The Memories & Spirit of the Game, as only Ken Aston could teach it... |
Enjoy, your journey here on... KenAston.org |
-= BRIAN GOODLANDER =- |
The Job is Not Over Until the Paperwork is Done Ready for Anything? To Play or Not to Play? |
What Flips Your Switch? Whistle While You Work |
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I am not a psychiatrist. But, I am a soccer referee, so I must be crazy. At least that is what many friends and family members tell me. Using the well-established analogy that it takes one to know one, I must be qualified to discuss unusual human behavior. With this qualification and after a long high school season, I started to discover some interesting dynamics at soccer matches that can be broken into two simple categories: (1) the physical and (2) psychological dynamics of crowd behavior.
The physical dynamics are associated with the human senses, primarily sight. How
many times have you been working as an Assistant Referee and faced an easy,
no-doubt off-side call, raised your flag and have everyone in the area react
with extreme disbelief. This is usually followed by helpful instructions from
well-intended, but biased observers. These instructions range from “It’s when
the ball is kicked!” to “Are you watching the same game?” In utter amazement you
are dumbfounded by this harassment following a simple off-side call. This
outburst can not be explained only by a general lack of education in the rules
of soccer and the art of refereeing but also by the physical dynamics of the
crowd. Fans, bench players, and coaches watch the game of soccer by following
the ball. Field players and referees watch the ball but also predict where the
ball is going next before the ball is kicked or headed and their eyes are
already there before the ball. In the off-side situation, the fans are following
the player with the ball at his feet. The Assistant Referee is facing the field
even with the second to last defender and determining if there is a likely
opportunity for an offensive player to be in the off-side position. The attacker
kicks the ball. The fans follow the ball through the air. The Assistant Referee
hears the kick, notes that there is a player in the off-side position and when
that player becomes involved in the play, the Assistant Referee raises his flag
to indicate off-side. Meanwhile, the defenders rush back to protect their goal
and pass the off-side attacker while the ball is in flight. The fans who were
studiously following the ball watch the ball fall to the feet of the attacker
who is surrounded by defenders and are amazed to see the flag raised. This is an
example of the physical dynamics of crowd behavior. |
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Ready for Anything? To Play or Not to Play? |
What Flips Your Switch? Whistle While You Work |
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Like many other jobs, refereeing has it’s high points and it’s low points. The high points are when you get the great assignment and perform with excellence to prove that you deserved the assignment. The low points are often the paperwork that comes after the match is over. Paperwork for referees comes in a multitude of forms. Game Reports are often required for matches. Ejection or Send-Off Reports are common in high school and collegiate matches. Incident Reports are often required for recording unusual or dangerous events.
Game Reports - Many games do not require formal reports. They may use different
forms in different leagues and in different soccer organizations. Some leagues
have a game card that must be filled out and signed by coaches after every
match. Other leagues do not require any sort of game card or report. |
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The Job is Not Over Until the Paperwork is Done To Play or Not to Play? |
What Flips Your Switch? Whistle While You Work |
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How do you tell an experienced referee from a fresh recruit? Some say it’s in their confident nature or superior fitness. Maybe it’s because of the way the know everybody in the referee tent or at your association meetings? I say that one way to tell is to rummage through their referee kit. A new referee will often carry the bare minimum of items and often not what is really needed, while an experienced referee sometimes seems to need a Sherpa to carry their bag. What’s the difference between the two referee’s kits? What’s important and what’s just a personal luxury? The 10 Essentials:
Another kind of card I carry is a set of 3x5 cards. I use this as game cards. Even when I am at a tournament where they supply game cards, I use my cards then transfer the information onto the official game card. This helps the tournament officials read the cards since it should be clean and clear versus my sweaty or scribbled card.
The Nice to Haves: Now that you have the ten essentials items for your referee kit, lets consider some items that are nice to have but not essential.
The Luxuries:
So the next time you see an experienced referee followed by a small mule train laden with packs, he is not headed for the Grand Canyon. He is just headed to the pitch to do his job. Who knows, he might let you ride out there on the back of his favorite mule. |
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The Job is Not Over Until the Paperwork is Done Ready for Anything? |
What Flips Your Switch? Whistle While You Work |
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The beauty of soccer is that it is played in almost any weather conditions. The athletes and officials must be in good condition and properly prepared to play in some of the more foul weather conditions. However, the same two over-riding principles hold fast in all aspects of the game – safety and fairness. These principles apply to weather and field conditions as much as they due to whether a tackle is an excellent play or a free kick.. A simple review of the various soccer organization rulebooks demonstrate that the referee has the authority and responsibility to suspend or terminate a match if the playing conditions warrant it.
The intent of these rules are clear but the specifics of when and how are vague. Do we stop if I hear thunder? How much rain is too much? What is too cold and what is too hot? What about lightning or ice or fog? Are there hard and fast rules or do they vary from league to league, age to age? Does the referee always make the decision? What if the field proprietor decides not to play a game because of the possible damage to the pitch? These are very difficult and complex questions that are often thrust into the lap of the referee.
Preventative Measures – There are some things that the referee
can do prior to a match to make sure he or she is armed with as much knowledge
as possible. We have discussed the why, but what about the how? How do I know when to consider the conditions unplayable? Here are some ideas for making that decision.
It is very difficult to know when a game should be terminated or suspended due to weather or field conditions but with some preventative measures and a watchful eye you can avoid these problems and make the right decision. Remember that safety and fairness are the paramount principles to live by.
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The Job is Not Over Until the Paperwork is Done Ready for Anything? |
To Play or Not to Play? Whistle While You Work |
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“Hey Ref! Call it both ways!”, “Aaa, Come on!”, “Buy some glasses!”, “You got a
whistle. Use it!” You don’t have to be a referee very long before you hear
everyone of these exclamations. Every referee has a varying level of tolerance
for this kind of questioning. More mature referees learn to know the difference
between an emotional outburst and a premeditated attack with offensive or
abusive language. Any referee has one phrase, one act, or one look that sets
him/her off. It flips your switch! It pushes your buttons! It sets you off!
Anytime this event occurs, you see red and the offender may even see yellow
(card). I propose that you need to know what flips your switch and be aware of
how to control your response and when that response is being used to take you
out of your game. |
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The Job is Not Over Until the Paperwork is Done Ready for Anything? |
To Play or Not to Play? What Flips Your Switch? |
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The primary communication tool for a referee is the whistle. An effective referee learns how to make the whistle talk for them. The players, fans, and coaches know from the tone, volume, and length of the whistle whether the foul is a simple foul, a misconduct that will result in a booking, or even a penalty kick. Choosing the Right Whistle – There are many things to consider when choosing a whistle. Fortunately, there is not a consider cost difference between a simple whistle and a “professional” whistle. There are two key attributes that need to be considered when whistle shopping.
Choosing When to Blow the Whistle – Like every type of communication, use of whistle must be saved for a time when it is most effective. If the situation can be better handled by your voice or a simple signal then the whistle may be unnecessary and better used for a different situation. Referees tend to go through swings in their use of the whistle. Early in their career, referees are often hesitant to use their whistle and draw attention to their decisions. Later, they tend to use the whistle exclusively for every situation. This use of the tool for trifling events weakens its effectiveness when it is used for a major event. Not to mention, the constant tweet of the whistle upsets players, coaches, and fans. Finally, the referee learns when to blow the whistle and how to make it communicate effectively.
Remember that the whistle is the referee’s primary tool of communication and an effective referee finds a whistle that meets their style of officiating and quickly learns how to make the whistle talk for them. Every player, coach and fan should be able to tell what event has occurred and what the repercussions of the event will be by simply listening to the referee’s whistle.
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The Job is Not Over Until the Paperwork is Done Ready for Anything?To Play or Not to Play? |
What Flips Your Switch? Whistle While You Work |
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