5 gameday notes (U18, U14 & U13) 4/2/2023)
Goofing a coin toss, new Predators, fitness paying off and more.
I worked a 3-set of boys matches today. Boys 18 (AR1), 13 (AR2) and 14 (CR).
Here’s what I’m keeping with me moving forward!
1. “I can’t wait to go home”
Before the first game I worked, the CR mentioned he, “couldn’t wait to get home.” I personally hate when referees I work with talk like this. Yes, it’s unprofessional but even worse, it allows others to be unprofessional and lower their expectations for their performances.
Unfortunately I was a little off for the first 20 minutes of my first AR match. Not sure I can blame it on this comment entirely and it’s definitely something I have to learn to block out if it happens. But it did have an effect on me.
Takeaway: keep expectations high and maintain focus regardless of negative comments by other officials.
2. CR supporting their ARs
During my second game as AR2, I had some very active parents who were crowding the touchline.
I had to ask the parents multiple times to, “take a few steps back, please!” while the ball was closing in on the touchline and I didn’t feel like I had a great view to determine if the ball had gone out of play.
The CR came over during a stoppage in play after I yelled this loudly and pushed the parents back a few steps.
Takeaway: always have the backs of your ARs when you’re the CR. It felt really good in this moment to make a request and have it backed up by another official and it really did end up being effective.
3. In games 2 & 3, it felt like we were the 3rd team on the field
I’ve heard other referees say that it’s helpful to think about the officials as the 3rd team.
It really felt like this today in my second 2 games and it gave me a boost of confidence in making calls and knowing my other officials were working hard and performing at a high level.
Takeaway: always get to know your fellow officials before the match if time allows. We all hit it off right away and this translated to good performances all-around.
4. Fitness training is starting to pay off
Usually when I’ve worked 3 games in a day, I’m pretty sluggish in the 3rd game. Both physically and mentally, I’ve felt myself lower my level in the past.
But today was different. I felt under control of my body and mind through the second half of the last game.
I’m a little disappointed that I had one sprint I should have made but probably didn’t because of fatigue. But overall, I felt like I was able to keep my feet happy from start to finish today.
Takeaway: keep my fitness regiment going. No need to push too hard but slowly and surely, I want to keep pushing my cardiovascular system to improve so I can continue to improve my referee performance late in games.
5. Adidas Predator Accuracy.3
Just bought these new boots and they felt good out there today.
The first 2 games they were a bit tight but by game 3, they felt snug but comfortable.
Takeaway: try to wear new shoes around a bit more before wearing them in a live game!
BONUS: Goofed a coin flip
My most embarrassing moment of the day was before my CR game even started.
I did my usual solid and concise coin flip but forgot to write down who won and what they elected. It was just a brain slip that usually doesn’t happen but it did today.
I proceeded to line up the initial kickoff for the wrong team before the captain that had elected to have ball first respectfully reminded me that he’d chosen ball after winning the flip.
I quickly changed things up and admitted my mistake. It wasn’t a big deal in this game but I’m glad I did it at a lower-level match. If this happened at a high-level game, the player will immediately lose confidence in the referee and the CR will likely lose some self-confidence! A good mistake to make now and one I hopefully won’t make again.
Takeaway: record who’s kicking off right after wishing both teams good luck after the coin toss. It’s a simple thing but means no embarrassing moment of goofing the kickoff!
Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙