Set-Pieces - Image Building

Home Laws Advice Fitness SiteMap Links Set Pieces Discuss Search corshamref.org.uk

Set-Pieces - Image Building By Julian Carosi.
(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).

Considerations on the importance of image making. These ideas are not prescriptive; rather, they will hopefully give you some new things to think about, and encourage you towards adopting a consistent approach by dovetailing them into your own style of refereeing.

I.M.AG.E.

Image. Imagine two referees arriving at a multi-complex sports venue in readiness for officiating a game of football. Often, the first impression of someone is purely by his or her appearance, and that's why first impressions really do count. Otherwise, why do most of us dress up when we go out if looking for a possible date?

Referee No.1 arrives early dressed smartly, has a smile on his face and wastes no time in introducing himself to Club officials. Referee No. 2 arrives late, is casually dressed, has a scowl on his face, and makes no effort to introduce himself to the Club officials. The contrasting images created by theses two referees are worlds apart.

Referee No.1 seems to be taking his role seriously, and his body language will instil confidence in the on-looking players and Club Officials. Referee No. 2 seems reluctant and inefficient. His weak body language will encourage players and Club Officials to (later) influence the Referee by either putting pressure on him to give match-decisions their way, or by delivering vocal dissent during the game; this will inevitably lead to conflict.
Referee No. 1 creates a positive impression, which gives onlookers an idea of reliability and professionalism. By creating the right image, it's easy to turn the potentially hostile environment of a football arena into an opportunity to make a lasting and favourable first impression.

Referee No. 2 creates a negative image where players will make up their minds about the Referee’s competence before he has even had a chance to show it!

Maximising impact: Once a Referee has arrived at the venue, there are three distinct opportunities for him to build up his credibility. Credibility is a crucial element in how players and Club Officials will interact with, and judge a Referee. A Referee with little or no credibility will suffer as a consequence. His performance will be poor, and there will be little personal satisfaction to be gained. A Referee, who earns a reputation of credibility, will be able to shine his light on everyone else’s day.
How the Referee goes about his pre-match tasks, the way he warms-up in preparation for the game and his entrance onto the field of play, are three distinct opportunities that can be made good use of.

There are a number of pre-match responsibilities that a Referee needs to fulfil before each game. For example, check the match balls, inspect the field of play and collect the team sheets. Complete a boot and jewellery check, brief his Assistants, collect any expenses/fees, and talk to Club Officials etc. A Referee, who completes his pre-match duties in a friendly and efficient manner, will impart an image of enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism. A Referee, who rushes to complete his duties in a surly and disinterested fashion, will take his ruined reputation out with him onto the field of play. And furthermore, this reputation will follow him in his career! In short, it’s such an easy thing to be polite, on time and efficient when dealing with all of the pre-match responsibilities.

Most teams will go through their pre-match warm-up exercises on the field of play at the same time as the Referee. When a Referee does not participate in a visible pre-match warm-up, it sends a negative message to the teams, implying that he is perhaps not as committed to his forthcoming performance as he should be. A Referee’s role should be as a professional – irrespective of what level he is officiating in. Referees have always been a target for vented frustration and anger. It is therefore very important that a professional approach should be maintained at all times. A Referee at the very lowest level, who makes an effort to prepare himself physically before each game, will add a grain of professionalism that will benefit both himself, and the Referee who arrives next week to officiate the same teams. Pre-match warm-ups should be structured so that they actually do prepare the Referee’s muscles for the task in hand. A quick trot back-and-forth across the field with socks rolled down, and then quickly back into the changing rooms will do nothing for the Referee’s physique or his image building!

Imagine a Referee coming out of his changing room prior to kick off. The Referee has his socks rolled down, is smoking a cigarette, and dribbles the ball to the centre circle. When he gets there, he attempts to keep the ball up in the air with his feet for as long as he can. Usually, this is not very long, and he ends up making a complete fool of himself. This image is one that can be seen on most Park playing fields, and is the complete opposite behaviour to that imparted by a Referee who is serious about fulfilling his duties to the best of his ability. In short, the entrance onto the field of play, offers an important opportunity to show both teams and their Club officials what type of Referee they have, and how committed he is to taking things seriously. Be smart, socks rolled up and equipment clean. Head held high, ball in hand and no juggling skills to be seen!

To summarise: The opportunities to build a reputation are not duties that appear in the Law book. They are natural openings that allow a Referee to either make good use of, or to ignore at his peril.

Attitude: There are two attitudes. The right attitude, and the wrong attitude. An Assessor once said, “I can tell what kind of game a Referee will have, as soon as he steps out of his car onto the tarmac on arrival at the ground.” And very often, that Assessor’s pre-match assessment of the Referee proved to be very accurate.
Attitude can be one single strong aspect of a person’s character, or it can be a combination of several minor (but positive) aspects. It can be an infectious smile, or it can be a combination of appearance, timekeeping, politeness, fitness and commitment etc.
Attitude is sometimes a difficult thing to write down or to explain in words. Yet it is a very easy thing to spot for Mr Assessor and the baying crowd!

As human beings, Referees’ feelings are prone to fluctuate, he same as any other persons. It’s easy enough to see when someone is happy, sad, confident or nervous. These are feelings that emanate from us, even when we try to hide them. When a Referee officiates a football match, he becomes a focal point, and this intense interest by the onlookers, makes it very easy for them to judge how the Referee feels, how efficient he believes himself to be, and how nervous he gets when making important decisions or when dealing with conflict. A confident Referee, who can efficiently deal with all of these, can be said to have the right attitude towards his task. A Referee whose attitude towards the game is negative, will draw further attention towards himself; leading to further degrading of his ability to control the game. Spectators and players are very quick to spot a weakness in a Referee, and once they do, they target the weakness to try and gain benefit for their team.

Attitude is a state of mind that can be coerced by the body towards a positive outcome. If you are feeling a little below par before a game, and your attitude is perhaps not as you would wish it to be, force yourself to take a positive and structured approach to the game. Push yourself to be more particular than usual with every aspect of your pre-match preparation. Prepare your equipment earlier than usual, and leave home in good time to reach the ground. Make a more thorough field of play inspection than you would usually do, and make a greater effort to introduce yourself to Club Officials. Prepare yourself in your changing rooms, adhering to your usual practices but with more focus. Complete a pre-match warm up by trying a little harder to get your body in shape for the match. In short, put much more emphasis in your preparation, and this will increase your positive attitude levels.

Focus your body and your mind will focus itself.

Guts (courage): A Referee, who is brave, will earn himself a strong reputation. Protecting the ‘image of the game’ is a current theme within The Football Association (The FA). There are several strands to this theme, three of which are listed below for consideration. For a Referee to take part in protecting the ‘image of the game,’ he will need guts (courage) to make brave decisions. It very often happens (in the areas mentioned below), that some Referees will ‘turn a blind eye’ and ignore incidents, in the hope that they will just go away.

Simulation: Diving by players has become a scourge of the game. It takes a brave Referee to quickly flash a yellow card for simulation when an attacking player tumbles down too easily in the penalty area. Most Referees in their carer will have chastised themselves on several occasions for not having the courage of their conviction by cautioning perpetrators for simulation. Simulation is a difficult decision to make, especially when players are jostling each other at fast speed. The greatest asset that a Referee has in relation to making the correct decision is his proximity and ‘angle of view’ during simulation (diving) incidents. This is why it is very important for Referees to work hard in achieving creditable monitoring positions when attacking moves approach the penalty areas. The nearer you are when making a decision, the more credibility you will have. Referees are the guardians of the Game, and it is their duty to punish simulation whenever it happens. In time, a concerted effort by all Referees will hopefully purge the game of this blight. A Referee who is prepared to accept that he may (on the odd occasion), punish a player for simulation when no simulation has occurred, is a much better Referee than one who is always too frightened to ever penalise diving, because such decisions are difficult to make! Stop sitting on the fence and letting players get away with cheating. Be brave and punish simulation. And work hard at getting as near as you can when making your decisions. You will need to sell each decision; so be strong and positive and confident whenever you penalise simulation.

Behaviour of the Technical Area Occupants: (specifically the managers/coaches). Controlling the behaviour of the technical area occupants is something that seems to have been generally ignored over the years. Referees (and more specifically Assistant Referee) at the lower levels have been known to ‘turn a deaf ear’ to abuse and misbehaviour emanating from the technical areas. Ignoring the behaviour of technical area occupants does nothing to enhance the image of a Referee (or the game). Referees are prone to turning off their technical area monitoring radar. The requirements of the game seem to take all of the Referee’s attention; and the technical area occupants are sometimes left to their own devices. Early involvement with a misbehaving technical area can reap benefits for the remainder of the game.

As soon as a horse starts to run out of control, the rider will quickly pull in the reins to coax the horse back to a manageable speed. This analogy should be applied to managing technical areas. It’s no good intervening in the 40th minute when the trouble started in the 10th minute. By that time, the occupants will have already gauged the Referee’s/Assistant Referee’s high tolerance levels, and any disciplinary action taken by the Referee now, will have to be very strong.

It is not a case of poking your nose into the technical area every single time that one of the occupants moans about the Referee, it is about acting when you really need to.

As soon as real trouble brews in the technical area, Assistant Referees should try taking this simple stepped approach as soon as they can. Build up your level of assertiveness (as shown below) if the problem continues.

Step 1: Ask the occupants to keep calm. Be polite and use simple words, something along the lines of, “Please can you keep calm and behave yourself.”

Step 2: Tell the occupants to behave themselves. Be assertive, and look the perpetrators in the eye.
Use words to the following effect: “Please can you control yourself, this is the second time that I have asked you.”

Step 3: Warn the occupants using strong assertive words to the following effect:
“This is your last warning, if you misbehave again, the Laws require me to bring this to the attention of the Referee.”

If the trouble continues following Step 3, move to step 4.

Step 4: Summon the Referee. Inform the Referee of the misbehaviour of the technical area occupants, and tell the Referee that you have already asked the perpetrators three times to behave themselves. The Referee is responsible for taking the relevant action depending on the severity of the offence.

Ask: Tell: Warn; then Summon the Referee:
The 4 steps are easy to remember, so remember to use it!

Players surrounding the Referee:
Over the past few years, players surrounding the Referee have added to the negative downfall of the image of the game. Recently. The FA have taken post-match action against teams at the top levels whose players have surrounded the Referee following an incident.
At the lower levels of football, this improper behaviour by players continues to blight the game. When this happens, a Referee has the option of cautioning players. A typical example occurs when a goalkeeper sprints 50 yards to get involved with an incident that has nothing to do with him. In such cases, the yellow card must be shown to the perpetrator.
When a large number of players from each team angrily surround the Referee, it is nearly impossible for the Referee (particularly if he does not have Assistant Referees to help him) to identify every perpetrator. In such cases, and to aid regaining control, the Referee should quickly caution one player from each side. This will send out a stern message to the other miscreants, and hopefully encourage them to move away from the scene.

Doing nothing in these types of situations encourages players to continue with this intimidating action whenever they want to. Referees must start being stronger in dealing with intimidation. It’s no good complaining that players’ attitudes have worsened, if no action is taken to curb such behaviour in the first place.

Don’t be a weak Referee. Be a strong one, and have faith in your own ability.

Empathy: Having empathy for the game, includes all of the above positive attributes. Empathy is being able to understand and share another person’s feelings. In Refereeing terms, this means that a Referee should be able to gauge the ambience of how the game is being played, and adjust his control so that it matches that of the attitude being displayed by both teams.

When a game is being contested in a good spirit, a Referee should reflect this in his style of officiating. He should encourage play to continue whenever he can, he should smile and only interject when he really needs to. Conversely, if a game is being played to World War 3 criteria, the Referee should be strict in his application of Law, advantage should be applied to a bare minimum, and his assertiveness levels should be at their peak. Both of these Referees can have an empathy with each of their respective games. If a Referee does not have empathy for the former game, he will contribute to the downfall of the good spirit in which the players are participating. The game will deteriorate, and the Referee will not receive many handshakes at the end of the game! If a Referee does not have empathy for the later game, his lack of control will probably result in a nuclear explosion!

To build up an empathy in each game, the Referee should focus his attention on how the game is beings played in the first 5 or 10 minutes, and adjust his control accordingly. Some Referees are able to do this automatically, whilst others need to give themselves a moment or two to contemplate how best to adjust their control levels.

The bottom line is, is that if a Referee turns up to a game dishevelled, does not care what people think about him, is grumpy, and intends to ignore difficult situations (instead of dealing with them head on) and has a careless, negative attitude, it will be impossible for him to have any empathy for the game. This will only result in chaos.

Conversely, if a Referee turns up to a game smartly dressed, eager and friendly and holds his head up high and brave, his empathy for the forthcoming game will be much the easier to achieve.