When to take risks
There are times to play to your strengths as a referee and ensure you maintain control of the game. But when should you learn to take risks and experiment?

I was chatting with a referee today who had just worked a big youth State Tournament game.
They said they’d done well and controlled the game but it still didn’t go exactly like they’d wanted.
Here’s what they said…
“I took a few risks that probably I shouldn’t have taken - I was experimenting and just didn’t nail each risk.”
Takeaway: Not every game I work has to be hugely challenging. In fact, it’s nice to work lots of different kinds of games. That way when I’m working challenging games, I can lean on my strengths as a referee and keep things more to the book.
And when I’m working a game with lower stakes, I can push outside my comfort zone, test out new in-game tactics and do things I might not normally do just to see what the outcome is. The time to experiment is low-stakes, low-pressure, lower-level games.
Know a soccer ref? Feel free to share this with them 💙