have had a very
positive impact on my refereeing.

I have had a couple

of very challenging
games that made
me question both
my ability and also
why I referee.

45

The Season So Far

THE SEASON

SO FAR

Jane Simms, Level 3 Referee and FIFA Womens Assistant Referee,

provides an insight into how the new campaign is progressing.
Reecting upon where I was in July and the
enthusiasm I had for the new season after
the preparations I had put in, as discussed in
my previous article, it has been an extremely
frustrating rst part of the season.
In early September whilst refereeing a game
at Curzon Ashton FC, I picked up an injury.
It was soon apparent that I would be out of
action for a considerable amount of time. I
had torn my plantar fascia in my foot which
was the rst time I had suered a serious
injury. I soon realised that not only was
this going to be a physical battle but also
a mental one too. I was disappointed and
frustrated. I felt I was refereeing well and I
knew that I was going to miss some of the
key games that all referees look forward to
being involved in, such as the early qualifying
rounds of the FA Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase.

Tearing the plantar fascia in your foot is an

unusual injury, therefore it was important
that I strictly adhered to the advice of the
professionals along with remaining patient
and positive throughout. I took each day at
a time as I focused on my road to recovery.
My rehabilitation included lots of swimming
and specic stretches to rebuild the muscles
surrounding the injury before I could even
begin any impact work. This is something
that I will continue to do to prevent a
recurrence of the injury.
I recognised the importance of maintaining
my involvement in refereeing and ensured
that I watched two games each week
throughout my injury period. This was a
diverse range from mentoring a local referee
at grassroots level to watching games in the
Premier League in the professional game.
The majority of the games that I watched
were Contributory League football and also
the level above in the Football Conference, a
level in which I aspire to be involved in.

This gave me the opportunity to interact

with and support my colleagues. By doing
so, this allowed me to keep focused as well
as enhancing my learning experience by
watching senior colleagues.
In October, I was invited to the Level 1 Tutor
course held at St. Georges Park acting as
a shadow Tutor to PGMOL coach Peter
Roberts. During the weekend I delivered
alongside Peter to provide learning support
and guidance for the prospective FA Tutors.
Having the opportunity to be included
in such an inuential programme was
an invaluable experience as I could give
something back by developing our tutor
workforce and I left the tutor course feeling
more enriched and positive.
My contribution to support referee
development continued in November
when I was delighted to be asked to act
as a referee coach and participate in the
Danish Exchange on behalf of The FA.
This is a bi-annual exchange programme

in partnership with Liverpool FA and the

Danish FA. Three young ocials from
Denmark were invited to visit Liverpool
and had the opportunity to experience
English football working with three referees
from the Young Referee Development
Programme. The invitation would then be
extended to the English ocials to travel to
Copenhagen two weeks later. The Exchange
Programme demonstrates a fantastic
learning opportunity to support and learn
from one another and ocials operating in a
dierent football environment. As a coach, I
have developed a deeper understanding of
observing and providing eective feedback
to maximise the potential of our referees.
Moving forward, I am excited to be returning
to refereeing after recovering from my
injury. I will apply the skills and knowledge
that I have acquired and continue to work
towards the goals I set at the beginning of
the season. Although it has been extremely
frustrating to not be on the eld of play,
I believe I have remained positive and
used my time eectively to develop and
enhance my skills o the eld of play,
which will undoubtedly aid my refereeing
performances as a Level 3 referee.

I soon realised that not

only was this going to
be a physical battle but
also a mental one too.
I was disappointed
and frustrated.

46

47

FA Learning
The Football Association
St. Georges Park
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T: 0800 085 2012
F: 01283 576 201
E: [email protected]
TheFA.com/FALearning
FA Learning Hotline: 0800 085 2012
The Referees Association
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Ryton on Dunsmore
Warwickshire
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T: +44 (0) 2476 420 360
F: +44 (0) 2476 601556
E: [email protected]
www.the-ra.org