What do you do for your pre-game?

Aside from introducing yourself and your assistants, checking in the players and their equipment, and conducting the coin toss, the less you say the better, and most important, never lecture, instruct or discuss either how you will be officiating or how they should play the game. The first is none of their business and the second is none of your's.

What you may need to mention to coaches and players are any special procedures, such as substitution, management of the bench area, the walk-on, procedure to determine a winner if a final, etc. or special issues, such as field conditions, weather (ie. lightning) or a tree limb overhanging the field.

As to what you say to your assistants, here is a link to an article on the pre-game which you might find helpful. http://www.massref.net/ins1101b.htm

One thing I would add is that when you meet at the center at half time it is a good idea to ask each AR, first, whether you have missed anything down in their end, and second is there anything they have seen developing in the first half that the other AR should know about when the teams shift ends.

Sherman

 

Whipple handled the pre-game discussion with the teams, coaches and AR's so I will expand to the field inspection.

It is very important to get to the game early enough to do a thorough inspection of the field, the goals & nets. More than that, by being there, properly dressed, and beginning the inspection, you are showing the teams that you are in charge and do care about thier safety. It will help sell your calls once the game starts. If field markings are light, perhaps you can get coaches to place bags at the sides of the field to mark the edge of the goal and penalty areas. If there is standing water near the penalty spot or in the goal area, I am not above getting a discarded cup and scooping it out. I have been thanked many times for this. For portable goals, always pace off the 6 yards to the goal area (on both sides) to make sure they are centered and anchored properly. If my AR's arrive in time, it looks much better and we can be doing a full pre-game discussion while walking around the field.

If I am the AR and the first to arrive at the field, the process is the same. An AR who stands meekly at the back corner of the field waiting for the CR does not make a good impression.

 

Well...this would be a typical time-line from one of my typical adult men's games:

1:00 --- Referee leaves home, heading to field for scheduled 2pm match.

1:15 --- Referee arrives at field; noticing that nobody else is at the field, Referee checks his schedule to make sure he has the correct date and field.

1:16 --- Referee gets out of car, and walks to field.

1:19 --- Referee plops equipment bag on ground. As nobody else is in sight, he jogs around field, noting condition of fields and nets as he goes.

1:28 --- Finished with jogging, Referee checks watch. Then, having nothing better to do, he begins to stretch.

1:32 --- Two members of visiting team arrive.

1:35 --- First AR arrives. Referee greets him; hoping not to have to repeat instructions, Referee defers pre-game in favor of idle chit-chat.

1:40 --- Tired of waiting, and afraid that it will be just the two of them, Referee begins pre-game instructions to first AR.

1:42 --- Two more members of visiting team arrive, along with home team manager, Charlie.

1:43 --- Referee jogs over to Charlie, and collects home team's half of game fee, along with game ball; Charlie defers handing over game roster, until he knows which players will be showing up.

1:45 --- Referee checks game ball, ensuring proper pressure, as he continues pre-game instructions to first AR, then notices the lack of corner flags.

1:46 --- Two members of home team show up; Referee reminds Charlie about corner flags, and learns that "Bob" will be bringing them. Referee conducts quick coin-toss to save time; referee notes that home team won toss, visitors will be taking the kick.

1:47 --- Referee finishes pregame instructions.

1:48 --- Second AR shows up.

1:50 --- Rest of visiting team begins to appear; Referee locates visiting manager, secures game fee. Both managers promise that game rosters will be forthcoming.

1:51 --- Referee begins reprise of pre-game, for benefit of second AR.

1:55 --- Rest of home team begins to appear.

1:56 --- Referee informs both managers that the clock will start on time...whether the teams are ready or not. He collects game sheet and pass cards from visiting team, and puts them in his equipment bag.

1:58 --- Players from both teams slowly amble on to field, to begin their warmups; Referee conducts cursory look at players' equipment...seeing nothing objectionable.

1:59 --- Referee receives pass cards from home team, and inquires again about the corner flags and game sheet. As Bob is nowhere to be found, Referee suggests using equipment bags to mark corners of field. Meanwhile, home team has collected game ball, and is using it as part of their warmups. Manager promises that game sheet will be forthcoming.

2:00 --- Referee blows whistle and starts clock.

2:02 --- Home manager delivers game sheet to Referee, who jogs over to put home roster and pass cards into his equipment back...asking first-arriving AR to gather the game ball back from the home team.

2:04 --- Referee tracks down game ball himself, and blows whistle several times, trying to hurry the players along.

2:05 --- Visiting team inquires about kickoff; learns that they will be taking the kick.

2:06 --- Referee blows whistle again, trying to hurry the last few stragglers from the field.

2:07 --- Home team inquires about kickoff; learns that other team has the kick. Visiting team conducts obligatory quibbling about pressure in game ball.

2:08 --- Home team Keeper saunters out onto field.

2:09 --- kickoff.

2:27 --- Bob shows up, walks to field.

2:30 --- Grudgingly, Bob walks back to car to fetch corner flags.

2:33 --- Bob begins slow walk around field, placing corner flags in appropriate place.

2:45 --- Halftime; players on sidelines grumble about Referee's timekeeping.

2:54 --- Referee blows whistle to hurry players back from halftime; corner flags are now in place.

2:55 --- Referee blows whistle to start second half.


It's all well and good to know the right way to do things...because in some settings, and high-level competitions, we may actually get a chance to do it that way. But...the reality is often a bit different....

 

Jeff,

That sounds like most of my adult matches as well, though there is only one adult league I work where I have assistants at all.

One thing you left out is the point at about 2:07 that the visitng team suddenly discovers that, combined, they can't seem to scape together the other half of your fee, and must send someone to find a cash machine.

Sherman

 

I typically do youth games (rec and select).

That being said, my pregame 'talk' is a little different. Everything said above is definitely relevant.

I'm usually doing games with younger/inexperienced ARs. I tell my officiating team, that we are a team. I rely on my ARs and expect them to call the game the way they would want their games called(by the rules of course!). Most of them are current players.

I remind them that I want their first priority to be offside. And that it requires the ARs be in the proper positioning at all times.

All three of us share responsibilities for ball in and outta play. But I ask for a little more help from my ARs. If I'm not standing on the line and the ball is rolling out of bounds along(not straight across) the touchline, then raise their flag the moment the ball is out of bounds. Then if I askingly look at them, they can signal for me the direction of the throw.

I also remind them I try to make frequent eye contact and that if I see that they are always in good position to make the possible offside call, then will have likely earned my confidence.

I've often times had to remind my ARs, to reposition themselves on GKs and Corners. SO, that is now part of my pregame to ARs. Obviously it was something that I took for granted.

Many times, when talking to the teams, I remind them that they can take quick free kicks when I've called a foul.

I also remind them that they need to play the whistle. If I need them to stop, I'll make sure they know it. Otherwise, if there is any doubt, keep playing.

And last, I remind them of the fact that they are supposed to give 10 yards on all free kicks. No where in the rules does is state that the kicking team has to ask for 10. That seems to have headed off free kick encroachment in my games for the most part.

It's been interesting to check out the fields for the first game of the day. Sometimes, I swear the lines on the field were done by an Alchoholics Anonymous reject. Goals often times need to be nudged up onto the goal line. Debris from the previous night's rain storm/flood needs to be cleared from the net. Sprinkler heads have been stuck up and not recessed after watering (often times in spite of the fact that it rained the previous night and no watering was required). The home team at our location is responsible for corner flags, I've had to remind them that we need corner flags way too often. Even had to play a game without them once already this season.

 

Excellent Link! Do you mind if I print it out/show it to the refs that I work with?

 

Please feel free.

Sherman

 

I don't know about all this stuff Sherman mentioned...the most important this the I do at pregame is to make sure that my ARs know to keep spectators away from my pre-designated escape route for post game.

 

When I show up as an AR my first impressions of the center depend a great deal on the presence or lack of a pre-game between the crew. I always give one with my ARs, going through crew signals, responsibilities, positioning on set plays, echoing signals, etc. Many are right out of the books and some are mine (for instance, if the touch line is hard to see from the field I ask the trail AR to snap his/her flag up hard when the ball goes barely into touch in my half because my back is to the AR and I want to know if a ball that is rolling along the line drifts out).

Conversely, if you show up in a neat clean uniform and give your ARs a crisp, clear, concise, and direct pregame you give them confidence in you and start the process of being a team for that game.

Jim