How to leave a match
You don't want a pint of beer thrown into your open car window as you leave a match. Here are some ideas to avoid situations like this...
Saw this tweet which made me want to write a quick blurb about this.
There are certain things to do if you’re physically abused during a match.
But what about after the game when you’re leaving he field?
Usually you can tell after a game whether or not it went well
If you get a lot of handshakes, daps and fist bumps from players and coaches and feel confident about your performance, you’re probably in the clear (it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be aware when leaving but there’s not a lot trending towards an incident).
If the players are upset, you feel like there were a few big incidents you didn’t handle as well as you could have and there’s bad mojo in the air, you need to stay sharp as the game finishes and you leave the field.
Especially at higher-level games, the officiating team should always leave the pitch together
ARs and 4th should continue to flank the CR
Make sure everybody gets to their cars safely and then follow up with everybody via text/email
Don’t drive close to players or supporters if it’s not necessary
Keep your windows closed and pretend you can’t hear anybody if anything is yelled at you or your car.
At really high levels, the officiating team will arrive and leave together more formally. I’m sure there’s a plan about where exactly to park if people are coming separately and leaving together is a must. I know professional referees have formal transportation to and from matches for safety reasons.
In some cases, it may make sense to wait until supporters and the team have left before you head out
This can be impractical because we all have lives outside of soccer and waiting at the pitch an extra hour may just not make sense. But it’s an option if you truly feel like it’s the safe choice.
Be strategic about where you park your car
I always do this regardless of the game because if something bad goes down, I want my car to be in the right spot.
Most teams I referee it’s for the first time and most people don’t know what car I drive. But I’ll usually park the car at the far end of the parking lot so that anybody who wants access to it will have to travel across the entire parking lot. For bigger parking lots, this can be a real deterrent.
Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙