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Set-Pieces - Applying the Advantage Clause    By Julian Carosi.
(One of a series of articles on how to officiate in a proactive way by improving how you deal with specific incidents and how to become a better Referee).

Assistant Referee Tips

Introduction: 

Below are a number of ideas that will improve your performance as an Assistant Referee. The ideas are actual pieces of development advice provided to Assistant Referees who have been assessed by me at Level 4 in England over the last 12 months in England, and consist of best practices and methods expected of Assistant Referees in general. Of course, you may need to adapt these ideas to reflect what the Referee imparts to you in his pre-match brief and your own style of Refereeing. These ideas are applicable to Assistant Referees at all levels.

Arrival at the ground:
Most Competition Rules state that Referees and Assistant Referees should be in attendance at the venue at a certain time before kick-off. Make sure that you arrive well on time, as lateness puts unnecessary pressure on the Referee. Always obtain the Referee's mobile phone number before the game. Whenever your arrival at the ground will be later than expected, either phone the home team secretary, or the Referee's mobile phone to confirm that you are on the way, but will arrive late. A quick phone call (because you are stuck in traffic for example) will always help the Referee's preparation.

Entry onto the field of play flanking the Referee:
When you enter the field of play as a team with your colleagues, it subconsciously creates a first impression in the players' eyes. The normal method is for the Assistant Referees to be either side of the Referee as he walks out onto the field of play. Carry your flag in the outside hand as you flank the Referee. This adds balance to the team image and looks professional. 
At the higher levels of Refereeing, the officiating team will all be wearing exactly the same kit. Even at the lower levels, try at least to wear the same type of sock as the Referee, as it will add more credence to how you are perceived as a team. For example, if the Referee only has one band of white at the top of his socks, then wear the same style yourself. It does not cost very much to have a few different styles of socks on your kit bag. It is the small details such as this, that will get you noticed, and help you with your career.

Introducing yourself to the technical area before the game starts:
If you are patrolling the Technical Area touchline, as you make your way to your starting point, try quickly introducing yourself to the Technical Area occupants just before the game commences. This establishes the first level of communication and creates a positive rapport that can sometimes prove beneficial to Assistant Referees. 
For example, "Good afternoon gentlemen, my name's Tristan, please let me know when you want to make a substitution." etc. etc. 
It doesn't matter too much what you say - just say something polite.
Introducing yourself shows that despite rumours to the contrary, Referees are actually human, and will help to break the ice in readiness for the pressures of the game. Let the Referee know what you intend to do, so that he can allow you a few more seconds to reach your starting position; this is something that you can discuss and agree with the Referee during his pre-match brief to you. 

Kick off position: 
Place yourself in line with the second last defender whenever a kick off is about to take place at the beginning if each half, or after a goal has been scored. Face the field of play and make eye contact with the Referee. Limber up for a few seconds so that you don't pull a muscle when you begin your first sprint up the touchline.

Making the first decisions in each half: 
It is vitally important that you get the first few decisions correct in each half, as it will set the scene for the remainder of the half. These first few moments are crucial in how the players perceive your ability. If you make early mistakes, the players will moan at you for the rest of the half. If you can achieve a high accuracy with your very first few decisions, it will gain you some credibility in the players' eyes. Players will accept a few mistakes being made during a game, but not the very first decisions! Raise your concentration levels to maximum, and work very hard to ensure that when you signal for the first few throw-ins, goal kicks, corners or offside, that the decisions are correct, and you are in a creditable position to make them. If you make mistakes early in each half, it impinges on your confidence and will make it more difficult for you to gain the players' trust. Also, aim to set a high standard, by making your first few decisions in harmony with the level of control that the Referee is using. 

Flag facing in towards the field of play:
The Assistant Referee's flag must always be visible to the Referee, unfurled and still whilst running. When running up and down the touchline and when standing still, it is imperative that the flag is always held facing towards the field of play so that the Referee can see it. This means that as you turn to run the opposite direction along your touchline, you will need to change hands. Always hold the flag in the hand nearest to the touchline.

Crabbing technique:
As a general rule, the Assistant Referee should face the pitch whilst running. Side-to-side crabbing movement should be used for short distances. This is especially important when judging offside and gives the assistant referee a better line of vision.
Crabbing involves shuffling along the touchline by moving your feet from side to side whilst you are facing square onto the field of play. This allows you to increase your focus and angle of view by straightening your line of sight. Crabbing greatly increases your accuracy for remaining adjacent to the second last defender whilst monitoring the offside line when the immediate play action is at a moderate or slow tempo. It also projects a stronger image of concentration, focus, commitment and professionalism. It is a useful method to adopt, particularly when monitoring the offside line at the extremes of your patrol path, near the halfway line and the penalty area.
But be aware that crabbing along the touchline is an unnatural movement; if you are not used to it, overuse can lead to injury in the long term. Limit its use to when you are monitoring the offside line, be selective in its use, and run naturally at the other times. Increase the usage of Crabbing as you become more efficient. 

Flag surface area visibility:
The reason why flags are luminous, are so that Referees can see them much easier. Put yourself in the Referee's position, and repeatedly ask yourself as the game progresses, if your flag surface area is easy for him to see. 
If you hold the flag downwards, it severely limits the visible surface area. Try to always show a maximum flag surface area at all times when either sprinting or crabbing along the touchline. Rather then holding the flag straight downward, or pumping it up and down as you run, try to increase the angle of your arm slightly so that the flag opens out. Hold the flag as rigidly as you can when you are moving (like pushing along a lawn mower!), so that the surface area remains as open as possible. If you watch top-level Assistant Referees, their flags look as though they have been starched, and rarely does the cloth furl up, even when they are sprinting. This is the standard that you should aim for. This technique allows the Referee to more easily see (or to spot) the flag surface area in the corner of his eye as he focuses on his immediate responsibilities. The aim is not to angle the flag so that it looks like a signal, but to increase the angle very slightly, so that instead of only 20 percent of the flag surface area being visible, at least 80 or more percentage can be seen by the Referee.
Do this also when you are standing still. If you can increase the bright surface visibly area of the flag, by either tipping it slightly if you are holding the flag with both hands, or slightly increasing the angle of your arm if holding the flag in one hand - the material will open out naturally. This makes it much easier for the Referee to see and enable him to quickly clock your position out of the corner of his eye, on the touchline.

Placing the flag in the correct hand before signalling: 
Before signalling with your flag, place the flag in the correct hand before raising it above your head. Move the flag to the opposite hand below the waist. Use this method when signalling direction for a throw-in, or a free kick. The simple act of moving the flag into the correct hand before it is raised, can also be spotted by the Referee, and will help him to signal in unison with you when the flag is raised. This technique is very useful if you are indicating the decision instead of the Referee. Raising the flag in the correct hand looks more professional, rather than having to awkwardly swap hands after the flag has been raised. If circumstances change, then the other hand must be used for the next signal.

Standing at the halfway line - concentration levels:
The easiest place to lose concentration, is when play is at the far end of the field, and you are standing still watching the action at the halfway line. It is during these times of non-action, that you will need to force yourself to remain vigilant. Very often, the ball will suddenly come into your half, and if your concentration has lapsed, you will not be ready to react quickly enough. When standing at the halfway line, face the field of play with legs apart, and keep your body moving to and fro by gently swaying from one leg to the other. This will keep you on your toes and sharpen your focus on the game. It is very easy for an assessor to see when an Assistant Referee remains focused and ready to react. The body language is strong, the head is raised and eye contact is maintained, following the playing action. You need to be ready to leap out of the traps like a 100 metre sprinter at the beginning of his race. Watch the good Assistant Referees; you will notice that their levels of concentration and their state of readiness, is just as high when they are passive, as when they are active. 

Halfway line flag holding:
Whilst standing at the halfway line, always place your flag in the hand that is nearest to the halfway line. This ensures that when you turn to sprint back along your touchline patrol path, the flag will already be in the correct hand (i.e. it will be facing in towards the field of play). 
Whilst this may seem finicky, it is a technique expected of Assistant Referees. This also helps to minimise those occasions when you may drop your flag whilst changing hands in a hurry!

When a goal has been scored - or not scored: 
When a goal has been scored, and there is no doubt about the decision, don't be too quick in retrieving your notebook to annotate the details of the goal. Firstly, make eye contact with the Referee, and then actively sprint 25-30 metres up the touchline towards halfway without raising your flag. This is the standard body-language technique expected of Assistant Referee. It is now a compulsory part of the Laws and helps the Referee to confirm the goal's legality.
When a goal has been scored, but the ball appears still to be in play, raise your flag to attract the Referee's attention, and then continue with the normal goal procedure of running quickly 25-30 metres along the touchline towards the halfway line.
On occasions when the whole of the ball does not cross completely over the goal line and play continues as normal because a goal has not been scored, make eye contact with the Referee, and if necessary give a discreet hand signal. 

Goal Kick signal:
There was a time when Assistant Referees could indicate a goal kick by using body language alone, i.e. by simply standing on the touchline adjacent to the goal area, and facing up towards the halfway line. This method is no longer generally used. A goal kick flag signal is now always expected. When you deliver a goal kick flag signal, also place your body square onto the touchline, so that you are completely facing the field of play. Always use the hand that is nearest to the corner flag when signalling. This will increase your line of sight towards the Referee. 

Goal Kick checking:
Firstly stand adjacent to the goal area, check to see if the ball is inside the goal area. If the ball is not placed correctly, do not move from this position, make eye contact with the referee and raise your flag.
Once the ball is placed correctly inside the goal area, move to the edge of the penalty area to check that the ball leaves the penalty area (ball in play) and that all of the attackers are outside.
If the second last defender takes the goal kick, move directly to the edge of the penalty area
Finally, take up a position to check the offside line, which is a priority in any case

Free Kick flagging. 
You must raise your flag when a foul or misconduct is committed in your immediate vicinity or out of the Referee's vision. In all other situations, you must wait and offer your opinion if it is required. If this is the case, report what you has seen and heard and which players are involved to the Referee.

Before signalling for an offence, you must determine whether the offence was out of the view of the Referee or the Referee's view was obstructed; or the referee would not have applied advantage if he had seen the offence.

Before raising your flag for a free kick, make sure that you have the flag in the hand that faces towards the direction of the free kick. This gives the referee a clear indication as to who was fouled
For example; for a Red team free kick; if the Red team is attacking the goal to your right, hold the flag in the right hand. If the flag is in the left hand, change hands before you raise your flag, and not after it has been raised. The simple fact of holding (or moving) the flag into the correct hand will be recognised by an astute Referee. He will be able to tell which team the free kick belongs to, even before you have raised your flag. This subtle information is very useful for the Referee if he did not originally see the offence.

When a free kick flag is raised above your head, wave it back and forth above your head (avoiding any excessive or aggressive movement). This signifies that the offence is a free kick (use the electronic beep signal, if necessary). If you wave the flag around too much, it may look like you have awarded a throw-in. Keep the flag upright when waving it. Waggle it upright for a few seconds, make eye contact with the Referee, and when he is looking at you, angle it down slightly so that it points towards the direction of the free kick. 

There will be occasions when you must use the "wait and see technique" in order to allow play to continue and not raise your flag when the team against which an offence has been committed will benefit from the advantage. In this case, it is very important for you to make eye contact with the Referee.

Free kick position:
The Assistant Referee's position for a free kick must be in line with the second last defender in order to check the offside line, which is a priority in any case. However, he must be ready to follow the ball by moving down the touchline towards the corner flag if there is a direct shot on goal.

Administering the 9.15 distance at free kicks near to your position:
If a free kick occurs near to you, stand adjacent to where the ball should be placed. This helps players with correct placement of the ball. Instruct players on the correct placement if they attempt to gain illegal ground. 
It is very rare that an Assistant Referee will have to enter the field of play to control the 9.15 metre (10 yds) distance at a free kick. This can usually be done from the touchline using vocal instructions. 
But Law 6 does state that an Assistant Referee may enter the field of play to help control the 9.15 metre (10 yds) distance. The Referee in his pre-match brief should discuss this subject with you prior to the game. If not, then ask him what he expects you to do. 

Wall distance:
When a free kick is awarded very close to the touchline near to your position, you may enter the field of play to help ensure that the wall is positioned 9.15 m from the ball. In this case, the Referee must wait until you are back in position before restarting play.

Goalkeeper releasing the ball from his hands:
When a goalkeeper has the ball in his hands and is preparing to punt it high into the air, take up a monitoring position in line with the edge of the penalty area or a little further along the touchline. Check that the goalkeeper does not touch the ball with his hands outside of the penalty area. Once the goalkeeper has released the ball, take up a position to check the offside line, which is a priority in any case. Check the goalkeeper several times early in each half. Your close monitoring, will inform the goalkeeper that you are looking for any infringements, thereby making him careful about handling outside of his penalty area. After several checks, you can take up a position a little further up the touchline, thereby decreasing the distance that you have to run to reach the offside line monitoring position. 

Static signalling:
When making a signal, an Assistant Referee must stop running, face the field of play, make eye contact with the referee and raise the flag with deliberate (not hasty or exaggerated) motions. The flag should be like an extension of the arm.
Therefore, whilst there may be the very rare occasion when you may wish to keep moving towards your stoppage point whenever you raise your flag, try doing it when you are standing still (static) rather than when you are moving. This looks much better, allows the Referee to quickly identify the type of signal, helps you to quickly gain eye contact with the Referee and is generally more effective. For example, if the ball travels out over the touchline for an obvious throw-in some 10 metres away. Sprint to the location, stand still and face the field of play, and raise your flag to indicate the direction of the throw-in. If the ball travels near the touchline some 10 metres away, and there is a doubt whether a throw in has occurred or not, raise your flag immediately to indicate the throw-in, and then sprint to the correct location to indicate the place where the throw-in should take place. In some cases, you will need to adjust the parameters of when static signalling (rather than signalling on the move) is more appropriate. This depends on the speed of the game, how far the ball has travelled away from the field of play and how far you are away from where the ball travelled out over the touchline. In most cases, you will be able to apply static signalling to good effect, particularly on corner kick and throw-in signals. Try to gradually factor static signalling into your performance and adjust its usage accordingly. 

Eye contact:
Keeping regular eye contact with the Referee is a difficult task to master. When you are not specifically monitoring the immediate play action, try and locate the Referee from time to time on your radar. This will help you to find him when you need to make quick eye contact with him. When you need to make a decision and raise your flag, try the following simple F.L.A.G. process which encourages you to make eye-contact with the Referee before you raise your flag. Obviously, this is not possible on all occasions, but use the process to guide you into improving your general ability to locate the Referee every time that you make a signal.

Find(Ref.), Look(at him), Aloft(raise flag to signal), Ground(drop flag when signal is over) F.L.A.G. 

Throw-in flag signal:
When flagging for a throw-in, try leaving your direction flag signal in position for a few seconds, rather than whizzing it up and then whooshing it down! 
Once your flag is up, count, "ONE AND TWO AND THREE," then drop the flag. This gives more time for your flag signal to be seen.
Use the simple F.L.A.G process repeated below, which encourages you to make eye-contact with the Referee before you raise your flag.
Find(Ref.), Look(at him), Aloft(raise your flag aloft and then signal the throw-in direction), Ground(hold the signal for a few seconds and then drop the flag towards the ground) F.L.A.G. 

Try to keep your flagstick straight (in parallel with the touchline) when you hold it out, rather than pointing acutely away from the touchline back towards the spectators. If you place your index finger along the flagstick when you raise it, it will force you to produce a straighter trajectory that maximizes your flag's visibility for the Referee.

When the ball crosses the touchline far from your position, and the throw-in decision is an obvious one, make a direct signal in unison with the Referee to indicate the direction of the throw-in.

Delayed offside flag technique:
Try to factor in a delay, before you raise an offside flag, as this allows time to make any adjustments in your decision-making. 
Try saying to yourself something along the lines of, "ONE AND TWO AND FLAG".
Or, "WAIT, WAIT, AND FLAG".
Delaying flag execution will increase delivery accuracy.
There are exceptions to this, for example, do not delay an offside flag if an offside attacker looks like he may collide with the goalkeeper. A quick offside flag and Referee's whistle here, (rather than trying to keep the game flowing) will probably save an unnecessary ugly incident occurring.

Time down signals:
During the last five minutes of each half, the Referee will usually look to you to make what is known as a time-down signal. This enables the Referee to confirm with you, the time remaining in each half. How you provide the time-down signal, is usually something discussed by the Referee in his pre-match brief to you. It normally consists of holding a number of fingers out over either your shorts of jersey. For example, 3 outstretched fingers show that there are 3 minutes of time remaining in the half. Two fingers depict 2 minutes etc. A clenched fist tells the Referee that the full 45 minutes have been played. Keep the signal discrete, and accept that the Referee will probably add on a few more minutes for any time that has been lost during the half.
There have been many occasions when a Referee has looked towards one of his Assistant Referees for a time-down signal, but the Assistant Referee's attention is elsewhere. So try to always be ready in the last five minutes of each half, by making regular eye contact with the Referee for time-down confirmation when he needs it. In other words, be ready to help the Referee when he looks towards you in the later stages of each half.

Corner Kick:
When a corner kick is taking place, position yourself behind the corner flag, in line with the goal line. Check that the ball is inside the corner arc, and do not interfere with the player taking the corner kick.

Corner kick flag signal:
When the ball goes out over the touchline opposite to where you are standing, it is the Referee who very often signals for a corner kick. Use the corner kick flag signal to back him up. Providing supportive flag signals adds greater emphasis to overall team signaling - even though the ball may be on the other side of the field of play.

When the ball crosses the goal line near to you, make the flag signal using the hand that is nearest to the corner flag (better line of vision) to indicate whether it is a goal kick or a corner kick.

Substitution procedure:
When a substitution request is made, check to see if the substitute is actually ready to come on. Very often, when a substitution request is made, the substitute is not yet fully ready to come on; because he has either forgotten to tie up his boots or has yet to put on is jersey etc. You can check the substitute's availability by simply asking the Technical Area if the substitute is ready or not. 

If you are on the far touchline to the Technical Area and you see the other Assistant Referee raising his flag to indicate a substitution, but the Referee has not noticed the signal, raise a complementary substitution request flag. This will communicate to the Referee that his Senior Assistant Referee behind him, is signalling for a substitution request. 

Sending-offs:
Whenever a player is sent off, watch carefully to see where he goes. It very often happens at the lower levels of football that the perpetrator sits inside the Technical Area or stands on the touchline watching the game. If this has gone unnoticed by the Referee, bring it to his attention.

Bad language from the technical area:
One of the most difficult responsibilities of an Assistant Referee is knowing how to manage the Technical Area without seeming to be a dictator. An astute Assistant Referee will know when to poke his nose into the technical Area, and when to keep his nose out! 
But there will be certain times when some form of disciplinary action needs to be taken by the Assistant Referee, rather than taking no action at all.
Normally, a few quiet words of advice usually does the trick when the technical area language starts to heat up.
Otherwise, try adopting the following assertive 3-point stepped approach when calming down heated tempers.
1: On the first occasion, ask the perpetrator to, "Please calm down". 
2: Secondly, assertively instruct the perpetrator to, "Behave in a responsible manner, else the Referee will be summoned." 
3: Finally - inform the Referee. 
In nearly every football match, it is the Technical Area occupants who seem to start the bad feelings. So please don't always ignore them. The Technical Area occupants have to behave in a responsible manner, and it is your job as an Assistant Referee to see that this happens.

Fouls outside the penalty area:
When a foul is committed outside of the penalty area (near the boundary of the penalty area), you should make eye contact with the Referee to see where he is positioned and what action he has taken. You should stand in line with the penalty area and raise your flag if necessary.

In counter-attack situations, you should be able to give information such as whether or not a foul has been committed and whether a foul was committed inside or outside the penalty area, which is a priority in any case, and what disciplinary action must be taken.

Fouls inside the penalty area:
When a foul is committed inside the penalty area out of the vision of the Referee, especially if the incident is near to your position, you must first make eye contact with the Referee to see where he is positioned and what action he has taken. If the Referee has not taken any action, you must raise your flag (and if available, use the electronic beep signal) and then visibly move down the touchline towards the corner flag.

The official advice is shown immediately above, but you may wish to consider the following tip. 
When a free kick offence occurs on the edge of the penalty area, the Referee will look to his Assistant Referee to help decide (or to confirm) whether the foul occurred inside or outside of the penalty area. 
A subtle way to indicate the position of the offence without using a flag signal is as follows:
The Assistant Referee makes eye contact with the Referee, and stands still on his touchline, adjacent to the edge of the penalty area. 
If the Assistant Referee believes that the incident occurred outside of the penalty area, he can either:
(a) Take a small side-step up the touchline towards the halfway line. Or
(b) Place his flag in the hand that is nearest to the halfway line.
Whilst the players will not perceive these actions, the Referee will be able to understand that the Assistant Referee believes that a free kick, and not a penalty kick should be awarded.

If the Assistant Referee believes that the incident occurred inside of the penalty area, and a penalty kick should be awarded, then all the Assistant Referee has to do, is to either take a small side-step towards the corner flag, or move his flag so that it is held in the hand nearest to the corner flag. 
But whatever communication you use, it must be agreed with the Referee prior to the game starting. 

Penalty Kick:
When a penalty kick is about to take place, an Assistant Referee places himself at the intersection of the goal line and the penalty area. If the goalkeeper blatantly moves off his goal line before the ball is kicked and a goal is not scored, you should raise your flag to indicate the infringement. 

Gestures:
As a general rule, an Assistant Referee must give no obvious hand signals. However, in some instances, a discreet hand signal may give valuable support to the Referee. The hand signal should have a clear meaning. The meaning should have been discussed and agreed upon in the pre-match discussion.

Signal beep:
The signal beep system is an additional signal to be used only when necessary in order to gain the attention of the referee. In most cases, a flag signal is all that is needed. 
Situations when the signal beep may be useful include: offside, fouls (outside the view of the referee), throw-in, corner kick or goal kick (tight decisions), goal situations (tight decisions).

Mass confrontation:
In situations of mass confrontation, if you are the nearest Assistant Referee, you may enter the field of play to assist the Referee. The other Assistant Referee must also observe and record details of the incident.

Consultation:
When dealing with disciplinary issues, eye contact and a basic discreet hand signal from the Assistant Referee to the Referee may be enough in some cases.
On occasions, when direct consultation is required, you may advance 2-3 metres onto the field of play if necessary. When talking, the Referee and Assistant Referee should both turn to face the field of play to avoid being heard by others.

Julian Carosi www.CorshamRef.org.uk

Happy reffing.