I'm a grassroots referee... Ask me anything.

[Wazztie16]

Current grassroots referee.

I do Saturday afternoon Open Age (middles and run lines), and Sunday morning youth middles (usually u15-u18). 

I also run women's low level FA cup lines, Derby County academy lines. 

Ask me anything! 

 

[Mafiabob]

Sounds like you’re as far as I got when I was officiating. Wish you all the best in doing it. It is rewarding and enjoyable.....

I just hope we have sensible comments instead of being used as a punchbag come 5pm on a Saturday.

I also hope people will appreciate how short we are of officials in this country....

I hope from this thread, people take away a little bit more understanding and from a neutral point of view.

[David]

Are referees told not to talk to managers on the pitch after the game? 

After the Leeds game today Dyche clearly asking the referee what time can he come and see him, which the referee blatantly ignored him.

 

[Wazztie16]

Thank you, I do find it rewarding and enjoyable. I get a lot out of it, knowing I'm playing my part in getting games to go ahead, keeping fit and earning a bit of money along the way, that's my order of why I do it. I know how valuable grassroots sport is to people. 

I'm looking forward to enlightening fellow rams fans on why we give the decisions we do at grassroots level, how difficult it is to see 2/3/4 things at once, on different areas of the pitch, how we try to keep match control, and how we manage to take the abuse that we do, amongst the other questions you'll have. 

Should be fun ?

[Mafiabob]

5 minutes ago, David said:

Are referees told not to talk to managers on the pitch after the game? 

After the Leeds game today Dyche clearly asking the referee what time can he come and see him, which the referee blatantly ignored him.

 

30 minutes after - Dyche knows this, that was for the cameras.....

[David]

Just now, Mafiabob said:

30 minutes after - Dyche knows this, that was for the cameras.....

That wasn’t the question though, are referees advised not to talk to managers on the pitch after the game?

[Wazztie16]

6 minutes ago, David said:

Are referees told not to talk to managers on the pitch after the game? 

After the Leeds game today Dyche clearly asking the referee what time can he come and see him, which the referee blatantly ignored him.

 

Yes, as far as I can recall from the laws of the game. Being a level 7 referee, and still wet behind the ears, a manager coming onto the pitch after the final whistle is a no no. 

Manager having chance to talk to the referee after the game off the pitch (15/30/45 minutes) would have been discussed prior to the game, but with emotions running around, a bit of leeway can be applied for a manager to come on as In the situation above. But any language /action etc that doesn't sit well with the referee will result in cards and the like. 

 

[Wazztie16]

Also, remember I can't really vouch for the professional game, so I will do my best with any questions about that. 

[David]

1 minute ago, Wazztie16 said:

Yes, as far as I can recall from the laws of the game. Being a level 7 referee, and still wet behind the ears, a manager coming onto the pitch after the final whistle is a no no. 

Manager having chance to talk to the referee after the game off the pitch (15/30/45 minutes) would have been discussed prior to the game, but with emotions running around, a bit of leeway can be applied for a manager to come on as In the situation above. But any language /action etc that doesn't sit well with the referee will result in cards and the like. 

Cheers, just found it odd ignoring him that’s all. Even if a time was agreed prior to the game, a simple as we discussed earlier Sean, come and see me at...would have instantly diffused that situation.

A manager coming on to the pitch to shake the refs hand is deemed acceptable, just found it a little bizarre. 

Out of interest, would you have done the same as the ref, just ignored him like that, as you say a bit of leeway, he didn’t appear to be using any unnecessary language/profanity.

[Wazztie16]

2 minutes ago, David said:

Cheers, just found it odd ignoring him that’s all. Even if a time was agreed prior to the game, a simple as we discussed earlier Sean, come and see me at...would have instantly diffused that situation.

A manager coming on to the pitch to shake the refs hand is deemed acceptable, just found it a little bizarre. 

Out of interest, would you have done the same as the ref, just ignored him like that, as you say a bit of leeway, he didn’t appear to be using any unnecessary language/profanity.

At grassroots, I wouldn't be ignoring a manager who came on after the match unless they'd given me a very hard time during the game, and I didn't feel there was any danger /threat to me or anyone else. 

It's good to build and keep that rapport at grassroots where possible, you can get the same teams more than once in a season, you can get the same home team 2 weeks running (was due to happen to me before Christmas). 

You don't want to be going around making more enemies than you already do while you're out there blowing that whistle. 

Hope that helps. 

[David]

What is one change that you would like to see made, be it the offside rule or what you can and can’t do as a referee?

(Punching gobby parents not allowed)

[Mafiabob]

5 minutes ago, David said:

What is one change that you would like to see made, be it the offside rule or what you can and can’t do as a referee?

(Punching gobby parents not allowed)

Time keeping in the professional game. 

[Wazztie16]

13 minutes ago, David said:

What is one change that you would like to see made, be it the offside rule or what you can and can’t do as a referee?

(Punching gobby parents not allowed)

Laws to be simpler I think is the first one I thought of. Mainly handball. In my opinion, if the ball strikes the arm area that is used to rule a handball offence has been committed, then it should be handball, no ifs or buts, none of this outstretched arm or making the body bigger nonsense. 

Just plain and simple, and the teams ride the (good or bad) luck they get from it. 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

Never been a fan of people abusing referees, as a player (at youth level) or a fan.

I don't think I've ever said anything worse than "Ref, come on!" after they've missed me being clattered or something.

I'm not trying to come across as being whiter than white or anything, but it's just not in my nature to have a go at someone. As long as they're doing their best and not being arrogant, I don't have a problem with them making a mistake.

[Boycie]

1 hour ago, Wazztie16 said:

Current grassroots referee.

I do Saturday afternoon Open Age (middles and run lines), and Sunday morning youth middles (usually u15-u18). 

I also run women's low level FA cup lines, Derby County academy lines. 

Ask me anything! 

 

What’s the worst you’ve had shouted at you?

[Wazztie16]

14 minutes ago, Boycie said:

What’s the worst you’ve had shouted at you?

There isn't a single incident that jumps out at me, it's things like 'cheat, racist', that sort of stuff that gets to you sometimes. 

I know I'm not a cheat, I know I officiate as best I can in the circumstances and my experience, I just make mistakes sometimes. 

I'm not racist, and even if I was, I definitely wouldn't be or imply it where I've got x amount of men who already think I am. 

So there's nothing that singles itself out to me, but general lies like that bug me. 

[Sith Happens]

As a fan sometimes it appears as though challenges early in a game are dealt with a bit more leniently than ones later, even if the first booking is the first challenge of the game by a certain player. but others have gone unpunished earlier.

Do you think there is any truth in this?

 

 

 

[Wazztie16]

8 minutes ago, Sith Happens said:

As a fan sometimes it appears as though challenges early in a game are dealt with a bit more leniently than ones later, even if the first booking is the first challenge of the game by a certain player. but others have gone unpunished earlier.

Do you think there is any truth in this?

 

 

 

I think there's a smidgen of truth, from a referee's perspective, you have to look at how the game is going, how your match control is, and how the next 10-20 minutes are likely to go, if you can work these things out. 

Some tackles are on the border of no card - yellow or yellow to red (orange). 

Some tackles early on can be managed with a talking to or stern warning, calling the captain in with the offender. 

I'll hand over to someone who is better placed than me to explain it, I think this applies all the way down through the football levels. 

 

 

[Highgate]

1 hour ago, Wazztie16 said:

Laws to be simpler I think is the first one I thought of. Mainly handball. In my opinion, if the ball strikes the arm area that is used to rule a handball offence has been committed, then it should be handball, no ifs or buts, none of this outstretched arm or making the body bigger nonsense. 

Just plain and simple, and the teams ride the (good or bad) luck they get from it. 

I agree that makes things clearer and much simpler for referees, but it would also have a detrimental effect on the game as a whole. It would introduce a bigger element of luck into the game and it would encourage defenders to run around with their arms behind their back in the penalty area, which is a ridiculous sight. Also it would reward attackers who deliberately flicked the ball up off a defender's arm. For me hand ball has got to be deliberate or the offending arms have got to be in an unnatural position. Difficult to define and implement in ever case for sure, but it's the lesser of two evils.

[Wazztie16]

2 minutes ago, Highgate said:

I agree that makes things clearer and much simpler for referees, but it would also have a detrimental effect on the game as a whole. It would introduce a bigger element of luck into the game and it would encourage defenders to run around with their arms behind their back in the penalty area, which is a ridiculous sight. Also it would reward attackers who deliberately flicked the ball up off a defender's arm. For me hand ball has got to be deliberate or the offending arms have got to be in an unnatural position. Difficult to define and implement in ever case for sure, but it's the lesser of two evils.

I see what you're saying, and looking at it from that point of view, you give a good argument. 

The other option is 'in the opinion of the referee', but again, that brings issues in itself.